Missing boy is related to Haleigh, another missing child

As the search continues for 21-month-old Lonzie Barton in Jacksonville, details have emerged that he is related to a little girl who disappeared in 2009.

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — As the search continues for 21-month-old Lonzie Barton in Jacksonville, details have emerged that he is related to a little girl who disappeared in 2009.

According to family members, Lonzie and Haleigh Cummings are distant cousins.

Haleigh's paternal great-grandmother says the family relation exists on Haleigh's mother's side of the family.

Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her Putnam county home in 2009 in the middle of the night. A massive search took place for her and her story made national headlines.

Haleigh is still missing.

According to Captain Gator DeLoach with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, detectives assigned to the Haleigh Cummings case will be put in touch with detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to look for similarities in an effort to resolve both cases.

Her great-grandmother, Annette Sykes, said she is praying for Lonzie's family.

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"We understand exactly how they feel. To realize that not only is Haleigh missing but so is her cousin," Sykes voice cracked as she spoke. "I don't even know the words for it."

Sykes said she does not know if there is any connection between the two cases.

She does find it unusual that both Haleigh and Lonzie were each with siblings when they disappeared.

"It gave me cold chills," Sykes said.