Baby Lisa Irwin Clue: Debit Card Transaction Made On Child Name-Changing Site

Baby Lisa Irwin went missing on Oct. 4, 2011.

It's been almost eight months since a 10-month-old girl went missing from her Missouri home, but her parents hope that a fraudulent debit card charge could lead them straight to their daughter.

Jeremy Irwin and Deborah Bradley, whose daughter Lisa went missing the night of Oct. 4, appeared on the "Today" show this morning, revealing that their card was stolen and then used a month after Lisa's disappearance.

The card was charged $69.04 on a British website for a baby name-changing service, they said.


Story continues below

Kansas City Police are skeptical, but are investigating the claim.

"I am a mess," Bradley told Ann Curry on "Today." "I am frustrated. It has been almost eight months, and we're not getting any answers. We understand that the FBI and the KCPD have a job to do, but we need answers. We need Lisa. The answer to us that 'we are looking at it' is unacceptable."

Lisa Irwin was reportedly stolen out of her crib sometime between when her parents last saw her on Oct. 3 and the morning of Oct. 4. Bradley has said that she fell asleep drunk while taking care of her daughter. Her husband reportedly returned from working a night shift to find the front door and a window in the baby's room open.

Since the disappearance, Irwin's parents have been on plenty of news and talk shows, including "Dr. Phil," in their search for leads. They've denied any involvement in the case several times, though cops have previously accused them of failing to cooperate and refusing to be interviewed separately.

Meanwhile, the parents' meetings with police continue to dwindle as an already long investigation winds down.

From our partners

• 6 People Saved By Their Enemies - www.cracked.com
• 25 Crazy Celebrity Workouts And Diets - Guyism.com
• Experts: Decriminalize ALL Drugs! - Newser.com

Comments

[LadyGreenEyes]

08:16 PM on 10/23/2012

I believe the card was deliberately not cancelled, so that, if the person that took the baby used it, they would have some way to track them. Not a bad move.

As for the case, has everyone forgotten the neighbor that was drinking with the mother? That KNEW the mother was drinking, & seemed inconsistent about her own story? It WAS known the mother was drunk, and I am not sure that she intended to get that way. I don't believe she was tested for any drugs, either. Maybe someone slipped something into her drink. Maybe that someone then waited, and either stole the baby themselves, or sent an accomplice in. Some unknown male was seen in the area, with what was described as maybe being a baby. I am far from convinced that the mother knows anything. It would not be the first time that the police wrongly suspected innocent parents. She was cooperating, too, until they became so intent on making her look guilty that it was clear to anyone that they weren't even looking anywhere else.

Did the police ever actually investigate the charge on the card? That was months back; surely they would have details by now.

I don't see a drunken mother being able to conceal a body so that they can't find any trace. If she had done something, they would have found that baby. It's proven that the father was in fact at work, too, so he could not have done it, either.

[Kristina Chad Priest]

07:55 PM on 09/16/2012

why didn't they cancel the credit card? that is very odd to me, It is so dad a child is missing and didn't desirve any of this.

[stayingsaneinthemadness]

04:05 PM on 11/02/2012

Why would they cancel the card? The same person who took their baby has that card, it could be their only hope.

[jfjfnm]

03:55 PM on 07/20/2012

and really shouldnt be that hard to get more information on the transaction. call the people from that site and get info!! what name did they change and if it was lisa's, then what is her new name? pretty sure FBI can be smart enough to do that and make them give information about it.

[bobk in nh]

11:38 AM on 05/27/2012

A dingo took their baby

[Wanda June Lingle]

01:40 PM on 05/24/2012

Can't say she did, can't say she didn't. Only God knows. And whatever happened to this poor baby, God have mercy on their soul.

[Darla Reese]

10:24 AM on 05/22/2012

How about this: the couple has sold their child because they needed money. Or the child was conceived for that purpose in the first place. Now they don't know how to explain it except by creating a lie of kidnapping. My belief? She killed the baby somehow, called him in a panic. Then he walked around in grief trying to find a place to bury the baby so the shame of her actions couldn't be placed on them.

[Jose Luis Herrera]

01:15 PM on 05/22/2012

gotta look into a "woman's intuition"....you may have something there darla.

[CarrionQueen]

05:25 PM on 05/31/2012

Yeah, it sure is weird that they aren't fully cooperating. And then they are on every talk show basically blaming the police for not having answers. As 1 fine commenter on here (another story) said "the guilty dog barks the loudest".

[ReasonOverRant]

11:07 PM on 06/27/2012

How many police interviews do you need to give, telling everything you know over and over again, before you've "cooperated"? How about when it becomes apparent that the police aren't interested in looking for your child, but simply trying to pin the crime on you?

[andy rig]

12:24 PM on 11/03/2012

If you think it's weird you've obviously never dealt with the police. They're not helpful they're judgemental. They look at the parents and don't want to move one step in any other direction. ''Co-operate'' with the police usually leads to an arrest, they'll make up evidence if they don't have any.

[maybesomeday]

10:19 AM on 05/22/2012

There is nothing about this story that will sway my opinion that the mother did something to her child. Who would show up to a rural type location in the middle of nowhere and just snatch a baby randomly. I mean who knew there was a baby in that house and exactly where the babies bedroom was. I can't imagine a total stranger would have enough of that kind of information to just go in and do it.

In addition how would that stranger know that on this particular night the mom would be in a drunken black, making it easier for the stranger to go and take the baby. None of it makes any sense. I believe the baby has died at the hands of the mother and eventually she'll crack and reveal what she has done.

There is just no other logical explanation for the circumstances, none! She was alone with those 3 children, she was the last one to see the baby, and now the baby is gone forever and she knows exactly what happened.

[sweetsassyfla]

10:48 AM on 05/22/2012

You're correct, and this is old news, Ron Rugen's blog talks about it too....

[tamthebrat1978]

05:41 PM on 05/22/2012

The only way it could happen is if the parents did not listen and put a tot finder sticker on her bedroom window, they tell you not to do that for this reason. As for people committing crimes in the middle of nowhere, believe me in the state I am in it happens more in your towns like that, reason being properties are further apart and the criminal is less likely to be spotted.

[mrskravitz4u1]

09:58 AM on 05/22/2012

Of course it is a clue, I am sure Law enforcement is downplaying this in hopes the criminal will use the card again. A lot of what investigators do is try to draw the perp out into the open, making them feel safe. It doesn't seem to make sense but in a back door way, it does. I am sure the parents are frustrated and often at odds with the PD. This has been a difficult case, from all appearances. I personally don't think the parents are involved, and I hope they are right that the child is alive. Now we just need Nancy disGrace to get involved again!!!

[kasea111]

09:25 AM on 05/22/2012

Why isn't there any new's coverage for bay Kate, who's missing from Ludington Michigan? Kate's father kidnapped her at 4 months old, has been jailed for 6 months because he will not tell where she is, and yet you hear or read nothing about this baby. Is like everyone just forgot her. Isn't her life just as important? As a grandmother of 12, I find both of these cases very disturbing. In both cases, a parent very likely know's the truth as to where this child is. And yet the parent's don't have to talk because they have rights.

[FaceTheTruth00]

08:42 AM on 05/22/2012

Oh and for the people who ask about whether the account was closed; according to news stories, it was suspended. It was not kept open to "catch the kidnapper" or whatever explanation I have been reading.

"In early November, just over a month after Lisa vanished, Irwin said his debit card was stolen. The card was suspended for a fraudulent charge for $69.04 while two other charges were attempted. "

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47502881/ns/today-today_news/t/missing-baby-lisa-debit-card-fraud-clue/

"Lisa was 10 months old when she disappeared from her Kansas City home on Oct. 4, 2011. Jeremy Irwin claims the charge was made to his card on Nov. 6 and that he and his wife were made aware of it in December."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/21/parents-missing-missouri-child-urge-police-to-re-examine-fraudulent-debit-card/#ixzz1vbN6HC6Q

[FaceTheTruth00]

08:34 AM on 05/22/2012

More links:

"Jeremy Irwin and Deborah Bradley tell NBC News Jeremy’s debit card was stolen about a month after Lisa disappeared, and according to Jeremy, a fraudulent charge made on the account was to an overseas company that changes baby’s names for a small fee."

http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/region_missouri/northland/lisa-irwins-parents-hope-fraudulent-credit-charges-can-lead-to-break-in-case-of-missing-daughter

"Kansas City police said it appeared to be a simple case of a stolen card and do not consider it a promising lead. A former FBI criminal profiler told NBC News the length of time between the child's disappearance and the card theft is one of the reasons investigators may have discounted its importance in the case."

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_212409701.shtml

[pageleft]

07:22 PM on 05/23/2012

This story is ridiculous on so many levels. People who steal debit or credit card info waste no time maxing out the cards before the owner realizes what happened. They don't sit on them for a month and then make a couple of piddling purchases. They buy high ticket easily fenced items or high dollar amount gift cards they can use to buy merchandise which they turn around and sell or return for cash. Why on earth would a kidnapper use the stolen credit card of the very person whose child they took and try to use it to make such an obvious purchase that could link them back to the kidnapping? The police said they investigated and the Irwin credit info was used to purchase stationery from an online stationery site. It was Irwin and Bradley who claimed the site sold name changing documents but magically changed to a stationery site once they reported it.

[Digit0la]

02:48 AM on 05/31/2012

And who is to say that this "stolen" credit card purchase wasn't made by either of the parents in a desperate attempt to get police looking elsewhere? As you said, the idea of a criminal waiting a month to make purchases when the case is hot in the media is ludicrous.

[denum1fan]

05:55 AM on 05/22/2012

The card was used a month after the baby went missing, and they are just now trying to tie the card to the abductor? If she is missing 8 months, that happend 7 months ago! Why didn't they try tying the credit card to an abductor 7 months ago?

[FaceTheTruth00]

08:51 AM on 05/22/2012

From what I have read, it was investigated and found that the "baby name changing website" was actually a stationery/office supply website.

I have no idea when the parents actually reported the alleged fraud to police, but we know that the the bank suspended usage of the card sometime in December; at least that's according to the parents, when they say they found out about it.

Why didn't it make it to the public? Probably because it was nothing of significance. So, the real question is, in my opinion, why are the parents bringing it up now?

It doesn't help them at all, imo. A debit card charge to an overseas stationery store does nothing to implicate a suspect in an alleged kidnapping.

The cynic in me says it's for the money. The local stations have apparently been complaining again that the parents won't talk to them, but they will do the talk show circuit and national morning news programs. Local news doesn't pay; national does, to a fashion, in that they will pay "licensing fees" to use pictures, videos, etc.

Once we found out ABC News paid Casey Anthony $200,000, I think nothing is off the table when it comes to some media.

[denum1fan]

09:31 AM on 05/22/2012

Wow! You are full of knowledge. Thanks for the answers! And Casey Anthony, well that's just another flaw in our court system! In my opinion!

[Kerry Cook]

04:57 AM on 05/22/2012

Something is totally screwy with this credit car that was "stolen" & then used a month later. If anyone has a credit card that is lost or stolen; don't they close the account? Who would not stop a card from being used fraudulently once it was stolen? I had initially believed both mom & dad were innocent, but now this is making me think something smells bad. It is possible the cops & FBI told her not to cancel the card nor the cell phones, but this is a totally odd turn. Hopefully the UK has clues that can either help squelch or affirm that baby Lisa is not living there with a new name.

[Tucker28]

07:51 AM on 05/22/2012

They may not close the account in hopes the abductor would use the card and police could trace the transaction to the person. What i find hard to believe is 1, why would the person take the card and use it knowing it could be traced. 2. One would think with todays technology the original site could be found and contacted.

[MissouriModerate]

03:46 AM on 05/22/2012

I have a strong feeling that the mother knows what happened and the father has supported her story, either helping directly, or indirectly with an alibi. The mother, right after Lisa was "abducted", said something that continues to haunt me...something to the effect that "maybe someone wanted a baby." She said it calmly and deliberately like it was rehearsed in her mind. If I had a child stolen, I would not have a back-up story. This just doesn't make sense, along with the parents refusal to speak with police without each other. I don't know what they are hiding, but findng their daughter and helping tbe police should have been their priority...not their hurt feelings. My theory is that something happened to the baby, and Deborah Bradley had help covering it up. Witnesses who saw someone walking down the street, carrying an unclothed child (except for diaper) , and not calling the police seems beyond irresponsible (early A.M. and very cold.) Perhaps they thought the man was the father, Jeremy...the description sounded a lot like him. The parents haven't been telling the entire truth about what happened that night.

[stayingsaneinthemadness]

09:53 AM on 05/22/2012

I always thought the "maybe someone wanted a baby" comment was an attempt to reassure herself that her daughter could be alive and well taken care of somewhere. If my child diappears from my sight for even a second, I have a million and one scenarios running through my mind instantly. I would think some of the scenarios that might cross a moms mind after her child is gone, really gone, might be too much to face. I don't think I could.

[MissouriModerate]

02:19 PM on 05/23/2012

I would agree if this were the only inconsistency in this case. I would also have done ANYTHING to cooperate with the authorities.

[Tess41]

09:03 PM on 05/23/2012

I agree! If I were in this position, the only way to stay sane would be to hope that the kidnapper wanted a child to love and care for. Thoughts of any other scenario would lead to such a dark place, recovery may be impossible.

[maybesomeday]

10:28 AM on 05/22/2012

I never believed her story. She was caught in a couple of lies right from the start so it's not a far stretch to believe there are bigger lies that she won't tell. I don't think any mother would refuse to cooperate in finding their missing baby. I would be in front of the camera's every single day begging for my child's return. Their complete lack of cooperation tells me they don't need to spend time cooperating because they already know what happened and how it happened.

They certainly don't need to go on camera either begging for their child because they already know where she is......She's a shady drunk.....her story is shady and I don't believe anything she has to say....

[tccat4]

03:08 AM on 05/22/2012

I hope this will take the case somewhere, and they can find who stole this beautiful child...... I still have hope they find her....When was the card stolen? The night Lisa was taken.... more unanswered questions......