A 41-year-old Missouri man accused of holding a woman captive in a homemade basement dungeon and regularly torturing and sexually assaulting her has now been charged with murdering a woman who could testify against him.
A grand jury indicted Timothy Haslett, Jr. on one count of felony first-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Jaynie Crosdale, whose body was discovered by kayakers on the Missouri River, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said Tuesday.
Crosdale’s remains were packed in a blue barrel identical to those found when detectives conducted a search warrant on his Excelsior Springs property nearly two years ago. Authorities also discovered direct evidence linking Crosdale to Haslett’s residence.
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“Ms. Crosdale appears on a still image taken from Mr. Haslett’s electronic device showing her inside his basement,” according to Thompson. “An SD card containing images of people connected to Ms. Crosdale was discovered inside his house. He told the surviving victim that he had killed someone else.
Thompson claimed that between June and October 2022, Haslett “knowingly caused the death” of Crosdale “by an act of homicidal violence.” Following the most recent charge, Haslett’s bond was increased from $3 million to $5 million.
According to Kansas City Fox station WDAF, police have been looking for Crosdale since January 2023 in the hopes that he may reveal information regarding Haslett.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, the investigation into Haslett began on October 7, 2022, when a 22-year-old Black female — identified in court documents as “T.J.” — arrived at Haslett’s neighbor’s home wearing latex lingerie and a homemade metal shock collar equipped with a padlock, duct tape around her neck, and ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. T.J. informed the homeowner that she had been detained against her will for almost a month.
T.J. told the cops. According to the complaint, Haslett picked her up in Kansas City a month ago and confined her in a small room in the basement he had built.
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“He restrained her with handcuffs around her wrists and ankles. “She was able to get away when he left to take his child to school,” prosecutors wrote.
The victim showed investigators the residence where she had been kept and stated that the defendant had raped her many times and whipped her while she was bound, according to the affidavit.
The victim told officials that Haslett boasted about murdering two other Black women while she was in captivity. According to the Washington Post, Haslett often posted racist and misogynistic comments online.
Haslett was brought into custody on unrelated animal control charges, and a court granted a search warrant for his residence. Police discovered the room in the basement indicated by the victim and recovered several guns as per lawandcrime.
“Today’s indictment marks the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, their families, and our community. The physical, psychological, and sexual torment described by the defendant’s surviving victim is horrific and inhumane,” Thompson stated. “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 stated that the investigation against Haslett is ongoing, and additional charges may be filed.