Credits: NBC News
A Missouri man, already accused of kidnapping and holding a woman hostage in his basement, now faces an additional charge of first-degree murder following the discovery of skeletal remains in a barrel in a river.
Prosecutors announced at a news conference on Tuesday that Timothy Haslett Jr., 41, has been charged with the murder of Jaynie Crosdale. Haslett was previously charged with first-degree rape, sodomy, kidnapping, assault, and endangering a child after an unnamed woman escaped from his basement in October 2022. He remains in custody with a bond set at $5 million.
Investigators believe Crosdale, who was Black, was killed between June 6, 2022, and October 7, 2022, according to an indictment. Photos from a device belonging to Haslett allegedly showed Crosdale inside the basement of his Excelsior Springs home, said Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson.
The blue barrel containing Crosdale’s remains matched other barrels found at Haslett’s home. Excelsior Springs police had connected Crosdale to the case of the escapee in January 2023, seeking public assistance in locating her as a potential witness. Crosdale’s remains were discovered last July by kayakers in the Missouri River.
Crosdale’s family described the news as a “bittersweet moment” and expressed relief that charges have finally been filed.
“What happened to her was unfair,” her family said in a statement. “She was taken from her loved ones way too soon.”
The family remembered Crosdale as “very popular” and “kind-hearted,” stating that she was “loved by anyone she met.”
A probable cause statement alleges that Haslett told the woman who escaped from his basement that two other victims “didn’t make it,” claiming one was killed with a gas mask and the other died by electrocution during a sex act. The surviving victim stated Haslett threatened to suffocate her and put her in a barrel “like the rest of them” if she did not comply.
Prosecutor Thompson declined to comment on whether Haslett is suspected of additional homicides.
