Man kept missing woman locked in basement torture dungeon before killing her, discarding body in barrel: Police

A 41-year-old man in Missouri accused of holding a woman captive in a makeshift basement dungeon where he repeatedly tortured and sexually assaulted her has now been charged with killing a woman who was a potential witness in the case against him.

Timothy Haslett, Jr. has been indicted by a grand jury on one count of felony first-degree murder in the slaying of 36-year-old Jaynie Crosdale, whose body was found by kayakers on the Missouri River, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson announced Tuesday.

Crosdale’s body had been stuffed in a blue barrel similar to ones recovered when authorities first executed a search warrant on his home in Excelsior Springs nearly two years ago. Authorities also found evidence directly connecting Crosdale to Haslett’s home.

“Ms. Crosdale appears on a still image taken from Mr. Haslett’s electronic device showing her inside his basement,” Thompson said. “An SD card depicting individuals connected to Ms. Crosdale was found inside his house. He made statements to the surviving victim that he had taken somebody else’s life.”

Thompson said that between June and October of 2022, Haslett “knowingly caused the death” of Crosdale “by an act of homicidal violence.” Following the latest charge, Haslett’s bond was raised from $3 million to $5 million.

Police had been searching for Crosdale since January 2023 in hopes he could provide information about Haslett, Kansas City Fox affiliate WDAF reported.

As previously reported by Law&Crime, the investigation into Haslett began on Oct. 7, 2022, when a 22-year-old Black female — identified in court documents as “T.J.” — showed up at the home of a neighbor of Haslett’s wearing latex lingerie with a homemade metal shock collar equipped with a padlock, duct tape around her neck, and ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. T.J. told the homeowner she had been held against her will for over a month.

T.J. told police Haslett had picked her up in Kansas City a month earlier and kept her in a small room in the basement that he had built, according to the affidavit.

“He kept her restrained in handcuffs on her wrists and ankles. She was able to get free when he left to take his child to school,” prosecutors wrote.

The woman pointed out to investigators the house where she had been kept, said the suspect had raped her multiple times and had whipped her while she was restrained, the affidavit said.

The victim told authorities that during her time in captivity, Haslett bragged about killing two other Black women. The Washington Post reported that Haslett would regularly post racist and misogynistic comments online.

Haslett was taken into custody on unrelated animal control charges, and then a judge issued a search warrant for Haslett’s home. Police found the room in the basement the victim described and recovered numerous firearms.

“Today’s indictment represents the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, the families and our community. The physical, psychological, and sexual torture described by the defendant’s surviving victim is brutal and barbaric,” Thompson said. “In Clay County, regardless of who you are, how much money you have, or what color your skin is, everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law.”

Thompson also emphasized that the investigation into Haslett remains open and more charges may be brought.

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