The disappearance of 11 month-old Baby Lisa takes the cover of People this week. I’m assuming that Mariska Hargitay’s adorable babies might be front and center if there weren’t so much interest in this case. Mariska and her two new babies are on a side bar while the cover asks “What Happened to Baby Lisa? A Mother Under Fire.”
Earlier this week it came out that Lisa’s mom, Debbie Bradley, had fudged the time line in which she originally claimed to have checked on Lisa. Bradley told police at first that she last saw the baby at 10:30 PM. She then revised her story to admit that she had put Lisa to bed at 6:40, got drunk with her best friend, a female neighbor, and then didn’t see Lisa again before she went missing. I understand why Bradley may have been reluctant to admit she was drunk, but why didn’t she own up to this two weeks ago when Lisa first disappeared? Adding to the suspicion surrounding this case, Bradley and her husband have refused to let police re-interview her 8 and 5 year-old boys, who were there the night that Lisa went missing. Curiously, Bradley says that the boys heard noises that night but “I don’t know if that was before we went to sleep or after. I have not sat down and talked to them about it specifically to not to have to put them through anything else.” Are you kidding? If my baby went missing and my other kids heard something I would sit them down and ask them about it for a very long time.
The teaser story on People.com doesn’t reveal much we haven’t already heard. Bradley is quoted as saying “We have absolutely nothing to hide. Let them search all they want, but do not take the focus off finding my daughter.” Police executed a search warrant of the home and surrounding property yesterday. It’s worth noting that Bradley and her fiance (although she is still married to her estranged husband), Jeremy Irwin, have voluntarily let police search the home prior to this more official search.
Meanwhile Bradley and Irwin now have a top defense attorney representing them. They hired Joe Tacopina, who represented convicted murderer Joran van der Sloot in his Aruba trial. It wasn’t a great decision considering that it makes them look like they have something to hide. Maybe Tacopina offered his services free of charge, though, and they didn’t know who they were dealing with. They don’t seem like the savviest of people. As for why Bradley changed her story to admit that she was drinking that night, Tacopina says “She was willing to tell the truth about it, even if it didn’t make her look great. I think that goes to her credit. It’s her being truthful.” It took her long enough to be “truthful,” and in the mean time investigators may have missed key details about what happened to her baby. I’m hoping that Bradley and Irwin are totally innocent and that Baby Lisa is alive and well somewhere, but it’s not looking good.
I am sadden and angered by this at the same time. These people are sick.
They had a lot on this locally yesterday; They even blocked off the airspace while they dug up the backyard- Not sure if they found anything, but after watching the long interview by that FOX chick, I REALLY think this mother is all kinds of involved. After two weeks, (TWO WEEKS!) she’s decided to “tell the truth” about what really went on. Please. Protecting her own reputation about her drinking vs. giving the police ALL the information?
They have never said WHO, if anyone saw that baby all day- I think she either sold it, or something happened far earlier than they’re claiming and the whole wine/lights/cellphone thing is a cover up. And lets all not forget that old Joe Tacopino was insistant that his client Joran Vandersloot was innocent too!
My thinking is if she/they had nothing to do with it, they would have told the police EVERYTHING right off the bat, no matter how embarrassing or stupid, and you absolutely would ask the other kids and let the police ask too. I would imagine if your child were really abducted, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do to get them back, regardless of how it makes you look or if it upsets your other kids some.
I don’t know what to think about this case.
On one hand, I think about Susan Smith, who lied to the cops, her family and community about what she did to her sons; then, there’s the case of Riley Fox, whose father was harassed so badly by the cops that he confessed to her rape and murder, when it turned out that some sex predator broke into the house and took the sleeping 3 year old and raped and murdered her.
I’m not liking these parents right now. I would move Heaven and earth, sing like a canary, and do A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G. to find my missing child.
She is not believeable and has hampered the investigation.
Did this happen after Casey Johnson got acquitted? Maybe this is a copycat.
I would encourage all of you to wander on over to http://blog.eyesforlies.com for in depth discussion between posters & the author, who is a deception detector. Really fascinating.
There a tons of clues to deception from these parents, particularly the mom.
Really horrible situation.
Lin234- I do think this is possible.
She took forever to get in front of the camera’s to ask for her baby’s return…I think around 48 hrs…I hate to rush to judgement…but that doesn’t sound like an innocent Mother to me..
Perhaps that first talk with the police was extremely upsetting to the older two children. I wouldn’t put it past the police to try and coerce a statement from the children that would implement the parents, but not necessarily be the truth.
It wouldn’t be the first time the cops bullied a false statement out of a person, even a child, to steer the case in the direction they want, even if it isn’t the right one.
I don’t blame the parents for getting a lawyer. To me, it doesn’t instantly mean they have anything to hide or are guilty, but something society (sadly) needs to do right away, (now a’days), to protect themselves from police corruption.
I would only allow my children to be interviewed with a lawyer present, for their behalf, to safe guard them during the questioning.
I’m not going to assume innocence or guilt on these people. Hopefully the baby is found safe.
The mother is disgusting and is as guilty as sin.
Lin234
Do you mean Casey Anthony? I don’t really see the analogy. She waited months to report her child missing.
Opps Casey Anthony. Unfortunately, people get ideas from the news a lot. Like before Columbine, there weren’t school shooting but after that tragedy it’s happened several times over since then. Or it’s like a suicide on a college campus. Suicide rates do spike because it puts the idea that if one person did it, they can too.
I’m not going to say the situation is exactly the same but sometimes people get ideas. Casey not only got acquitted but she stands to make millions. Tell me there aren’t people out there who thinks maybe they can pull it off too.
After the Caylee/Casey Anthony case I don’t have the stomach for it anymore. I’m tired of seeing crime brought to this tabloid glorified level.
Who’s the guy she was buying wine with?
@lin234
It’s not that these things didn’t exist before the 24-hour news cycle got a hold of them. My dad experienced a school shooting in the 70s. They DO happen; we just don’t hear about it until the media makes it a huge, gigantic deal.
Dibba–it was her brother.
Just want to remind folks that “eyesforlies” is not nearly as accurate as they want you to believe. The research says there are no consistent deception cues. NONE–no body language, no eye movements, nothing. And no one is good at detecting deception either–we do it at a chance level. Which means its 50-50 as to whether or not you are right. Put more on the actual investigation, not on “deception” because the research is pretty clear on that.
By the way, the baby is a “she” not an “it”.
#10 – I don’t blame them for getting a lawyer either, most people in situations like this do, just in case. I do blame them for withholding important information from the police, and preventing the other kids from being talked to. If they feel the police were upsetting the kids, ask for a child psychologist or someone to talk to them instead. But do SOMETHING, anything to find out everything possible – assuming the child really was kidnapped.
She knows what happened to her baby.
I just don’t have a good feeling about this.
sorry but she knows more than she is telling.
something may have happened while she was drunk, shook her, hit her etc.
for me, the red flag went up when -after less than 48 hours- the couple stopped talking to police because they were “exhausted.” excuse me? i don’t have kids, but if i did i would never be too tired to answer questions that could lead to getting them back. hell, if any of my friend’s kids went missing i would be like, “ask me anything, search anywhere” for as long as it took. i never understand parents who don’t cooperate with police or just outright lie – jonbenet ramsey’s parents, casey anthony, now these people. seems suspicious to me.
I’m actually hoping it was a stranger abduction because– and I may be mistaken, correct me if I am– since she’s an infant, the odds are the abductor is a 1) person who wants a baby for their own or a 2) person who wants to traffic her for adoption ($$$). Yes, I know there are people who might take her for perverted purposes, but usually the infants are taken for cash or due to somebody’s baby mania. I’m not saying that therefore it’s all fine and okay– they need to find her and bring her home– but my feeling is that a stranger who would take an infant is, more likely than not, motivated to not harm her.
Now, if Mom and/or Dad are involved, then she’s dead.
Kinda sad to realize that.
This is a parents worst nightmare and the one thing that would really set me off the edge is to have something happen to my kids
I agree, you will do ANYTHING in your power to help get your child back. I would be doing interview after interview in my damn pj’s and without makeup as long as it got the word out quicker. I pray for this little baby that she is safe and unharmed.
I agree with most that a lot of the “evidence” so far is very sketchy and does not look good for the parents.
But playing Devil’s Advocate for one moment… What if my kid went missing and I didn’t have anything to do with it–but it became very clear that the cops thought I did, and were trying to build a case that I had?
My first thoughts on this case have always been that I would do ANYTHING to get my child back. But what if I thought that the cops wanted to pin it on ME? Imagine the panic if you thought that they were going to stop looking for the REAL criminal and instead focus on you? I don’t think as a parent you would be worried about jail—but you’d be freaking out if you thought the cops were going to stop LOOKING.
I still think these parents appear sketchy–but what if we are all reading this wrong? Because THAT would be a really good reason to not want to cooperate. Yes, logically it makes no sense to stop cooperating either…but if my kid was missing, I might not be at my most logical.
I’m with everyone who said that they would bend over backwards to help find their missing baby/child. But, in a way, I don’t blame the parents for pulling back since there is an environment that encourages careless, ambitious ‘victims advocates’ to play Bad Cop on primetime television. Sure, television should be the last thing on distraught parents’ minds, but we can’t ignore reality. And these advocates who engage in hit pieces never retract the despicable things they said and their fanbases never take stock after the truth contradicts the rhetoric.
@ #18 Crystalline,
You are correct. You cannot focus on any one specific trait. The point is to looks for clusters of inconsistent behaviors or statements, taken in context, not out of context.
I think if everyone watched all her (Deborah Bradley) interviews, you would end up with a feeling like ‘that’s not right, I would cooperate in any way and move heaven & earth to find my child’. Really, don’t you think so?
Disclosure: I am a parent, so functioning from a bias, but I think that makes my argument even more salient.
#27 Pamela & #28 pwal- Exactly.
Since we aren’t there to watch every detail of the police interrogation, we don’t know how these parents were being questioned. There are many times in history when the police decide to target one individual and fail to continue to investigate other avenues. And if the parents are innocent, then it would become frustrating and rather frightening to believe that you’re the prime suspect, when the real kidnapper is out there with your baby and no one is listening to your pleas.
You may feel like the only way to get the cops to go out and search for your child is to stop talking. That by shutting up, means perhaps they’ll turn their sights elsewhere.
I’m not saying it all makes sense to do that, but then, how logical and right-minded would any person be with their child missing?
As for John, Patsy, and Burke Ramsey, look how many years it took for their names to be cleared. The media and police were willing to crucify them. Then, 12 years later, they finally received a letter of apology from the DA, clearing their names. All 2 years too late for Patsy, who went to her grave knowing she was innocent, but having a world savagely gossip about how they believed her guilty.
There are many who were guilty, and may they rot for what they’ve done. But until it is certain, I’m going to hold back on pointing fingers.
Should the mother be punished by the law for withholding/giving false evidence, in this case the lie about what time she saw the child and not admitting to drinking? Yes. But please make the punishment appropriate for the crime.
(Something the law failed to do with Casey Anthony.)
@lucy2 – That’s the word I couldn’t think of, a child psychologist.
A lawyer present to make sure their rights were protected and that leading questions weren’t asked, and a child psychologist to gently ask them what the cops wanted to know.
The parents are either stupid or have something to hide or both.
When she says her kids would know nothing – i find that a huge red flag. How does she know that?
She has a bad attitude & yes is if innocent & cops were accusing me of harming my child I would be upset but not cop an attitude like she is. I wouldnt care what they thought if i knew i was innocent.
Involved or not she is partially responsible for her daughters “disappearance” since she passed out drunk with 3 children in her care! Hideous! If she was passed out and doesnt remember anything how does she know she didnt harm her baby & cover it up? I dont think she remembers a thing from that night.
I’m disinclined to believe this Eyes for Lies, not only because of the cheap, marketing-heavy format of her website, but also because she said “here” instead of “hear” (somewhat forgivable, everyone types homophones here and there but hopefully you proofread and correct them) and “confidentially” instead of “confidently.” The latter mistake is unforgivable. It’s like when Kiran Chetry repeatedly said “prosecution ring” instead of “prostitution ring” on CNN American Morning when discussing the Elliot Spitzer news. All that being said….I definitely think the parents are hiding something.
@lin234: Columbine was NOT the first school shooting. It was the first MASS school shooting. There’s a big difference.
It does look like the parents are hiding something but I wouldn’t be so quick to judge like a lot of you. The media and the police have their way of spinning things and portraying people a certain way by editing and witholding info.
There is way too much time being spend on finger pointing and too little on finding this beautiful little girl. That should be the priority!
I have a question for Mothers, how many of you drink enough alcohol to be drunk when you are alone with your young children?
I never remember seeing my parents drunk when I was a child. Is this a common thing? Wouldn’t parents worry about something happening and being too inebriated to do anything?
I liked to drink before I got pregnant but I can’t imagine drinking if I had a baby to care for, even if I waited until the child fell asleep. That seems sort of irresponsible. Or am I being too harsh on Moms?
The mother is involved. She has changed her story ump teen times.
I think the K.C. Police dept have been remarkably open minded in pursuing this investigation. In week one they had pursued over 90% of the tips and continue to do so (it was reported they had followed up on 470 of the 521 tips they had received) they have been tight lipped and haven’t responded to criticisms, refused to play this out in the press even though I’m certain they are under enormous pressure. My feeling is they are quietly building a case against one or both of the parents so as not to have another Casey Anthony debacle…while I was at one time hopefull the abduction story was possible as each day passes this looks less and less likely…
I don’t want to think the parents are involved, and that all the odd behavior is from shock, fear, and shame (from being drunk the night Lisa got taken).
I’m not a parent, but I think if I had a child taken I would be out of my mind and not making much sense. Probably crying until I couldn’t cry anymore.
I want to think that the baby was taken by a stranger who just really, really wanted a baby and will take care of her.
Unfortunately, all that I wish is probably not reality. It was probably accidental, and one or both of the parents were most likely involved somehow, and baby Lisa is… 🙁 I can’t go there.
Poor Crush! I’m glad that the surgery will be successful, but OUCH on the vet bills (been there, know that … our Goof had two major abdominal surgeries in ten months. Now he has health insurance). I have lots of little folk in my life, I’m happy to buy the pattern to help out with the Fund.
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