In the early morning hours of October 4, 2011, 10-month-old Lisa Irwin was found missing from her home in Kansas City, Missouri. Deborah Bradley, Lisa’s mother, claims that Lisa was sound asleep in her bed when she checked on her at 10:30pm that night, but when Lisa’s father, Jeremy, came home from his late night job, he discovered the house lights on, a window open, and the front door unlocked. Lisa was gone from her crib.
In December of that year, The Huffington Post reported that national experts said that if Lisa was taken by an intruder in the middle of the night, then she is likely still alive. “Strangers who kidnap infants or young children, though rare, often do so because they want a child of their own, not because they intend to hurt or kill the child,” said David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.
Read on to learn more about Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin.
1. Police Believe Deborah May Have Been Involved in Her Daughter’s Disappearance
During the investigation, Deborah failed a lie detector test, leading police to believe she had something to do with her daughter’s disappearance. Bradley, who was 25 when Lisa vanished, told the Associated Press, “They said I failed (a polygraph test). And I continued to say that’s not possible because I don’t know where she’s at and I did not do this.” Bradley added on that detectives told her, “You did it. You did it. And we have nothing.”
Irwin offered to take the test, too, but police said it “was not necessary”.
2. Deborah Has Admitted She Was Drunk the Night Lisa Disappeared
Bradley has admitted she was drunk the night Lisa disappeared. According to People, she claims she has no memory of whether or not she actually checked in on Lisa or turned the house lights off before going to bed.
In an interview with Fox News, Deborah was asked if the alcohol she drank caused her to black out. “It’s a possibility,” she replied. When asked if she had more than five glasses of wine, Bradley said, “Probably… She was sleeping. I don’t have a problem with me having adult time.”
3. She Was Engaged to Irwin When Lisa Went Missing
(Youtube/CNN)
At the time of Lisa’s disappearance, Bradley and Irwin were engaged.
Irwin, an electrician, spent the evening of October 4 working late on the remodel of a Starbucks. The night Lisa went missing, Jeremy returned home at about 3:30am. He noticed the lights on, the screen damaged, and the front door unlocked.
After Lisa was reported missing, CBS46 interviewed two women who claimed they were former friends of Deborah Bradley. The women, Shirley Pfaff and Sara Evarts, were part of a close group of military wives and spent time with Deborah as part of the same military community.
Pfaff, who now lives in Erie, PA, told news outlet, “She was definitely just an attention hound. It was just like I said, it was almost like I couldn’t have other friends around her because she would just do things to try to cause a scene everywhere. She would go out with us. I mean me and my friend, Jamie, we would go out to the clubs and stuff. She would come with us just to the local clubs out there that she could get into. She was drinking yeah…She drank.”
4. Deborah Believes Whoever Took Lisa Wanted a Baby
In her interview with People, Bradley said that she adamantly believes her daughter is still alive. “I firmly do not believe that somebody took my baby to hurt her. They really wanted that baby. That’s the hope that keeps me going. She’s still alive somewhere… People are going to think what they think. Those people that are out there judging me, please, just look for her.”
5. They Were Asked to Take Down the Signs Outside Their Home in October
Last month, Bradley and Irwin were asked to remove signs outside their home that read, “This house needs Lisa to make it a home again. Help Bring Lisa Home.” According to KCTV, the city said that banners were too large.
Bradley told the news outlet, “I couldn’t believe it. I understand it is hard for people to see that. Imagine what it’s like for us. We can do very little for her.” She added on, “For me keeping them up is important because I want to constantly remind people that she’s still missing and that there’s still a $100,000 reward. We are still a broken family waiting for our a child to come home.”