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HLN Nancy Grace interviews lawyer for Haleigh Cummings mother

March 11, 9:03 PM

Cable TV Examiner

Christine Nyholm

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Nancy Grace on HLN has been reporting regularly on the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings from her father’s home in the middle of one Florida night in February. Five year old Haleigh and her younger brother were sleeping in the same bedroom with their father’s 17 year old girlfriend when Haleigh went missing.

Tonight Nancy Grace featured an exclusive interview with Kim Picazio, the attorney for Crystal Sheffield, who is Haleigh Cummings mother. Nancy Grace questioned Kim Picazio about how Ms. Sheffield lost custody of Haleigh to begin with, what may have been going on in the home and why Ms. Sheffield felt the need to hire an attorney at this point.

HLN Nancy Grace Show released a transcript of the interview to Chicago Cable TV Examiner, which follows.

Nancy Grace: With me right now is that attorney, Kim Picazio. She has an excellent reputation. She graduated summa cum laude from Florida State. She has been practicing over a decade. Ms. Picazio, thank you for being with us, for your first interview after the bio mom hired you. Why does Haleigh’s biological mother need a lawyer?

Kim Picazio: Well, I was contacted as your correspondent has stated, initially to handle the media. But then later we had found out through talking to people in the community and speaking with the police officers, etcetera, as well as speaking with the mother, that there may be some issues involving the minor child, Junior, is what they call the son of Crystal Sheffield and his sister Haleigh with regard to whether or not he’s in the safest place in the home with the father.

Nancy Grace: Ms. Picazio, are you planning to launch a custody battle for the little boy?

Kim Picazio: Well at this time, I was just recently retained so I need of course to explore all the issues. I need to talk to everyone involved and so I guess what we first need to do is to go down or up to the town, speak with all of the officials and there are some things that give us grave concerns about the welfare of the child and about Haleigh when she is returned hopefully safely.

Nancy Grace: Ms. Picazio, I understand your concerns. It makes perfect sense to me. If one child is snatched out of the home, what might happen to the next child? I understand that. But let me ask you this. Why did your client lose custody of Junior to start with?

Kim Picazio: I need also the court records. I just pulled those today and I have not been down to the town. I’m going to be going tomorrow. And I would prefer to actually read the court documents as opposed to going with what the renditions of the parties may be which may be colored by just the perceptions in their emotions. But I do know that the mother had retained an attorney prior, after the original proceeding to seek a modification of custody. And it was my understanding that the mother was not aware of some very important hearings that she was to attend and I need to get to the bottom of that and then we can go from there.

Nancy Grace: Ms. Picazio, everyone, Kim Picazio is joining us today for her first TV interview. She’s joining us out of Plantation, Florida and she has been hired by Haleigh’s biological mother. Now Ms. Picazio, how long has your client not had physical custody of little Haleigh?

Kim Picazio: It’s been for several years and it was -- actually we just found out today that the modification proceeding I don’t believe was ever filed. I need to speak with that attorney that was retained by Ms. Sheffield to file that proceeding and I have to defer to the court documents on that which I am in the process of obtaining. Again, there are grave concerns with regard to Junior and with regard to the household that Haleigh would be potentially returned to. There have of course been allegations but again, if you can imagine…

Nancy Grace: Allegations of what?

Kim Picazio: Allegations with regard to what was actually going on in that home prior to Haleigh disappearing and on that night. I mean we’ve got a situation where we have a four-year-old child in the home with a home that’s actually, the seven-year-old, I’m sorry; the five-year-old child had disappeared right under the nose of the baby sitter. But then we learn is a teenage baby sitter who is also living with the father in a romantic relationship. This is not the first time that he has chosen a teenager to fall in love with and to live with.

Nancy Grace: Are you suggesting abuse on little Haleigh?

Kim Picazio: I’m not suggesting that as of yet and we have not…

Nancy Grace: I’m glad to hear it.

Kim Picazio We have not uncovered anything as of yet and I’d like to do my own investigation. Authorities are looking into every single avenue. But I have grave concerns again about the ability and the fitness of the parent who is going to consistently choose teenagers to watch their children.

Nancy Grace: Well, a couple of points Ms. Picazio and believe me, I know you are a well-respected member of the bar. But I find it ironic that now is the time when the bio mom arranges all of her media requests that she suddenly decides that Haleigh had been in a bad environment. She’s certainly known all along whom the father is dating and according to the judge in your client’s custody case, the mother, your client, did not have a job. The father did. Haleigh missed a total that we know of, 12 doctor’s appointments while living with the mother. Now maybe there’s an explanation for that, but I know the child has Turner’s syndrome and the mother not only didn’t have a job, but didn’t take the child to the doctor. It’s not like she was working all day and couldn’t make time to take the child to the doctor. I don’t understand that.

Kim Picazio: Well, there’s also, we have to look into the father’s history of taking the child to the doctor. Haleigh was never a child who was well. She had chronic pneumonia and bronchial problems and the father would often leave the children to a teenager who he was living with to drive this child to the doctor on a regular basis.

Nancy Grace: Why do you speak of Haleigh in the past tense? I notice that you said she always was a child with a lot of physical problems.

Kim Picazio: Because she doesn’t have those physical problems anymore.

Nancy Grace: OK, with me everyone, Kim Picazio, attorney newly hired, attorney newly retained for Haleigh’s biological mother.

Nancy Grace airs on HLN nightly at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm Central Time.

Missing Haleigh Cummings father and 17 year old girlfriend marry while search continues (view)

Photo Captions:

This recent photo released by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office shows Haleigh Cummings, 5, of Satsuma, Fla. An Amber Alert was issued on Tuesday Feb. 10, 2009, after Cummings went missing from her home Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Putnam County Sheriff's Office, HO)

Amanda Lauramore comforts her cousin Crystal Sheffield who is the mother of the missing five-year-old girl, Haleigh Cummings who was last seen in Satsuma, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009. (AP AP Photo/Reinhold Matay)

Nancy Griffis, left, grandmother of Haleigh Cummings, cuddles with her daughter Crystal Sheffield, Hayleighs' mother, as the pair wait for news near the area where Haleigh was last seen in Satsuma, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009.(AP AP Photo/Reinhold Matay)

Haleigh Cummings missing child from Florida

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