The sad story of Missouri baby Lisa Irwin has only gotten more bizarre since her parents claim she was snatched from her crib in the middle of the night earlier this month. But the newest twist in the search for the missing child may be the most curious yet. Just as suspicions have shifted toward them in the disappearance of their 10-month-old daughter, baby Lisa's parents, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, have released a flood of home videos online.
The videos are hard to watch because they show exactly what Bradley and Irwin have been claiming all along: that they were a happy, healthy, normal family. In one, Lisa is sporting a "Daddy Loves Me" onesie, and her mom can be heard off camera cooing and encouraging her to say "Mom Mom." Another features her mom calling her "Pumpkin Pie" before changing to images from flyers made up begging for her return:
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These videos are just plain heartbreaking. Heartbreaking because they look so much like videos most of us have shot of our kids at one time or another and tucked away. They make the family's story -- that Deborah put Lisa to sleep around 10:30, and she was gone by the time Jeremy got home from an overnight work shift, seem that much more harrowing.
And yet, they're heartbreaking because it's hard to tell exactly WHY the family has done this. Is it to show they were a happy family before their daughter disappeared? If so, why? Is it a ploy to garner support? After all, when the family suddenly stopped cooperating with police, then started up again a few days later, the couple made themselves a target for the rumor mill. And family members have expressed frustration with intensive police focus on Deborah especially. They could be throwing suspicion off themselves.
But then again, this very well could be a desperate move by desperate people who are wishing and hoping their little girl will be returned to them, and are doing everything they can think of to get her back. Maybe they're hoping it will convince police they're innocent, sure, but maybe they're also hoping it will convince a kidnapper to bring Lisa back.
I can't see how anyone could watch the videos, hear the baby gurgling at her mom, and not rush the child straight back home. Then again, I can't see how anyone would take a child away from her family to begin with.
Do you think this was a smart move by Lisa Irwin's parents? Or does it make you feel uncomfortable?