PUTNAM COUNTY, FL -- An anonymous pledge of $5,000 has boosted the reward for finding Haleigh Cummings (photos) to $25,500. A sheriff's spokesman says investigators continue to pore through leads. Some 1,600 tips have been received so far.
15 days have passed since the 5-year-old disappeared from her Satsuma home. Captain Dick Schauland of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office says five detectives remain on the case full time, with 12 others available if the situation warrants.
"As far as the investigation goes, detectives are continuously working on the case," Schauland told the Palatka Daily News on Tuesday. "The thrust of the investigation is the return of Haleigh, so we have to be very careful about the information we release. If there is any new information, we will get it out."
A tip from neighboring Flagler County had officers searching an area near St. Augustine on Tuesday. Someone reported seeing a man walking with a girl fitting Haleigh's description. Police did come across a man walking his daughter to school, but found nothing else.
The Cummings family continues to hold nightly vigils for Haleigh in their Satsuma neighborhood. The girlfriend of Haleigh's father said she discovered the girl missing around 3 a.m. on February 10. Detectives believe she was kidnapped.
HALEIGH'S BROTHER: 'MAN IN BLACK' TOOK HER
A possible clue in the case came to light earlier this week. Haleigh's brother, who was three when Haleigh vanished, told investigators that a man dressed in black took his sister.
Ronald Cummings Jr. said the same thing to his mother.
"When I saw him on my visitation all he said was, 'Some man in black came in and took her...but I didn't question him," Haleigh's mother, Crystal Sheffield told WFTV.
Captain Dick Schauland told the Florida Times-Union, "The Sheriff’s Office is aware of what the little boy said and is following up on that lead.”
Schauland wouldn't comment any further.
Sheffield talked about 'the man in black' when she appeared on HLN's Nancy Grace Show Monday night. Sheffield added that she took a lie detector test and passed it.
