Man faces murder charges after kayakers find skeleton in a barrel

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, July 9, 2024 - A man accused of keeping a woman locked in his basement "dungeon" now faces murder charges after a body was found in a barrel last year.

Timothy M. Haslett was indicted for the murder of 36-year-old Jaynie Crosdale, whose remains were discovered by kayakers in a blue barrel along the Missouri River in June 2023. Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said Crosdale died from "an act of homicidal violence," and her remains showed injuries consistent with a gunshot.

This latest charge comes after Haslett's arrest in October 2022, when a woman escaped his home and told police she had been held captive and tortured in his basement for weeks. The survivor, who fled to a neighbor wearing a trash bag and padlocked collar, said Haslett had repeatedly raped, whipped, and choked her.

According to the Independent, the probable cause statement, the woman said Haslett lured her with money, then held her at gunpoint and forced her to take drugs before imprisoning her. She managed to escape when Haslett left to take his child to school.

The survivor also told authorities that Haslett claimed to have killed two other kidnapped women, describing how he suffocated one with a gas mask and another died from violent sexual torture. He allegedly threatened to put her "in a barrel like the rest of them" if she disobeyed.

Police worked on this case for over 1,200 hours, chasing down over 100 tips and plastering Crosdale's face on billboards all over Kansas City.

Haslett is already facing a laundry list of charges - rape, sodomy, assault, you name it. The judge set a $5 million bond in Clay County Detention Center. 

Haslett's court-appointed lawyer, Tiffany Leuty, has yet to discuss the new charges. During the ongoing investigation, Thompson has stated that he encouraged individuals with information to come forward. He noted that today's indictment marks the progression in our quest for justice for victims, families, and the community. Thompson stated that the survivor of the defendant detailed brutal and barbaric physical, psychological, and sexual torture.

Police are still putting pieces together, trying to determine whether Haslett has more skeletons in his closet.