KMBC published October 12, 2022: Esclusive video shows arrest of Excelsior Springs man charged with kidnapping, rape.
KSHB 41 published Oct 11, 2022: The Excelsior Springs victim who escaped a man's home and knocked on nearby doors for help Friday was wearing a trash bag, metal collar with a padlock and had duct tape around her neck, according to court documents filed in Clay County the day the woman escaped.
The 22 year-old woman was handcuffed by her wrists and ankles and left in a small room in Tim Haslett's basement, according to details outlined in the court filing,
KMBC 9 published October 18, 2022: Bond reduction hearing for Excelsior Springs kidnapping, rape suspect moved. Timothy Haslett Jr. has pleaded not guilty.
This is crazy! He should be held in prison WITHOUT BAIL for this heinous crime. Here he is asking the court for his bail bond TO BE REDUCED! WTH? The police recovered tons of evidence against him for the prosecutors and the police boarded up and fence in the home he was renting where he committing this heinous act. Why the hell is the court even allowing him a bond hearing? Why isn't the Democrat Prosecutor asking the court for bail to be withheld. He should be considered a threat to society.Dan White (Democratic Party) is the Clay County Prosecutor in Missouri. He assumed office in 2004. His current term ends on January 1, 2023.White (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Clay County Prosecutor in Missouri. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.So there you have it. All of you are wondering why crimes like this are allowed to go on in Clay County. Well these people voted for a Democrat Public Prosecutor aka District Attorney like the Commie Democrat DA we have in Los Angeles and San Francisco residents just recalled their Commie Democrat DA for being the cause of high crime in their county.I took a screenshot for you showing this guy won the 2018 election by a landslide 95.3%. Interesting how the media and community organizers are not mentioning why such a crime would go undetected with a Democrat prosecutor who is allowing the evil man to ask the court for a reduced bail bond amount. That's so crazy. The community organizers should be pissed off at the Democrat Prosecutor they helped to get elected by a landslide. (emphasis mine)
KMBC9 ABC News, Kansas City MO local
written by Staff
Tuesday October 18, 2022
Timothy Haslett Jr. was charged by the Clay County Prosecutor's Office with rape, kidnapping and assault.
The details read like a horrible true crime podcast — a woman showed up at an Excelsior Springs, Missouri, home pleading for help. She said she'd been taken from Kansas City, held in a small room in a basement, bound, beaten, and raped. Police said she showed "obvious signs" of trauma. She said there were other victims.
Now a man, identified as Timothy Haslett Jr., is in custody facing rape, kidnapping, and assault charges, and a small town is reeling as it tries to come to grips with what may have happened in the basement of a home in a normally-quiet neighborhood.
What happened in Excelsior Springs?
On the morning of Friday, Oct. 6, 2022, someone in an Excelsior Springs neighborhood called 911 to say a woman showed up at their home screaming for help and saying she'd been held captive since September.
When police arrived in the neighborhood, they found a 22-year-old woman wearing latex lingerie, possibly a trash bag, and a metal collar around her neck with a padlock. The woman also had duct tape around her neck.
Probable cause documents show she told officers that "a man by the name of Timothy" picked her up on Prospect at the beginning of September. She said "Timothy" kept her in a small room in the basement that he had built. She said she had been restrained with handcuffs on her wrists and ankles. Police noted she showed obvious signs of having been restrained, and there were wounds on her back. She said she had been whipped and raped while she was held captive. She said there were other victims. She said she managed to break free when "Timothy" left to take his child to school.
She was taken to the hospital for treatment.
How is the victim?
Police noted in probable cause documents that Excelsior Springs EMS crews worked to remove the lock from the collar the woman was wearing as it was restricting her breathing.
Officers said she had "obviously" been held against her will. The woman said "Timothy" had whipped her while she was restrained - police noted there were injuries on her back consistent with the description of being whipped. A description of the weapon used was not provided.
The woman, identified only by her initials, was able to point out the home where she said she had been held captive on the way to the hospital.
She was treated and later released.
Who is the suspect?
After the woman pointed out the home at 301 Old Orchard St., police went to work trying to learn more about the house and its owners. One man listed as a resident of the home stuck out — 39-year-old Timothy Haslett Jr.
The woman had said the suspect's name was Timothy.
Police noted in charging documents that officers set up at the home waiting for the suspect to return. About an hour after the initial 911 call was placed, Haslett pulled up in a gray Dodge Ram pickup. Officers conducted a felony traffic stop. Haslett was taken into custody on an unrelated animal control violation. The details of that violation have yet to be released.
A search warrant was issued for the home. Police were seen on video from News Chopper 9 going through trash bags outside the home for evidence. Police said on the scene that, "She made mention of other victims, but there are no signs of them at this time that we have found."
Haslett has since been charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree assault. He has entered a plea of not guilty. He is scheduled in court on a bond reduction hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 8. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 2.
What did the police find inside the home?
Police are remaining tight-lipped about any potential evidence found inside the home. Police noted in the probable cause statement that officers found a room in the home's basement consistent with what the woman had described. Nothing else was listed.
Since Haslett's arrest, police have fenced off the area around the home and boarded up all of its doors and windows.
Neighbors watched as dozens of bags of evidence were removed from the home. Police said they recovered "numerous items" and are examining them to determine if other crimes may have occurred.
Cadaver dogs were brought in to search the property.
Police say this remains an active investigation, and they are receiving help from the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department's Crime Scene Investigation Unit. Police had referred reporters to the Clay County Prosecutor's Office for more information.
KMBC Investigates has inquired about search warrant documents related to the case and what authorities found. Clay County Prosecutor Robert Sanders said any details about items found after multiple search warrants were served in the case have been sealed by a judge for 30 days.
“We want to be able to protect the information,” Sanders said. “So, when we talk to those witnesses, we can know that what they're telling us is what they know.”
What about the other victims?
Police and the Clay County Prosecutor's Office had issued statements saying authorities have found no evidence of other women involved. The prosecutor's office has put out a call for fresh leads in the case asking anyone connected to the case to call Excelsior Springs police.
How are police addressing rumors in this case, and is this case linked to other rumors floating around Kansas City, Missouri?
Excelsior Springs Police have noted in media briefings that they've heard the same rumors floating around on social media. So far, they've said they've found no additional victims.
As for the rumors floating around Kansas City: KCPD said last month that those rumors were unfounded.
A video posted to social media claimed a "serial killer" was targeting women in the community. In the video, posted to TikTok and shared to other social media platforms, a man claims information from the community says four "Black girls" have been murdered in Kansas City, and three more have been reported missing, all in the span of a week. The video referenced Prospect Avenue - where the woman in the Excelsior Springs case said she'd been taken from.
In a statement issued last month, a spokesperson with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department said this is a rumor with no factual basis.
"We are aware of the social media post circulating regarding the murder of 4 women in Kansas City, Missouri, in the past week at the hands of a “serial killer” and the report of 3 additional women missing. We want to make the public aware this claim is completely unfounded. There is no basis to support this rumor," a department official said in last month's statement.
In response to members of the community pointing out parallels between the two stories, a KCPD spokesperson said in an email that the Kansas City Police Department bases its investigation on reports made to the police department. "There have been no reports made to our department of missing persons, more specifically women, missing from Prospect Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. In order to begin a missing person’s investigation, someone would need to file a report with our department identifying the missing party.”
Excelsior Springs Police said in a news release Tuesday that detectives have checked with law enforcement agencies in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and they've found no current missing persons reports that correspond with the evidence in this investigation.
What don't we know?
The biggest missing piece is what authorities found inside that house. The prosecutor's office said a judge has sealed search warrant documents for 30 days. It's highly possible that the public won't learn what was removed from the house until when (and if) this case goes to trial.
Were there other victims? The woman told neighbors about others when she ran for help. Police said before the search warrants were served that they hadn't found other victims. The prosecutor's office is asking anyone with information about other potential victims to step forward.
The victim said Haslett picked her up off Prospect Avenue in September. She would have been missing for several weeks if that were the case. Was a missing person report ever filed related to her disappearance? Police haven't said. And they say there are no other missing persons reports that would correspond with evidence in this case.
What's up next in this case?
Timothy Haslett was set for a bond reduction hearing Oct. 18 afternoon in Clay County, however, his attorneys requested to postpone the hearing. It has been rescheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Meanwhile, Excelsior Springs Police have activated the Clay County Investigative Squad Task Force to help with this investigation, which allows certain members of other Clay County law enforcement agencies to collaborate on the investigation.
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