Is Missing Baby Lisa Irwin Dead? Unsettling Questions Remain

Baby Lisa Irwin has been missing for two months following her mysterious disappearance the night of Oct. 4. The one-year-old's parents, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, continue to believe their daughter was kidnapped late that night.

Following a detailed investigation, authorities, however, still have no idea what happened the night baby Lisa Irwin went missing. While attention was initially focused on Lisa's parents, particularly on her mother Bradley, no suspects or major leads were ever declared.

Last week, authorities made a startling decision to close their outpost focused predominantly on finding the missing one-year-old girl. While Kansas City Police Captain Steve Young maintains that police will continue looking for Lisa if new tips or leads turn up, unfortunately the department needs to focus their energy on new child neglect and abuse cases that have arisen.

Lisa's parents, Bradley and Irwin, also surprised the media when they asked volunteers and neighbors who held vigils on their lawn to please leave the family alone. According to a source close to the family, the decision was made because the family hopes to return to a state of normalcy, which is impossible with people holding vigils in front of the Irwin-Bradley home.

Bradley and Irwin's decision has sparked comments that the family has decided to move on, an unexpected act considering their beloved daughter has only been missing for two months. Bradley and Irwin have been criticized throughout the case for failing to cooperate with the Kansas City police department, inviting suspicions that baby Lisa might be dead or that her parents may know more than they let on.

Many questions still remain in the case of missing baby Lisa Irwin. Not only is it unclear what exactly happened the night of her disappearance, but additionally a number of strange developments since Oct. 4 have perplexed the police, media and public.

It remains unclear how a modest American family could afford the high-profile New York lawyer Joe Tacopina representing them, as well as the New York private investigator, Bill Stanton, hired to help find 11-month-old Lisa. An unnamed wealthy benefactor claims to be paying for Stanton's fees and has also offered a $100,000 reward for the return of Lisa or the conviction of those involved in her disappearance. Who is this benefactor and why is he helping the family?

The case also took a turn for the worst when a Texas-based psychic claimed she had a vision of baby Lisa's body being buried at a Kansas City casino at Interstate 435 and Highway 210. The self-proclaimed psychic claims she had a vision that Lisa Irwin was buried by a river and a tower. She then posted a drawing of what she saw in her vision. Despite a search that included over 20 volunteers, no evidence of baby Lisa was found.

For now, the case of missing baby Lisa remains a mystery that began when Lisa's father, Jeremy Irwin, returned home on Oct. 4 after working overtime, to find the door open, the lights in his house on, windows tampered with and his daughter missing. Unfortunately, we may never know if baby Lisa is dead or alive.

Two-Month Timeline of the Search for Missing Baby Lisa from October to December 2011

Oct. 4, 4 a.m.: Jeremy Irwin, an electrician, returned home to find his daughter missing. He called 911 to report the disappearance of baby Lisa. A window and screen were tampered with, lights were left on, the family's front door was unlocked and three cell phones were missing. Deborah Bradley claimed she last saw her daughter at 10:30 p.m. before falling asleep in bed with her two sons. It was later discovered that there was a fire in a dumpster near the Bradley-Irwin home at 2:30 a.m. The Amber Alert is turned on and a local suburban landfill is searched for a body. The Kansas City Star has more details about the night baby Lisa disappeared, from an alleged family source.

Oct. 5: The Amber Alert was turned off. Detectives continue to look at the case from every angle possible.

Oct. 6: Parents, Bradley and Irwin, gave a tearful television plea begging whoever might have their baby to bring her home. Kansas City police Capt. Steve Young claimed the parents stopped cooperating with police.

Oct. 7: Bradley and Irwin went on the Today show to discuss the ongoing investigation. Matt Lauer questioned the parents, asking why police have called them uncooperative. Bradley claimed police accused her from the beginning of being involved in her baby's disappearance. Bradley also explains that she failed a polygraph lie-detector test, but doesn't know why. Authorities continue to search for baby Lisa. The FBI searched a suburban landfill, the Deffenbaugh Industries landfill, for the second time that week. A teenage neighbor was questioned by police and swabbed for DNA.

Oct.8: Authorities investigated a few potential leads, like a couple seen with a small child. Bradley and Irwin tried to put together a monetary reward.

Oct. 9: Lisa's aunt, Ashley Irwin, handed out fliers at the Kansas Speedway NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Oct. 10: FBI and police staged a break-in to try to figure out potential ways an intruder could have entered the Bradley-Irwin home. Police discovered that climbing through the tampered window is actually more difficult than it seemed, because the intruder would have made a lot of noise, waking mother, Bradley. Grand jury subpoenas were sent to multiple Kansas City television stations requesting, all footage, including raw footage of any interviews or statements given by neighbors, family or friends of the family, regarding missing baby, Lisa Irwin.

Oct. 11: Police and firefighters drained a well underneath the porch of an abandoned home to look for baby Lisa. Lisa's aunt, Ashley Irwin, told Good Morning America that Bradley was prepared to be arrested by police stating, It's what the police do. They don't have any leads so they just have to pin it on somebody. Police denied plans to arrest Bradley or any other suspects.

Oct. 12: A security video was released that shows Bradley shopping with an unidentified man (later identified as her brother) at 5 p.m. on Oct. 3, hours before baby Lisa went missing. The pair walked through Festival Foods, a local supermarket, and purchased diapers, boxed wine and baby wipes. A New York-based security consultant / private detective, Bill Stanton (known as Wild Bill), joined the team looking for baby Lisa Irwin. Stanton claimed that he is conducting an independent investigation sponsored (and paid for) by a wealthy benefactor.

Oct. 13: Authorities continued to search for missing baby Lisa Irwin. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered a one-day deployment of 25 National Guardsmen to help in the search.

Oct. 14: Bill Stanton announced a $100,000 reward posted for the safe return of baby Lisa or conviction of those involved in the crime. The reward was posted by an anonymous benefactor who wished to remain unnamed. Bradley and Irwin posted videos of baby Lisa Irwin on YouTube, including Yelling At Mommy, Lisa Eating Cereal and Lisa's New Toy.

Oct. 15: The Kansas City police department continued their search using helicopters, all-terrain vehicles and door-to-door interviews in an attempt to find the missing baby.

Oct. 17: Bradley admitted on CNN to drinking five to ten glasses of wine (enough to be drunk) the night baby Lisa went missing. Bradley claimed she was the last person to see the baby, putting her down to sleep at 6:40 p.m. She had originally told police she put her daughter to sleep at 10:30 p.m. Bradley gave no explanation for the change in her story. Bradley told The Today Show that Lisa's half-brothers, ages 5 and 8, claim they heard noises the night of Lisa's disappearance.

Oct. 18: Bradley and Irwin retained high-profile New York lawyer Joe Tacopina who has experience working with Michael Jackson and Jordan van der Sloot. It is unclear who is paying Tacopina's fees. The Federal Aviation Administration initiated a no-fly zone over a search area around Lisa's home near Kansas City. A tipster claimed to have seen a baby Lisa look-a-like at a Manhattan, Kan., deli.

Oct. 19: A Missouri judge granted a search warrant to police to search the Bradley-Irwin home and yard without the couple's presence. No one could enter the house until police completed their investigation. Authorities swabbed for DNA, blood, fingerprints and other evidence. They removed brown paper bags and some of baby Lisa's clothes and toys from the home. The complete investigation lasted 17-hours. An FBI cadaver dog brought into the home indicated a positive scent of a deceased human in an area of the floor near Bradley's bed in her bedroom.

Oct. 21: Three eyewitnesses, Mike Thompson and an unnamed couple, told ABC News that they saw a mystery man carrying a baby wearing a diaper around Kansas City the night of baby Lisa's disappearance.

Oct. 23: ABC News released surveillance footage found by a local gas station that shows a mystery man leaving a wooded area near baby Lisa Irwin's home.

Oct. 24: The police showed pictures to eyewitness, Mike Thompson, in an effort to identify and locate the mystery man spotted on the night of baby Lisa's disappearance. The other two eyewitnesses did not recognize the man identified by Thomspon.

Oct. 25: Police tried to convince Bradley and Irwin to do separate interviews to answer a list of tough questions.

Oct. 26: Family agreed to let Lisa's half-brothers, ages 5 and 8, be interviewed by child specialists and swabbed for DNA. The interviews are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 28.

Oct. 27: Police extended their search of missing baby Lisa to Chaumiere Lake, but found no clues in the small lake near the Kansas City home.

Oct. 28: New York attorney Joe Tacopina called off the scheduled interviews and DNA swabs of baby Lisa's half-brothers. Cyndy Short, the local counsel working with Bradley and Irwin, is either fired or quits (it remains unclear) from the missing baby Lisa case. No clear reasons were given for Short's dismissal.

Oct. 31: The Bradley-Irwin family is seen outside trick or treating for Halloween. It is one of their few public appearances since Lisa's disappearance.

Nov. 1: Tacopina announced that Kansas City lawyer John Picerno will join the team of attorney's assisting Bradley and Irwin.

Nov. 2: A source reports new details about the night baby Lisa Irwin disappeared to the Kansas City Star. New information revealed that Bradley and her neighbor sat on the steps outside the Irwin-Bradley home from 7 p.m. to approximately 10:30 p.m. smoking cigarettes and drinking wine.

Nov. 6: Lisa's maternal grandfather spoke out on ABC's Nightline. He emphasized that Bradley and Irwin were unhappy with how police had handled the case. My God, Debbie and Jeremy can't even relax and smoke on the back porch without seeing hidden cameras popping out of brush. It's horrible, explained David, Nobody knows how they'd react until this happens. I'm sick of hearing, 'If they really cared they'd be doing so and so.'... And through it all, little Lisa is out there somewhere, that's what gets me....

Nov. 8: New details emerged about the missing cell phone allegedly stolen from the Bradley-Irwin home. Phone records indicate that Lisa's mother's cellphone was used to make a 50 second phone call to Megan Wright, the ex-girlfriend of neighborhood handyman, John Jersey Tanko. Tanko has a criminal record and has been extensively interviewed by police. Wright claims she did not receive a phone call late Oct. 4, because someone else had been using the shared phone.

Nov. 10: Lisa's half-brothers, 5 and 8, were interviewed by child specialists with the Kansas City police department. The two boys allegedly heard noises late Oct. 4, the night Lisa disappeared. Police begin to slow down their search and stop doing physical field searches.

Nov. 11: This date marks the first birthday of baby Lisa Irwin. Her grandfather claims her birthday is the oh-my-god moment for parents, Bradley and Irwin. Family attorney, John Picerno, discusses the circumstances of Bradley and Irwin's stolen cell phone on America Live with Megyn Kelly.

Nov. 12: Picerno told Fox News he believes the phone call made from the missing cell phone the night of Lisa's disappearance proves their innocence. He also expressed concern that police believe Bradley to be a suspect. Police continued to claim they were looking at all possible leads and circumstance. Kansas City Police Capt. Steve Young expressed frustration at the parents' unwillingness to speak openly with police.

Nov. 13: A man, named Dane, is identified as the person who had Megan Wright's phone at the time a mysterious call was made from Bradley's stolen cell phone.

Nov. 15: Lisa's family moves back into their Kansas City home for the first time since her disappearance on Oct. 4. The mother of Lisa's 8-year-old half-brother, Blake, filed for emergency custody of her son, citing the trauma involved with the missing child. Irwin had previously gained full custody of Blake in 2008.

Nov. 16: Retired Kansas City policeman, Dave Bernard, told KMBC News, You know at this stage, I don't know. I doubt it. I doubt that she's still alive.

Nov. 19: Dane, Wright's former roommate, came forward to explain that he had Wright's mobile phone, but that he does not know who called and he does not know the Bradley-Irwin family.

Nov. 22: Authorities investigated the possibility that Jersey Tanko had kidnapped baby Lisa for $300. It was later determined that he was most likely not involved with the case.

Nov. 24: Texan psychic, Stephanie Almaguer, described having a vision on her blog. She claimed she saw baby Lisa accidentally die in her home, claiming the infant's body was dumped in an area resembling a former Kansas City casino.

Nov. 25: Detectives closed their outpost and returned back to their old offices. Police claimed the case will remain open, but stated the need to turn their attention to other child abuse and neglect cases that have surfaced since Lisa's disappearance.

Nov. 26: Volunteers searched a closed casino for missing baby Lisa Irwin Saturday following visions from a Dallas psychic, Stephanie Almaguer. Nothing was found.

Nov. 28: Police search well near Kansas City casino, but find no clues of missing baby Lisa.

Dec. 1: Lisa's parents, Bradley and Irwin, have requested that supporters end the candlelight vigils that have been held on their lawn. Lisa's grandmother told the Kansas City Star that the parents find the vigils troubling to Lisa's half-brothers. The family hopes to return to a sense of normalcy, she said.

Dec. 2: Baby Lisa is featured on America's Most Wanted. Host John Walsh ridiculed Lisa's parents for not cooperating more with investigators. They should cooperate with police fully. They should do all the media they can and they should remember one thing -- if they had nothing to do with their daughter's disappearance, they need to be the face of baby Lisa, said Walsh during an interview with KCTV5.

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