Baby Lisa's Parents Ask Supporters To End Candlelit Vigils On Their Lawn

Vigils for Lisa Irwin ended on Tuesday after the missing baby's parents requested that supporters stop demonstrating on their lawn.

There had been nightly prayer gatherings in front of Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin's Kansas City, Mo., home, but the parents said they interfered with daily life and disturbed their neighbors, according to The Kansas City Star. Lisa's grandmother told the supporters their presence was troubling to the missing infant's half-brothers and that the family desired a sense of normalcy, The Star says.

A group called Lisa's Angels -- which searched more than 20 times for Lisa, who was 10 months old when she vanished in October -- said they'd find another location for the vigils, TV station KSPR says.

PHOTOS: (Story Continues Below)

Though the group will abide by the family's wishes, the volunteers said it hurt them that they were not wanted, according to Reuters.

Relations between police and Lisa's parents have been strained as the search for the missing baby drags on without any breaks. At times, cops have said the parents have been uncooperative, citing cancelled appointments.

A lawyer for the parents later criticized the police for the lack of leads in the case. On another occasion, an attorney for the parents cast doubt on a police sweep of the home during which a cadaver-sniffing dog allegedly smelled a dead body odor.

Lisa's parents claim their child was abducted by a kidnapper. Jeremy Irwin told police when he returned home after working a night shift, a window was tampered with and his daughter was missing. Bradley claimed that she drank too much that night and didn't hear intruders.

Police, hungry for any clues, allegedly turned to a psychic for assistance, according to a Fox News report.

Comments

[Sunnyhorse]

03:46 PM on 01/10/2012

I have no idea whether the parents had anything to do with this child's disappearance, but I do know that I would get tired of a crowd on my front lawn every single night and that my neighbors wouldn't care for it, either. Also: I am sorry, but prayer does absolutely nothing but make the person doing it feel better about him- or herself. Want to make yourself useful? Go help search, or take a meal to the family, or offer to clean house. Don't stand around in someone's yard for months on end and then try to inflict guilt when you are finally asked to leave.

[FaceTheTruth00]

02:07 PM on 12/26/2011

It seems this story has slipped fully from public view. How sad.

I don't blame the media since there hasn't been any new information in weeks, and there are only so many times you can rehash the old info. Too bad Lisa's family has done nothing to keep her name alive.

Of course, that's the point for them. Forget. Move on. Get life back to "normal".

[Noreen Burkett]

09:40 PM on 12/06/2011

"Vigils for Lisa Irwin ended on Tuesday after the missing baby's parents requested that supporters stop demonstrating on their lawn."

Sounds fishy to me....I would be so appreciative of everyone's concern if it were my daughter.

[Ystorm]

09:13 PM on 12/07/2011

Me too. Any prayers from anyone from any religion would be acceptable in a circumstance like that. The mom really is moronic.

[Jennifer Hagan]

06:44 AM on 12/08/2011

The mom is considering her other children which makes sense. If your daughter were abducted by an unwanted intruder and you had other children in the home, would you really want individuals that you don't know camped out on your front lawn? I sure wouldn't. Go to a park. Respect their privacy as a family. Let the other kids get off the school bus or play in the yard without these unknown people sitting out there. It is nice what they are doing for the family but they have other children to consider her their supporters should also realize that.

[Jennifer Hagan]

06:42 AM on 12/08/2011

If I had other children at home, I wouldn't want a bunch of strangers camping out on my lawn. The other children DO need a sense of normalcy also. There are other children in the house to consider. It isn't just about the feelings of the parents. Also, if I were a neighbor, I'd feel pretty upset to find strangers next to my house all day or evening long. They may have children themselves and sometimes well meaning people do bring the weirdos with them who don't have good intentions. If they want to keep it up, they can do a vigil at a public place.

[WendellPerrySociety]

03:09 PM on 12/06/2011

Return to normalcy? In other words - we know what happened to her and we are ready to move on.

[elizlucinda]

07:52 AM on 12/11/2011

I think you might be judging them too harshly.

[FaceTheTruth00]

10:23 AM on 12/05/2011

It doesn't really matter if any of us think the vigils are accomplishing anything.

Personally, I believe the baby never left the house alive that night. So, I don't think there's any point in praying for a safe return. But some people do. Some people believe she is alive. And you know what? I hope that they are right and I am wrong. And if they believe praying is helpful, who am I to say it's not? To them it is.

Some people are saying that it's a waste of time. Maybe it is; or maybe it isn't, to the vigil-goers.

Say what you want. Believe what you want. We're all entitled. But, at the very least, the vigils have been keeping baby Lisa in the media, at least somewhat.

With the vigils going away; at least from the house; I expect this will be the last we hear of baby Lisa, until/unless an arrest is made.

Since I believe that baby ended up in the Missouri River that night, I don't believe there will ever be a body found. No one will ever be charged, and baby Lisa will join the ranks of so many other children who have been murdered and throw away like they are nothing.

[Ystorm]

12:36 PM on 12/08/2011

I think you make the most sense out of all the bits and pieces.

[javajosie]

11:21 AM on 12/03/2011

Until there is proof that she was kidnapped, I will always believe little Lisa died in that home. Maybe one of the boys tried to take her out of the crib and she fell, in which case the parents are trying to protect them, or some other scenario.....but, in my heart, I believe they know exactly what happened to her........

[Karmella]

05:08 PM on 12/03/2011

I agree 100%.

[tonythetiger122]

05:54 AM on 12/05/2011

I agree as well.

[ncrespi]

05:51 PM on 12/02/2011

People ARE standing in judgment because they love babies!

[gloriaswanson43]

05:42 PM on 12/02/2011

I saw the baby's picture and clicked hoping...hoping she'd been found or there's a suspect or something.

[shellasaur]

11:29 PM on 12/03/2011

At this rate, it's pretty much left up to the community. Sure, the police are still searching but they can only search over an area a certain amount of times, and only go so far. I have this deep feeling in my gut every time I read an article about her, that there's no hope in finding her alive, if finding her at all. It's saddening, and sick but whoever did it may take it to the grave, or years from now have things fall apart and someone finally come forward. One could only hope...

[gloriaswanson43]

11:11 AM on 12/04/2011

Well said. I ...just want her to be alive. Hopefully (good grief) that someone is taking good care of her.

[shiningmoon11]

03:42 PM on 12/02/2011

How can you people not judge in this situation? She hasn't gone out to look for her child once, she brought the kids back into the same house where their baby sister was "kidnapped ", and is now being a horrible example by refusing to talk to law enforcement or support the vigils. Those poor children must be terrified thinking they might be kidnapped as well and this is how their parents would deal with their abduction. By refusing law enforcement and not even going out to search? I know if my baby girl was missing, I wouldn't eat, sleep, or do anything except search for her and thank the volunteers. I'd be doing everything I could to keep her picture and name in the media. Especially with these coming cold months and Christmas around the corner...I would be searching night and day. And I would certainly attend the nightly vigils along with my children so they would feel safe knowing I love them more than life and I would never give up hope if something were to happen to them.

[ncrespi]

05:50 PM on 12/02/2011

The mother is probably afraid the baby WOULD be found, but in such a way that would prove the parent(s) guilty.

[HarryParatestes]

05:23 PM on 12/05/2011

excellent point ncrespi...

[Wingsweaver]

06:14 PM on 12/02/2011

Well not everyone can afford to just up and move whatever the circumstance. And while the thought of spending every waking moment looking for your missing child sounds noble, in reality is that really what's best for the other kids? At this point (assuming they had nothing to do with the disappearance) there's nothing the parents can do that the police can't do better.

The world hasn't stopped spinning and the remaining kids need a mother, not an exhausted shell out every night chasing ghosts.

[Find Compassion]

06:39 PM on 12/02/2011

"the remaining kids need a mother".........

Which is not exactly what they had when mom got trash-wasted drunk. I wonder how much she drinks now.

[livingdangerously]

10:30 PM on 12/02/2011

Ah...she's a mother in only the narrowest of terms.

[JanetteM]

12:41 PM on 12/02/2011

I am a little disturbed by some of the comments below that are mocking the fact that the volunteers are a "little hurt." For goodness sake they are trying to bring attention to the cause and not just let it die down, unlike the parents. The parents have done NOTHING to aid in the finding of baby Lisa; it appears to me as if they are just ready to move on and forget it even happened so that they can get to their 'normal.' What about baby Lisa's normal? Perhaps they should focus on that. I think it is about time Deborah comes clean and admits that her daughter died by accident and she tried to cover it up, just as Casey Anthony did. My hope is that they find the body before it is just bones so that Deborah can be convicted and learn how to lead a 'normal' life in jail.

[lvnpeace]

08:29 PM on 12/02/2011

After my child died, nothing was ever normal again. I was frantic. She has never appeared frantic, desperate to do anything. I don't want to judge her. I just don't see the same reactions our family had, and others who have lost children. Like Natalie Holloway's mother, for instance.

[dru]

09:20 PM on 12/02/2011

I'm sorry for your loss.

[goncrazi]

09:29 PM on 12/02/2011

When my son died there were no hysterics from me or any other family members. We have a private service with only family in attendance, no one else knew him and we didn't want to hear - I'm sorry, if I can do anything for you, etc, etc - people didn't know him and would have only come for us and we didn't want them there. We got through the funeral then went out to eat. Talked a bit about it but not the hole time and life went forward. When my mother died, we were standing outside the ER (she died in the ambulance to the hospital, hospital staff got her back then lost her again) talking and my father notices he could see the funeral home from where we were standing. He looks at me and says "If I'd known the furneral home was so close, I'd have put her in the car and drove her over myself and saved $200.00 they are going to charge to come get her. Grief is personal because it is yours and yours alone, no one can know what it is like for you - even if they have been through the same circumstances, everyone is different so they have no idea how you are feeling inside.

[brightalchemy]

12:30 PM on 12/02/2011

OKAY

[melanielpc]

11:44 AM on 12/02/2011

It must be like the tell tell heart with people out there singing, and like someone else said, How is she going to get drunk and party with people watching?

[Ystorm]

09:15 PM on 12/07/2011

yeah really...if she parties she is looked upon as being..bad. gee willikers. like that was even a surprise.

[ninzilla]

11:16 AM on 12/02/2011

I try not to stand in judgment of others unless I'm sitting on a jury. And I'm pretty sure that you Christians would say that prayer would work no matter where it was being conducted. But there's two little boys who are living with their baby sister's disappearance. That's got to be scary enough for little ones to deal with; without totally strangers holding candles and chanting on their front lawn each night.

[Martini Queen]

02:23 PM on 12/02/2011

fanned and fav'd

[Vikvee]

07:19 PM on 12/02/2011

ninzilla...Right you are, and all these people that candle light vigil everything and leave a constant barrage of flowers and teddy bears, need to get on with their own lives. They are so desperate to get noticed they make it all about themselves and their vigil instead of actually helping anything or anyone. Go home people ...find a cause that will actually help someone instead of just putting you in the news. They don't have any right to camp outside someone's door whether that person is innocent or guilty.

[Find Compassion]

10:35 AM on 12/02/2011

If I were Lisa's mother, I would join those people each and every night for five minutes - 30 minutes - even one minute. I might find the time even for a second. If I were Deb, I would probably bring out a box of wine every night and share it with the vigil-ors. Maybe reminisce about how I loved my missing baby girl, talk about how I need to hug her and how much I miss her.... If I were that baby's mom I think I wouldn't be able to sleep much, I wouldn't bathe unless someone told me to, I wouldn't eat and I would be unable to care for my two boys. Christmas is coming and it would be almost impossible to function properly. I wouldn't be able to know what NORMAL was.
:(

[Hillary Wentz]

01:15 PM on 12/02/2011

Exactly!!! How can they expect to have any sort of normal life?? They should appreciate the fact that these people care enough about her missing baby to take time out of their lives to gather and show support for the search for a child they never knew.

[Joan Marino Maser]

03:25 PM on 12/02/2011

If you had two other children to care for you would find the power to move forward and care for them even though you are dying inside, you would do what was best for the two at home which is not letting strangers on your lawn after a stranger abducted one of your children, I would keep strangers further away from my children then ever. I know they mean well but if they truly cared they would think of the two babies left and use some common sense and not scare them or smother them in fear. Move to a parking lot.

[Find Compassion]

06:35 PM on 12/02/2011

Joan, you make a good point - and really since something so tragic as this has never happened to me or anyone I know directly, I can't REALLY say how I would react but I honestly think that if someone broke into my home and took my child, I would never want to be in that house again.

My sister recently got robbed; she lived in an apartment. Within 45 days we had her moved out and into a new place. I felt violated and it wasn't even my house. I can't imagine having a child taken - how I would react.

I simply feel strongly that baby Lisa wasn't taken. Seems like all the reaction of family has indicated otherwise. My own personal opinion is that one of the siblings accidentally smothered (I hope it was accidental anyway) baby Lisa to quiet her, since mom was stoned. I think the parents are covering for the boy. This scenario would explain a lot.

[Veda Robinson]

06:47 PM on 12/02/2011

It seems to me that the Vigil's are making her more sick than the fact that her baby is missing!!!

[LivelyLexie]

08:54 AM on 12/02/2011

"the volunteers said it hurt them that they were not wanted",
I'm not trying to sound insensitive, it's very refreshing that they care about this child so much, but what good does an ongoing vigil accomplish? It isn't helping the investigation any. It's not doing anything, to be honest.

[FaceTheTruth00]

10:24 AM on 12/02/2011

In theory, it keeps the case alive in the media and in the community.

Look at how it's already fallen off the radar of most Americans, without daily or even weekly updates and happenings.

If they don't want the vigil outside their house, arrange a place for it to be done. A local park, for instance. Perhaps express some appreciation for the thoughts and prayers, and caring.

It could be done in a nice way. Instead it's being done in a "I can't push this all under the carpet and pretend it didn't happen because you people won't go away" kind of way.

Have Deb or Jeremy ever even expressed their appreciation for the support? If they would, maybe it would make things better and easier.

"Hey guys, we really appreciate all you've done, all you are doing, and all the support and help in trying to find our little girl. But, I feel like we could move things to X location so that we don't disturb our neighbors and give the kids a little sense of normalcy. They won't forget their little sister, but we'd like them to have some time where it's not a constant reminder. So, if we could start having vigils moved to X location, that would be great. We'll see you there."

[littlepuffycloud]

10:59 AM on 12/02/2011

'Have Deb or Jeremy ever even expressed their appreciati­on for the support?'

You have previously commented that these vigils can appeal to someone's guilty conscience, so what in the world to the parents have to be appreciative for? Those vigilantes aren't doing it to help anyone, including Lisa. Stop pretending they're there for any reason other than to stand in judgment that the parents are guilty of something.

[Veda Robinson]

06:58 PM on 12/02/2011

I thought that the vigil's were for the safe return of baby Lisa and praying for the family. I always thought that the best thing a person could do for anyone was to keep them in their prayers. If it were me the only and i mean the only footprints you would see would be Jesus and he would be carrying me because i would have lost my mind.