Plenty of time has passed since last fall. But the case of Lisa Irwin, the baby girl from Missouri who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in October, hasn't gotten less bizarre. The child is still missing, and her parents are back in the news with claims that their stolen debit card has been linked back to a website that offers help in changing a person's (or baby's) name.
That made you sit up and pay attention, didn't? Only problem is, it's hard to tell if Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin showed up on the Today show with this crazy story because it's the truth or if they made it up because they were hoping it would bring attention back to their daughter's case.
It's sad to say that it's hard to believe what comes out of the couple's mouths. Their child is missing, and I do feel bad for them. But remember, Deborah Bradley is the mom who lied about how much she'd had to drink the night her 10-month-old disappeared, and cops said they had numerous troubles with the family during the early days of the investigation into the missing child's whereabouts.
So what's another made up story? Heck, I can't even blame them if it is.
Police in Kansas City told Today that they don't see a link between the $69.04 charge on Jeremy Irwin's stolen debit card and the little girl's case. Then there's the confusing matter of timing. Jeremy Irwin told Today that they learned about the charge in December. His lawyer said they learned about it in November. And no one makes it terribly clear whether the card was stolen in October when Lisa disappeared or later.
Adding to the confusion, when Today did an investigation, they found that the website the couple describes sells stationery. It's not associated with name changes in any manner. Odd, huh?
But does it really matter where the charges on the card came from? I know I don't care, and I'll tell you why.
A child is still missing. She's been gone since October. And even if her parents haven't been the most sympathetic of figures since this whole sad mess began, the fact is this nutty story got them back out on national TV today. It brings new attention and new eyes to the case. It reignites hope that someone, somewhere, will remember something that they saw and bring it to the police.
If the story is true, well then, yikes. But at least it gives the family a chance to get their story out there. And if it's not true ... well, it gave the family a chance to get their story out there. There really is nothing to lose anymore.
What do you think of the latest development in the Lisa Irwin case?
Image via National Center for Missing and Exploited Children