Police responded to the family’s light-green ranch-style home in the northeast side of the city, and took statements from Lisa’s parents. According to her mother, Deborah Bradley, she had last seen Lisa when she put her to bed the night beforehand at 10:40PM when she put her into her crib.

Lisa’s father, Jeremy, told police he had come home from his late night shift as an electrician at about 4AM, shortly before he reported Lisa missing. As he entered the home, something immediately struck him as odd. Most of the lights were switched on, a window was open, and the front door was unlocked. After discovering that Lisa was missing, he also discovered that several cell phones were also missing.

Deborah later said: “They took her and took all of our phones so we couldn’t call anybody.” According to Jeremy and Deborah, it was three cell phones that had been stolen. Deborah recalled: “One wasn’t even working and was sitting up there next to the other ones. I was reprogramming all the numbers and all three of them were gone.”¹

By sunrise, more than 100 police officers had descended on the family home to begin in their search for Lisa. They scoured the deep woods behind her home, but there was no sign of Lisa or any evidence that could indicate what had happened to her. One theory that detectives considered almost immediately was that somebody had crept into the window and had taken Lisa. According to Capt. Steve Young: “Originally there was a window on the front of the house that appeared to be tampered with, that’s something they were looking at, but we’re not really sure if that’s the entry point or not.”²

As the search continued, missing person reports were drafted up and printed. These described Lisa as standing at 30 inches tall and weighing between 26 and 30 pounds. She had blue eyes and blonde hair, and had two bottom teeth. When she went to bed the night before, she was dressed in purple shorts and a purple shirt with white kittens on it. The community came out in droves to help in the search for Lisa, even holding a vigil the night after she vanished.³

Lisa’s disappearance dominated the local headlines, and it wasn’t long before a tip came in that appeared to be lucrative. According to a woman who lived in the same neighbourhood as the Irwin family, she had seen a man overnight carrying a baby up the street. While this tip was being investigated, another tip came in. According to a caller, they had seen a couple travelling with a baby who looked similar to Lisa. They were a middle-aged white couple driving an older model SUV at the Love’s Travel Stop at the intersection of Interstate 29 and U.S. Highway 169.⁴

Lisa’s parents cooperated with detectives, and they appeared on national television to plead for their daughter’s safe return. They firmly believed that somebody had entered their home that night and had taken their daughter. “We just want out baby back. Please bring her home,” pleaded Deborah. Jeremy begged that if anybody knew anything, “even the smallest bit of information” to reach out to detectives.⁵

However, in a bizarre twist, shortly after their appearance on television, Captain Steve Young announced that Deborah and Jeremy had stopped cooperating with them. “They live in the house. They intimately have information about what’s going on,” he said.⁶ Deborah and Jeremy responded by accusing the police of suspecting them in their daughter’s disappearance.

Indeed, the police had become suspicious of the couple’s account, and accused Deborah of failing a polygraph examination. They refused to show her the results, and when Jeremy offered to take one, he was told it wouldn’t be “necessary.” This led to tension between the police and the couple.

It had become apparent that police were looking at Deborah in particular of being involved in her daughter’s disappearance, since Jeremy had the alibi of being at work. He commented: “The main problem I think that we’re facing is that everybody else has an alibi. I was at work. I’ve been cleared.”⁷

The family’s home had already been searched, but on the 19^th of October, detectives returned with a cadaver dog. It indicated a positive hit for the scent of a deceased human in an area of the floor in Deborah’s bedroom, close to the bed. Cadaver dogs are trained to detect the smell of human decomposition, but Joe Tacopina, who had been hired to represent Deborah and Jeremy commented: “”There’s really no scenario where this baby, God forbid she was dead, would have decomposed in that short a period of time.”⁸

During the search, dirt in the garden area behind the home had recently been disturbed or overturned. When the area was dug up, however, nothing of interest was discovered. Detectives removed several items from the home, including a comforter, purple shorts, a Disney shirt, rolls of tape and a tape dispenser.

By this point in the investigation, a $100,000 reward was offered for the return of Lisa. It had come from an anonymous donor. The search still continued, and detectives followed whatever leads came in, although it was apparent they were suspicious of Deborah. One tip came from a man who had found a backpack containing diapers and baby wipes near a vacant home in Northland. However, Capt. Young said that the diapers had been there for some time.⁹

While Deborah had first of all told detectives she last saw Lisa at 10:40PM, she later changed her account. She admitted that she had been drunk that night, and may have blacked out. She said that it was possible she had last seen her daughter at about 6:30PM. When she was asked how drunk she had been, and whether she had more than five glasses of wine, she replied: “probably.” Deborah said she frequently drank heavily while at home, but only after she put her children to bed.¹⁰

The investigation into the perplexing disappearance pressed on, and Lamar Advertising donated several billboards that were then emblazoned with Lisa’s face and information about her disappearance. The same week the billboards went up, another tip came in to detectives. They were sent video footage that showed a man leaving a wooded area near the family’s home. It was from 2:30AM on the 4^th of October – around the same time the eyewitness saw a man carrying a baby. However, it wasn’t clear from the footage whether he was carrying anything.¹¹

As it was discovered, there had been three reported sighting of a man carrying a baby that night. All of them said that the baby was dressed only in a diaper. According to FBI agent, Brad Garret, however, the timeline made no sense. He didn’t believe that a man would abduct a baby and then continue to wander through the neighbourhood.¹²

Towards the end of the month, it was announced that Lisa’s two older brothers were going to be re-interviewed by a specialist trained in interviewing children. The boys were ages five and eight.¹³ However, Deborah and Jeremy cancelled the interviews the night before they were scheduled to begin. Shortly thereafter, Cindy Short, one of the family’s attorneys, announced that she was stepping down, leaving them just with Joe Tacopina.

One theory that emerged was that Lisa had been abducted by a local handyman named John Tanko, who was known locally as “Jersey.” On the night Lisa disappeared, a woman named Megan Wright received a 50 second phone call from one of the cell phones that had been stolen at the family home. Megan was the ex-girlfriend of Tanko. He had been involved in drug activity, and many questioned whether there was a drug angle to the disappearance. Tanko was questioned by detectives but ruled out as a suspect.¹⁴

The weeks gradually turned to months, and the tips slowed down. In May of 2012, Deborah and Jeremy revealed that somebody had fraudulently charged $69.04 to their debit card about a month after Lisa disappeared. The charge was connected to an overseas company that helps people change babies’ names. The card was suspended after the charge, but two other fraudulent charges were attempted. Jeremy said: “Somebody had my information and tried to use it.”

The whereabouts of Lisa Irwin still remains a mystery today, but there are several key theories.

Abduction by a Stranger: This theory suggests that Lisa was kidnapped from her home. Supporters of this theory point to the fact that the front door was unlocked, a window was open, and three witnesses reported seeing a man carrying a baby near the Irwin home that night. Some believe that this man, possibly neighbourhood handyman John “Jersey” Tanko, might have abducted Lisa. However, Tanko was eventually ruled out as a suspect due to a lack of evidence.

Parental Involvement: Another prominent theory is that Lisa’s parents, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, were involved in her disappearance, either accidentally or intentionally. Skepticism arose due to inconsistencies in their statements, Deborah’s admission of being intoxicated that night, and the fact that cadaver dogs detected the scent of human remains near her bed. However, there was never enough evidence to charge them, and they have consistently maintained their innocence.

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Audio Sources:

“‘I’m truly heartbroken,’ says mother after second daughter murdered”

“No final statement for 5th federal inmate executed this year”

Sources:

Associated Press, 14 October, 1999 – “10-Year-Old Girl Abducted While Roller Skating in Kansas City”

The Chanute Tribune, 14 October, 1999 – “Search Continues for Girl Abducted in Kansas City, Kansas”

The Chanute Tribune, 14 October, 1999 – “Police Searching for Girl Abducted in Kansas City, Kan.”

The Examiner, 14 October, 1999 – “Search for Abductor Leads to Grain Valley”

The Kansas City Star, 14 October, 1999 – “Few Answers in Abduction Police Want to Question KCK Man”

The Kansas City Star, 14 October, 1999 – “Time of the Essence After Child Abduction”

Associated Press, 15 October, 1999 – “Body of Missing Kansas Girl Found”

Associated Press, 15 October, 1999 – “Kansas Girl Still Missing”

The Chanute Tribune, 15 October, 1999 – “Kansas Girl Still Missing After Abduction, Arrest”

The Kansas City Star, 15 October, 1999 – “River Capture Ends the Hunt”

The Wichita Eagle, 15 October, 1999 – “Police Nab Suspect in KCK Girl’s Abduction”

Associated Press, 16 October, 1999 – “It’s Not Right”

The Examiner, 16 October, 1999 – “Body Found in Grain Valley”

The Kansas City Star, 16 October, 1999 – “Grim Conclusion to Search”

The Kansas City Star, 16 October, 1999 – “Family, Friends Share their Memories of Slain Girl”

Jefferson City News-Tribune, 17 October, 1999 – “Kidnapping Suspect Still Hospitalized”

The Kansas City Star, 17 October, 1999 – “Hundreds Help Family, Feel Grief After Child Slain”

The Examiner, 18 October, 1999 – “Pamela in their Hearts”

Jefferson City News-Tribune, 18 October, 1999 – “Service Held for Victim”

The Kansas City Star, 18 October, 1999 – “Man Charged in Abduction Taken to Jail”

The Chanute Tribune, 19 October, 1999 – “Man Has First Court Appearance in Death of Pamela Butler”

Associated Press, 20 October, 1999 – “10-Year-Old Kansas Girl Mourned”

The Kansas City Star, 20 October, 1999 – “Mourners Honor Girl’s Memory”

The Kansas City Star, 21 October, 1999 – “Remember Her Smile”

The Wichita Eagle, 21 October, 1999 – “Saying Goodbye to Princess Pamela”

The Examiner, 22 October, 1999 – “Nelson Charged in Girl’s Death”

The Kansas City Star, 22 October, 1999 – “Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty in Nelson Case”

The Kansas City Star, 22 October, 1999 – “Police Search Nelson’s House”

Associated Press, 10 November, 1999 – “Man Pleads Innocent to Girl’s Kidnapping, Fatal Assault”

The Kansas City Star, 10 November, 1999 – “Insanity Defence a Possibility”

The Kansas City Star, 25 November, 1999 – “Suspect in Slaying Hard to Categorize”

The Kansas City Star, 30 November, 1999 – “Sample Request Protested”

The Kansas City Star, 5 January, 2000 – “Order Outlines Donations for Pamela Butler’s Family”

Jefferson City News-Tribune, 19 January, 2000 – “Trial Set for Man Charged in Kidnapping”

Jefferson City News-Tribune, 21 January, 2000 – “Defence Wants Pamela Butler Kidnapping Case Moved Elsewhere”

The Chanute Tribune, 27 January, 2000 – “Defence Seeks to Suppress Statements”

The Kansas City Star, 27 January, 2000 – “Defendant Wants Remarks Suppressed”

Columbia Daily Tribune, 6 April, 2000 – “Prosecutors Seek Death for KC Man”

The Kansas City Star, 20 April, 2000 – “Butler Family Fund Offers New Beginning”

Jefferson City News-Tribune, 21 April, 2000 – “Defence Seeks to Suppress Statements”

The Kansas City Star, 9 October, 2000 – “A Girl’s Slaying Changes Family and Others Affected by her Death”

The Kansas City Star, 7 October, 2000 – “KCK Playground Gets a Makeover”

The Kansas City Star, 17 May, 2001 – “Keith Nelson Prosecutors Push for Exam”

The Kansas City Star, 8 September, 2001 – “Attacks on Butler Defendant Alleged”

The Kansas City Star, 19 October, 2001 – “Nelson Refuses Psychiatric Exam”

Associated Press, 26 October, 2001 – “Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Murder”

The Chanute Tribune, 26 October, 2001 – “Man Pleads Guilty in Kidnapping and Death”

The Kansas City Star, 26 October, 2001 – “Nelson Admits he Murdered KCK Girl”

The Kansas City Star, 1 November, 2001 – “Killer’s Lawyers Asking for Delay”

The Kansas City Star, 6 November, 2001 – “Nelson’s Suicide Attempt Called a Ploy”

The Morning Sun, 7 November, 2001 – “Prosecutors Say Nelson Planned Suicide Attempt”

The Chanute Tribune, 8 November, 2001 – “Man Held Competent for Penalty Trial”

Columbia Daily Tribune, 20 November, 2001 – “Child’s Killer Spoke of Fantasies”

The Chanute Tribune, 21 November, 2001 – “Inmates Tell of Nelson Descriptions”

The Examiner, 21 November, 2001 – “Nelson Relished Killing”

The Examiner, 27 November, 2001 – “Nelson’s Mother Recounts Life on Run”

Associated Press, 28 November, 2001 – “Jury Sentences Death for Man”

The Kansas City Star, 28 November, 2001 – “Childhood Called Factor in Nelson Case”

The Kansas City Star, 12 March, 2001 – “Tirade Precedes Sentence of Death”

ABC – 2 WSB, 28 August, 2020 – “Keith Nelson Becomes Fifth Federal Inmate Executed”

FOX – 4 WDAF, 28 August, 2020 – “Justice”