Richard Lee "Cody" Haynes, Jr was born on April 16, 1993. He lived with his father, Richard Lee Haynes, four sisters, and his father's girlfriend Marla Jaye Harding (sometimes referred to as "Maria Jane Hardin" or "Marla Harding-Haynes") in a second-floor apartment in the 100 block of North Main Street in downtown Kittitas, Washington in 2004.
On September 12, 2004, Cody disappeared from his family's home between 4-5 pm. On that day, he refused to wash the dishes and Harding punished him by making him sit at the kitchen table for Four hours before sending him to his bedroom at about midnight the previous day.
Harding told Cody's sisters not to go near his room and told Cody not to leave the room for any reason. No one checked on him for close to eighteen hours afterward.
Richard was at work when Cody was sent to his room, but came home later and then left the house in the early morning hours to look for car parts. He did not return until 4:00 p.m.
Cody slipped out without anyone noticing during this time, arranged his stuffed animals on the bed to make it look like he was asleep, and took a black and green camouflage-patterned bag of clothing with him, but it was later found in a shed near his house.
Richard notified the police that Cody was gone after he arrived home again that afternoon.
Investigators believe Cody may have hidden the bag there and planned to return for it later. His bicycle was also found in the shed.
Authorities believed at first that Cody had run away from home because he was unhappy with the way he was disciplined and that he might try to travel to his mother, who lives in Florida. Cody did not arrive in Florida and his mother has been eliminated as a suspect in his disappearance.
A week after Cody vanished, his sisters were removed from their father's home and placed into foster care. The removal order alleged abuse, neglect, and lack of supervision in the household, and was based mainly on the fact that Cody had been made to stay in his room for eighteen hours without being allowed to eat, drink, or use the toilet and without being checked on by an adult. Harding stated that he was a rebellious and deceitful child and needed discipline.
Richard and Harding, who married sometime after September 2004, have hired lawyers and will not cooperate with investigators about Cody's disappearance. The rest of his family cooperated fully with the police. Before the Haynes children were taken from their home, Richard refused to allow police to question them.
The family has a history with Washington Child Protection Services (CPS); late in 2001 and again in 2002, Richard was reported to CPS for possibly physically and emotionally abusing and neglecting his children. Witnesses stated that the Haynes children were made to stand outside for long periods in the wintertime without coats or shoes.
Both times the allegations were found to be without merit. Cody was in the sixth grade in 2004; he and his sisters were originally public school students but became home-schoolers after the CPS complaints were made.
In February 2005, police obtained a warrant to search the Haynes residence. They had interviewed Cody's sisters several times since their placement in foster care. Initially, the girls said nothing had happened to their brother, but later Cody's oldest sister told investigators that he had been beaten severely inside his home the day he vanished.
Police searched for traces of blood in the apartment's kitchen to back up the sister's story, but the flooring there had been replaced after Cody's disappearance and without the landlord's knowledge or consent. A second search was made and police seized a computer and Richard's Chevrolet Suburban. They also searched Harding's car.
Authorities made what they termed a "significant discovery" during one of these searches, but have not elaborated on what exactly it was they found.
Cody may have left of his own accord, but after receiving the information from his sister investigators announced that he could be the victim of a homicide. They have no evidence that he was killed inside his home, but the fact that he has not been heard from in so long is indicative that he met with foul play.
Even to this day, Cody still isn't found and his case was turned over to the FBI in 2005 due to his age and family background and is considered to be in Danger.
This case is still...
Unsolved.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
