One woman escaped from a “dungeon” under a Missouri home, another was killed. Here’s a look at the case

LIBERTY, Missouri — A Missouri man facing kidnapping and sexual assault charges after a woman said she escaped from his captivity during weeks was charged with murder Friday, with authorities saying they linked him to the woman’s remains found in a barrel along the Missouri River.

The case against Timothy M. Haslett garnered renewed attention this week when murder charges were filed. Prosecutors allege Haslett killed 36-year-old Jaynie Crosdale, while police reports have laid out the extent of the brutality described by the surviving woman.

Haslett, 41, appeared in court on Friday and pleaded not guilty.

Here are some details about the case:

What happened?

The case against Haslett arose in October 2022 after a woman told authorities she had escaped weeks of torture in his locked basement, according to a probable cause statement. Police said she had marks from whipping on her back.

The survivor said she met Haslett while walking through a Kansas City neighborhood known for prostitution. She said Haslett offered her money and she agreed to accompany him to his home. Once in his pickup truck, the woman told officers he put a gun to her head, raped her and forced her to take narcotics.

He then took her to his basement, which police described as a “dungeon” filled with torture devices, cameras and shackles. She said he raped and tortured her every day, cutting off her air supply.

She fled because she thought he was taking his child to school.

Police said they found photos of Haslett and two other women taken in the dungeon beneath his one-story home in Excelsior Springs, about 40 minutes northeast of Kansas City. A search of his phone turned up more than 100,000 photos and videos, mostly screenshots from porn sites showing women being choked, masked and bound.

A public defender for Haslett had not responded to several emails seeking comment by Friday evening.

And what about the murder charge?

The surviving woman said Haslett described how he killed two other women he had previously abducted: one by suffocation, the other died after brutal sexual torture.

He told her that “if she didn’t listen to him, he would suffocate her and put her in a barrel like the rest of ‘them,'” the probable cause statement said.

Haslett’s phone also contained maps of the Missouri River, where Crosdale’s body was found.

Authorities said they were looking for Crosdale as a possible witness in the case after identifying her in photographs found in Haslett’s home.

According to police, kayakers camping near the river in Saline County in June 2023 found a blue 30-gallon barrel with her remains inside.

Haslett was charged this week with first-degree murder in connection with Crosdale’s death.

He has already been charged with rape, four counts of sodomy, two counts of second-degree assault, and one count each of kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child. Haslett is being held at the Clay County Detention Center on $5 million bail.

We do not know that, yet

It is unclear whether there is a third victim. The charges filed this week are based on the evidence authorities currently have, and Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said the investigation is ongoing. He urged anyone with information to come forward.

“Today’s indictment represents the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, the families and our community,” Thompson said Tuesday.

Who was Crosdale?

In an obituary, her family said Crosdale competed in track and field in elementary school and was “known for her outstanding speed in sprinting.”

“Her family never stopped searching for her; and while the outcome was not what we had hoped for, we found peace when we were finally able to give her a proper burial last year,” the family said in a statement. “We find even more peace knowing we are one step closer to the justice she deserves.”

Her family wrote in her obituary that she “accepted Christ at a young age.”

But life was hard for her. She lived on the streets and struggled with mental illness and drug addiction, says Kris Wade, executive director of The Justice Project KC, who met her through her outreach efforts.

She said when she heard Crosdale was missing, she immediately knew she was dead.

“I’m really grateful that there will be justice for her and her family,” she said. “That’s the main thing I’m grateful for right now. She was a really intelligent, really smart person. She had a lot of problems.”

Thompson says the evidence shows that Crosdale had previously been arrested for sex work and that that is how she and Haslett met.

“In Clay County, everyone is entitled to equal protection of the law, no matter who you are, how much money you have or the color of your skin,” Thompson said Tuesday.