Bones not those of missing girl

SATSUMA, Fla., April 26 (UPI) -- Bones and teeth recovered from a Florida river proved to be animal remains and not those of missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, authorities said.

Cummings disappeared in February 2009 from her father's home in Satsuma, Fla., near where the remains were recovered this month from the St. John's River.

An anthropologist at the scene identified the remains as alligator claws and teeth and other animal bones, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said in a release Monday.

The last person to see Cummings alive was her former stepmother, Misty Croslin, who said she was taken to the river by police and shown the bones, The Bald Truth Blog reported last week. Croslin is being held on drug charges.

"Misty Croslin could have easily seen these items while she was at the dock while the dive operation was in progress," the sheriff's office said.

Detectives are treating the case as a homicide and had described the river site, which is infested with alligators, as a possible crime scene. No charges have been brought against anyone.