Excelsior Springs rape, kidnapping suspect Timothy Haslett Jr. now charged with murder

A man already facing nine felony charges in connection with a 2022 rape and kidnapping case in Excelsior Springs now stands accused of murder.Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson announced the new charge filed against Timothy Haslett Jr. in a press conference at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Haslett now faces one charge of felony first-degree murder in connection with the death of Jaynie Crosdale. Haslett was previously indicted on felony charges of rape in the first degree, four counts of sodomy in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, and endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree.Those charges remain in place. In 2023, Crosdale, a potential witness in that case, was found dead in Saline County.The initial charges came after a separate woman escaped from Haslett's home in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, in 2022. The 22-year-old woman allegedly broke free from the house in Excelsior Springs and ran to a nearby residence where she told residents she had been taken from Kansas City, held in a small dungeon in a basement, bound, beaten, and raped. According to court records, that unidentified woman later told police that Haslett "told her there were two other females he held captive who didn't make it." The woman didn't know their names and wasn't held with any other women during her time in captivity. Probable cause documents also claim that the dungeon was outfitted with two interior security cameras that appeared to operate wirelessly. No storage devices associated with these devices were recovered. Police at the scene did find several photos inside the dungeon of the 22-year-old woman and another woman. On Jan. 12, 2023, a family member filed a missing persons report informing police that they hadn't had contact with Crosdale since September 2022. According to the probable cause document, additional photos were recovered on an SD card collected at the residence, which later connected Crosdale to Haslett. On June 24, 2023, a Saline County Sheriff's Deputy located Crosdale's remains within a barrel near the Waverly Port Access. The prosecutor says the evidence indicates Crosdale may have been shot inside the barrel.Police say Crosdale was arrested for commercial sex work, which is how they believe Haslett met her.An autopsy performed by the Boone County Medical Examiner's office found that Crosdale's body showed signs of blunt force trauma.For a full explainer of the Haslett case, you can find our previous coverage here. Haslett has been in custody since 2022. His bond has now been set at $5 million and he is next scheduled to be back in court in September.