Missing Person

Haleigh Culwell

Haleigh Breann Culwell, 11, disappeared with her mother, Kimberly Whitton, from Section in Jackson County on June 21, 2007. NamUs lists Haleigh's case as open and unresolved and says the pair may have traveled to Montana.

Incident date: June 21, 2007
Location: Section, Jackson County
Independent sources: 5

The record

Haleigh Breann Culwell was 11 when she disappeared from her home in Section, Alabama, on June 21, 2007, along with her mother, Kimberly Whitton, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s NamUs database. NamUs lists Haleigh’s case, MP4599, as open and unresolved and says the pair may have traveled to Montana. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is identified as the primary investigating agency 1.

An Associated Press report published by NBC News said Kimberly, 36, and Haleigh had not been seen since Kimberly left her job at a Scottsboro nursing home on June 21. Kimberly’s truck was found near the rural Jackson County home she and her husband were building, the report said 2.

In July 2007, authorities searched the husband’s 40-acre property in Macedonia, near Section. According to the Associated Press, investigators used cadaver dogs and drained a pond. FBI spokesman Paul Daymond said the search ended without locating Kimberly or Haleigh, but the investigation was continuing 2.

The Associated Press reported that Kimberly’s husband, Barry Whitton, had not been charged in the disappearances at that time. He was being held on a federal weapons count 2. WAFF later reported that he had been indicted for possession of five firearms as a convicted felon and had been identified as a suspect in the disappearances. WAFF did not report that he had been charged in connection with Kimberly and Haleigh’s disappearance 4.

WAFF reported that relatives and friends organized a purple-ribbon campaign and an August 2007 candlelight prayer service for Kimberly and Haleigh 4.

Two additional supplied news links could not be retrieved, including a WHNT headline referring to a murder charge 3 and a 2019 AL.com article about missing children 5. Their contents therefore could not be used to determine whether later developments changed the case. The supplied NamUs record continues to identify Haleigh’s case as open and unresolved 1.

Timeline

June 21, 2007Confirmed
Haleigh Culwell and her mother, Kimberly Whitton, disappeared from their home in Section, Alabama.
July 12, 2007Reported
WAFF reported that Barry Whitton was arrested after authorities searched his property in connection with the disappearances.
2007-07-12 to 2007-07-13Reported
Authorities searched Barry Whitton's Macedonia property with cadaver dogs and drained a pond; the search ended without locating Kimberly or Haleigh.
July 31, 2007Reported
WAFF reported that Barry Whitton had been identified as a suspect in the disappearances and indicted in a separate federal firearms matter.
August 4, 2007Reported
A candlelight prayer service for Kimberly and Haleigh was scheduled in Scottsboro as part of a community awareness effort.
Current status in supplied NamUs recordConfirmed
NamUs lists Haleigh Culwell's case as open and unresolved.

Documented claims

Haleigh Breann Culwell was 11 when she disappeared from her home in Section, Alabama, on June 21, 2007, with her mother, Kimberly Whitton.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Corroborated by 2 additional sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19753724, https://www.waff.com/story/6867412/how-kim-whitton-met-barry-whitton-and-whether-or-not-she-knew-his-past/
NamUs case MP4599 is open and unresolved.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Single-source claim.
NamUs states that Haleigh Culwell and Kimberly Whitton may have traveled to Montana.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Single-source claim.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Department is the primary investigating agency.
Confirmed
Source: U.S. Department of Justice NamUs · Single-source claim.
Kimberly Whitton was 36 and had not been seen since leaving her job at a Scottsboro nursing home on June 21, 2007.
Reported
Source: NBC News / The Associated Press · Single-source claim.
Kimberly Whitton's truck was found near the rural property where she and her husband were building a home.
Reported
Source: NBC News / The Associated Press · Single-source claim.
Authorities used cadaver dogs and drained a pond while searching Barry Whitton's 40-acre property in Macedonia near Section in July 2007.
Reported
Source: NBC News / The Associated Press · Single-source claim.
FBI spokesman Paul Daymond said the search ended without locating Kimberly Whitton or Haleigh Culwell and that the investigation continued.
Reported
Source: NBC News / The Associated Press · Single-source claim.
As of July 13, 2007, Barry Whitton had not been charged in the disappearances and was being held on a federal weapons count.
Reported
Source: NBC News / The Associated Press · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://www.waff.com/story/6867412/how-kim-whitton-met-barry-whitton-and-whether-or-not-she-knew-his-past/
WAFF reported on July 31, 2007, that Barry Whitton had been identified as a suspect in the disappearances and indicted for possessing five firearms as a convicted felon; the report did not say he was charged in the disappearances.
Reported
Source: WAFF · Single-source claim.
Friends and relatives organized a purple-ribbon campaign and an August 2007 candlelight prayer service for Kimberly Whitton and Haleigh Culwell.
Reported
Source: WAFF · Single-source claim.
The supplied WHNT and AL.com pages could not be retrieved, so their contents and any possible later case developments are unknown.
Unknown
Source: WHNT · Corroborated by 1 additional source: https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/11/gone-without-a-trace-misery-mystery-linger-in-these-alabama-missing-child-cases.html

Sources

NamUs case MP4599: Haleigh Breann Culwell — U.S. Department of Justice NamUsOpen
Search yields no signs of missing girl, mother — NBC News / The Associated PressOpen
Suspect in Jackson County disappearances charged with murder — WHNTOpen
How Kim Whitton met Barry Whitton, and whether or not she knew his past — WAFFOpen
Gone without a trace: Misery, mystery linger in these Alabama missing child cases — AL.comOpen