A Missouri man accused of torturing and raping a Black woman he trapped in his basement for nearly a month faces new charges in the disturbing case.
Timothy M. Haslett Jr. made national headlines in October 2022 for allegedly kidnapping and confining a 22-year-old Black woman against her will at his Excelsior Springs home.
Police first learned of her entrapment after she escaped and ran to a neighbor’s house to plead for help. The victim, who had a dog collar around her neck, told neighbors that she had been locked in Haslett’s basement and made her escape while he drove his child to school. She was visibly malnourished and had ligature marks around her wrists and ankles.
Haslett was subsequently charged with nine counts, including first-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape, second-degree assault, first-degree sodomy, and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Months later, authorities discovered the remains of another Black woman, identified as 36-year-old Jaynie Croasdale, who they say might have been another victim of Haslett’s after they found a photo of Croasdale in Haslett’s basement. Prosecutors say her body was found in a blue barrel floating down the Missouri River.
Now prosecutors have gathered enough evidence to charge Haslett with first-degree murder in Croasdale’s death.
According to court documents, the 22-year-old victim told police that Haslett had bragged about killing two other women. Prosecutors also say he built a dungeon-style cell where he restrained his victims and used shock devices to “punish” them.
“The physical, psychological, and sexual violence are barbaric,” Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson said.
After scanning his social media profiles, investigators learned Haslett frequently made racist and misogynistic comments online about race and women.
Haslett, who is now 41, is still jailed. A judge set his bail at $3 million. If convicted for Croasdale’s murder, he could either face life in prison or the death penalty.
A month before his arrest, Kansas City activists had worked to raise awareness for two missing teenage Black girls, who had disappeared within days of each other in September 2022. Community members were concerned that a serial killer was at large, a claim that law enforcement swiftly denounced and called unfounded.
Haslett’s arrest highlighted these cases and raised questions about whether law enforcement allocates enough resources to finding missing Black girls and women.
