Search for Missing Kansas City Infant Continues

Ten-month-old Lisa Irwin was last seen Monday night in her bedroom crib.

ByABC News
October 4, 2011, 10:30 AM

Oct. 4, 2011 — -- At least 100 Kansas City police officers, in additon to FBI agents, are searching for Lisa Irwin, a missing 10-month-old infant police believed to have been abducted from her crib late last night in Missouri. The massive search also includes canines, mounted patrol, a fugitive unit, and a narcotics and vice unit.

"At this point, we've exhausted everything we can at the original scene," Officer Steve Young said in a news conference this afternoon. "We've opened up the crime scene and just broadened it and are doing everything we can."

He also said that there have been no indications at this point that the parents' story is "hinky" or problematic. Lisa's mother was taken to police headquarters earlier today for questioning and her father was not, but Young could not say why.

"You can say they are being held, but you can also say they are being cooperative," Young said. "They're an essential part of the investigation, and we're continuing to talk to them."

Young confirmed that a neighbor said they saw someone walking down the street at night with a baby in a diaper, but he did not know if this tip had led investigators to any more information.

"Usually we find the kid pretty quickly," Young said. "But, so far, we're in the afternoon and we haven't broken anything yet."

Young said that investigators do not have any "hard leads" or suspects yet.

Lisa's mother put her down to sleep at approximately 10:30 p.m. Monday night, according to police. When Lisa's father arrived home from work at around 4 a.m., he went into her room to check on her and discovered she was missing. The parents immediately called police.

"They saw the window and the screen appeared that it was tampered with," Officer Darin Snapp, public information officer for the Kansas City Police, told ABCNews.com. Authorities believe Lisa has been abducted and that the suspect entered and exited through the bedroom window. Police said there is no indication that anything else was taken from the house.

"We are conducting an area canvas, knocking on doors and talking to anyone that was in the area that night," Snapp said. Canines are searching a wooded area behind the family's house.

Both parents are on the scene and cooperating with police, according to ABC's Kansas City affiliate KMBC. Investigators will also be speaking to two other children that were in the house at the time.

"We are interviewing family and friends just to eliminate everyone's that close to the family as suspects," Snapp said. Police do not have any witnesses or suspects at this time. Snapp describe the family's neighborhood as a "middle class, very quiet neighborhood."

Neighbor Charles Rusher told ABCNews.com that he was shocked to hear that a crime may have been committed in the quiet neighborhood.

"I've lived here for over 50 years and this is probably the first time I've seen any crime here," Rusher said. He was woken up at 5 a.m. by the sound of police officers knocking on his door. They were going door-to-door questioning neighbors and searching houses.

A few hours later, FBI officers were knocking on Rusher's door again as they canvased the neighborhood. Rusher, a grandfather and great-grandfather, has been shaken by the events.

"It's terrible. When you have grandchildren ... you really worry," Rusher said. "I just can't understand this happening."

Police are asking for the community's help in finding the little girl.

"We have no eyewitnesses and a six-hour time frame when the child could have been abducted," Snapp said. "We need any help at all."

Lisa has blue eyes, blonde hair, is 30 inches long and weighs between 26 and 30 pounds. She was last seen wearing purple shorts and a purple shirt with white kittens on it. She has two bottom teeth, a small bug bite under her left ear and a beauty mark on her right outer thigh. She also has a cold with a cough.

"We are pleading that if anyone saw anything, to contact us," Snapp said. "It might be that small piece [of information] that puts everything together."