The Mysterious Disappearance of Lisa Irwin: Case Details and Theories

Images courtesy of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Information courtesy of The Charley Project.

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Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and it is not meant to cause harm to anyone connected with the case. Please do not contact, threaten, harm, malign, or otherwise intimidate those mentioned in the post. Please do not release any personal information of the people mentioned in this post, and do not join in attacks conducted by others. Per U.S. law, every person directly or indirectly connected with this case is innocent until proven guilty.

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About Lisa

Lisa Irwin was born to her parents, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin on November 11th, 2010. She had two older half-brothers, aged 5 and 8 at the time of her disappearance. Because of how young she was, little information is available about her personality. However, she was described as a sweet, happy baby who loved her half-brothers.

Disappearance

Lisa reportedly vanished from her Kansas City, Missouri home either on the night of October 3rd or the early morning hours of October 4th. Since her disappearance, the official narrative has changed multiple times, making it difficult to establish a firm timeline.

Early on, it was believed that Deborah put Lisa to bed in her crib on the evening of October 3rd. She claimed she checked in on her daughter at approximately 10:30 PM; afterward, she and the boys (Lisa’s half-brothers) slept in her bed. Jeremy came home around 4 AM on the morning of October 4th, only to discover that several lights were on, the computer room window was open, the front door was unlocked, and three cell phones were missing. Upon discovering that their daughter was missing, Deborah and Jeremy called the police shortly after.

Throughout the investigation, this timeline would change as new information was added. According to CBS News, the timeline changed to the following about a month into the investigation:

• Jeremy Irwin arrived home around 2:30 PM on October 3rd from his day job.
• Around 4:30 PM, Deborah Bradley and her brother, Phillip Netz, went to a neighborhood store to purchase baby items and a box of wine. Jeremy stayed with Lisa and her half-brothers. They were gone for approximately 30 minutes and came home around 5 PM.
• Around 5:30 PM, Jeremy headed to his job at a local Starbucks. Reportedly, this work kept him away from the house longer than anticipated.
• After Jeremy left for work, a neighbor (Samantha Brando) came over with her four-year-old daughter. The girl and Lisa’s half-brothers played together.
• Around 6:40, Deborah put Lisa in her crib, and Samantha left to get liquor for herself.
• At 7 PM, Samantha returned, and she and Deborah talked, smoked cigarettes, and drank.
• By 10:30 PM, Samantha left, and Deborah and the boys fell asleep in her bed. Deborah claimed she had consumed approximately 5-10 glasses of wine while hanging out. At that point, Lisa’s door was already closed to block out the noise from the children playing earlier in the evening.

Meanwhile, Jeremy finished his work and drove home at 3:45 AM on October 4th. Upon his arrival, he saw that the front door had been unlocked and the lights were on, which was out of the ordinary. After he entered, he proceeded to the computer room and saw that the window was open. He attempted to close it, but he was unsuccessful.

After that, he went to the boys’ room, where he saw the older boy was on the top bunk. The younger boy was reportedly still with Deborah in her bed. He also noted that Lisa’s door was open, but he did not look inside. Instead, he walked by and entered his bedroom.

Regardless of the exact details, the authorities were called at some point. They quickly got involved and launched a massive search.

Investigation

Within days, tensions rose between the authorities and the Irwin family. The authorities claimed the Irwins had been uncooperative with the investigation, and the Irwins expressed frustration that they had been placed under so much scrutiny, particularly when Deborah agreed to a lie detector test and failed.

In the early days of the investigation, two witnesses told the authorities that they saw a man walking down the street with a baby, who was only wearing a diaper. Later on, they found a surveillance video that showed a man (dressed in white) leaving a nearby wooded area at 2:30 AM on October 4th. The authorities found someone who fit the witness’ descriptions, a neighborhood handyman named John “Jersey” Tanko, who had a history of break-ins. He was eventually ruled out as a suspect. To this day, it’s unclear if the video or the mysterious man is connected to the case.

On October 19th, the police brought cadaver dogs to the residence. The dogs reportedly picked up the scent of a dead body near Deborah’s bed, but it was later ruled out. At the same time, the authorities also removed carpets and other evidence, and they dug and raked through the backyard for any signs of Lisa. They also took multiple items, including:

• a multicolor comforter
• purple shorts
• a multicolor Disney character shirt
• a Glo Worm toy
• a “Cars”- themed blanket
• rolls of tape
• tape dispenser

Later, investigators discovered that a 50-second call was placed from one of the three missing phones to a phone belonging to a woman named Megan Wright. As of 2011, Megan claimed she had no connection to Deborah or Jeremy. Police were unsure when the call was made, and they have not revealed what was said or who answered Megan’s phone. She claimed that she did not answer her phone. The Irwins also stated that the missing phones were unable to make outgoing calls because their service was disrupted after falling behind on their phone bill.

Interestingly, Megan had broken up with Jersey, the neighborhood handyman, in the weeks before Lisa disappeared.

Since then, police have not said anything further about this phone call.

Later Developments

In a May 2012 interview with The Today Show, Jeremy reported that his debit card was stolen about a month after his daughter’s disappearance. The card was suspended after a fraudulent charge was made for $69.04. Two other charges were also attempted, but it’s unknown what these charges were for.

However, Jeremy claimed the charges were made on a British website that offers name-changing services for adults and children. The Kansas City police stated that they were investigating the claim, but they found little evidence to suggest any connection to Lisa’s case.

The last major lead came in October 2013 when a young girl was found living in a Roma settlement with two people claiming to be her parents. When the girl’s caretakers were questioned by the authorities, they claimed they adopted her from a Bulgarian woman. However, they offered conflicting reports of how they obtained custody. Throughout their investigation, they quickly discovered that the girl, Maria, was not biologically related to the couple who raised her. As a result, they theorized that she could’ve been the victim of a kidnapping or human trafficking.

Meanwhile, the news of Maria’s discovery made international news. Parents from around the world inquired to see if this was their missing daughter, including Deborah and Jeremy. However, after a DNA test, it was determined that the girl belonged to a different Roma couple, and she was not Lisa.

Since then, there have been no new leads in her case. Lisa Irwin remains missing as of this writing.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Lisa Irwin is equally mysterious and tragic. We have a 10-month-old baby who goes to sleep one night and disappears before dawn. Someone has to know what happened; she didn’t just vaporize into thin air. And yet, after more than ten years, the authorities still haven’t found her.

For me, this case stands out. When I was in high school, I would hang out in the library and read magazines before my first class. When Lisa disappeared, nearly every magazine covered her case. This was my first exposure to True Crime. I remember spending hours reading those articles, wondering where she could be. It’s hard to imagine that after all this time, we’re still asking, “What happened to baby Lisa Irwin?”

Two main theories arise when people look into this case:

1. Lisa was kidnapped by a stranger, who either murdered her or adopted her illegally.
2. Lisa was murdered, either by her parents or someone known to the family.

Some theories, like running away, don’t make any sense in this case, given her age. According to the Mayo Clinic, most babies don’t walk independently until after their first birthday. Given that Lisa was 10 months old at the time, she was probably crawling and possibly walking with assistance. Because of these limitations, the chances of her running away are slim at best. Even if she wandered away, it’s unlikely she would’ve made it that far before someone noticed.

With that out of the way, let’s proceed to the first theory, that Lisa was kidnapped by a stranger, then subsequently either murdered or adopted illegally. I’ll admit, there’s some compelling circumstantial evidence. By the time Jeremy returned from work, the front door was unlocked, the lights were on, the computer room window was open, and Lisa was gone.

What’s particularly interesting is that witnesses saw a man walking nearby with a baby. I have to think that that’s somehow related to Lisa’s case. Otherwise, that’s an incredible coincidence. The authorities believed that this was Jersey Tanko, the neighborhood handyman, but they never got enough evidence to say for sure, even though he had a history of break-ins. Police then discovered that one of the missing phones placed a call to a woman named Megan Wright, who broke up with Jersey shortly before Lisa’s disappearance.

Her parents have stated that they believe Lisa was abducted by someone who wanted a baby. While it’s certainly possible, I’m not sure how likely it is. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 335 infants were abducted between January 1st, 1964 and September 30th, 2021. Of these 335, 147 (or 43.9%) were abducted from home. However, in these cases, the abductor impersonated a trusted figure, such as a nurse, a babysitter, or a social worker. They didn’t abduct the child under the cover of darkness.

Not only that, but NCMEC shared a list of “typical” characteristics of infant abductors. Most often, they are, among other things:

• a woman of childbearing age who appears pregnant
• frequently visiting nurseries at multiple hospitals or attempts abductions from homes
• usually planning an abduction but does not target a specific baby.

None of these characteristics seem to fit Lisa’s disappearance. If she had been abducted from a place like a hospital or a daycare, then I would have an easier time believing this theory. How did the abductor know that Lisa was going to be there? Unless they targeted the Irwins, they wouldn’t have known if there was a baby present. That makes the subsequent break-in even riskier.

If they were targeted, I would have an easier time believing this theory. If they weren’t, the chances of this happening are slim.

This brings us to the second theory, that Lisa was killed. Unfortunately, Lisa might’ve been killed, either accidentally or intentionally. Ten-month-olds aren’t as fragile as newborns, but they can still be injured or killed.

We know that Deborah reportedly drank anywhere from 5-10 glasses of wine within about 3-3.5 hours. While it’s hard to know what her Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was, she reportedly drank enough that she had no recollection of what happened that night. That could’ve put Lisa in any number of dangerous situations. Her half-brothers would’ve fared better since they were 5 and 8 years old, but a 10-month-old can find all sorts of ways to hurt themselves. For example, she could’ve wrapped the blind cords around her neck, choked on a small toy, or stuck something metal in a light socket.

I know Deborah claimed she put Lisa in her crib, but how would she have known that if she was supposedly too drunk to remember anything? For all we know, she might’ve brought all three kids to her bed that night. Because Lisa was so small, Deborah could have rolled on top of her in the middle of the night, not realizing what had happened until it was too late.

However, there’s no evidence that anything like that happened. At best, we have some circumstantial evidence. The authorities need more than that if they’re going to arrest and charge someone.

That’s what makes this case so frustrating. Very little in this case has been confirmed. Everything else is either circumstantial evidence or speculation. Neither of these things will find Lisa and get her the justice she deserves.

Unless someone comes forward or new evidence is discovered, the disappearance of Lisa Irwin will remain unsolved and growing cold.

***

If you’re interested in learning more about the disappearance of Lisa Irwin, there are a lot of articles, although I had a hard time finding ones from the early days of the investigation. The most recent one I found was in 2021, on the 10th anniversary of her disappearance.

The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

• All That’s Interesting
• ABC News
• CBS News
• CNN
• FindLisaIrwin.com
• KMBC News
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• NPR (“Roma Couple Charged with Abducting Girl”)
• NPR (“Case of ‘Little Maria’ Is Solved”)
• People.com (Gone Without a Trace: Will Baby Lisa’s Abductor Be Caught?)
• People.com (Baby Lisa Case: Tantalizing Mystery of a Cell Phone Call)
• The Charley Project
• TheCrimeWire
• Today.com

If you have any information about the disappearance of Lisa Irwin, please contact the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department at 1-816-474-8477 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.