FL FL - Sabrina Aisenberg, 5 months, Valrico, 24 Nov 1997

[Lurker]

Interesting article. So the leads could clear the parents.

The Aisenbergs are currently living in Bethesda, MD.

 

[Jodibug]

That is very interesting.

but instead of "I'm guardedly optimistic that leads that we have could lead us to solving the mystery of her disappearance." , I sure wish it said I'm guardedly optomistic that we can bring Sabrina home.

Makes me think that LE does not believe Sabrina is alive.

 

[Taximom]

Man, it got to me seeing the age-enhanced picture of Sabrina. I can't believe it has been that long already.

I hope they solve it AND bring her home. Is it too much to ask for a miracle?

 

[laini]

A heads up - This Sat. on 48 Hrs Mystery they are doing the story on Sabrina. I think it is a rerun of an older show, but hopefully they will have some of the recent developments at the end!

 

[hoppyfrog]

I caught the last part of the show last night.

Her lastest age-progressed sketch is on her NCMEC page at

http://www.missingkids.com/missingk...NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

Hoppy

 

[forthelost]

http://www.forthelost.org/saisenberg.html

 

[meggilyweggily]

I believe the Aisenbergs are probably innocent, and I wish someone would find that baby (probably alive and in elementary school by now) just so everyone can stop saying the Aisenbergs "got away with murder."

But the worst thing, as it stands now? It's just like the Ramsey case in one way: if the Aisenbergs/Ramseys really did harm their daughter, there's no way they'll ever face justice now. The police and the prosecutors screwed everything up and it's too late to prove anything even if the family is guilty. So if they are guilty, they will never go to prison for it. If they're not, no amount of money and apologies can undo the harm that's been done to them.

Having your child get kidnapped is one of the worst things in the world. Still worst is having your child get kidnapped, then getting blamed for it yourself.

 

[meggilyweggily]

Oh, and to people who say the Aisenbergs must have harmed Sabrina because they "acted guilty" after her disappearance: I do not know how the Aisenbergs acted, but I can tell you that people react to stress in all sorts of different ways. Case in point: earlier this week I swamped my car in a flooded area and it filled up with water. It was in a very rural area with no houses nearby, I did not know exactly where I was, it was close to midnight and the temperatures were below freezing. It became obvious to me that I was in pretty serious danger. I called my father on my cell phone from the car and told him what had just happened, and the water was rising as I spoke to him. And the whole time I was talking to Dad I was laughing fit to burst. Not crying, not screaming, but laughing as if my predicament was the funniest thing in the world. It wasn't that I actually found the situation amusing or that I didn't appreciate the danger I was in -- it was just the way I was reacting at the time.

Things like that are why I look askance at snap judgements on how crime victims "should" behave. Everyone is different.

 

[southerngal]

I've been lurking here for about a year but this is my first post..so be kind

IMO the Aisenbergs are guilty. The polygraphs they took, the first one came back inconclusive, the 2nd one, the police are saying she failed, she is saying it was inconclusive also. Out of all the times that they did shut the garage door, the one time it was left open, this happens? and they claim that there were break-ins in the area where there were small children that lived in the home...if this was going on, I'd make sure, double sure, my house was locked tight at night!

I believe an accident happened, they panicked and covered it up.

 

[meggilyweggily]

IMO the Aisenbergs are guilty. The polygraphs they took, the first one came back inconclusive, the 2nd one, the police are saying she failed, she is saying it was inconclusive also. Out of all the times that they did shut the garage door, the one time it was left open, this happens?

Polygraphs are not an exact science and there are a lot of things that can blow the results, including sleep deprivation, mental stress and certain medications. This is why they are not admissible in court. I don't put much stock in them.

Etan Patz was abducted by a stranger on the very first day his mother let him walk to the school bus stop alone. This wasn't a coincidence -- his abductor had been stalking him for awhile, and then he saw his opportunity and took it. If it hadn't happened that morning it would have happened at some other time. If (I am just speculating here) someone looking for a baby was stalking the Aisenbergs and Sabrina, of course they would take advantage of the opportunity if one night Steve/Marlene forgot to close and lock all the doors.

 

[southerngal]

Polygraphs are not an exact science and there are a lot of things that can blow the results, including sleep deprivation, mental stress and certain medications. This is why they are not admissible in court. I don't put much stock in them.

Etan Patz was abducted by a stranger on the very first day his mother let him walk to the school bus stop alone. This wasn't a coincidence -- his abductor had been stalking him for awhile, and then he saw his opportunity and took it. If it hadn't happened that morning it would have happened at some other time. If (I am just speculating here) someone looking for a baby was stalking the Aisenbergs and Sabrina, of course they would take advantage of the opportunity if one night Steve/Marlene forgot to close and lock all the doors.

I would think that they would have at least passed ONE of the polygraphs.

True with the Ethan Patz case, point taken and noted BUT "I" just find it very strange that garage door was open, utility door was unlocked, alarm was off, when there were supposed break-ins going on in the neighborhood, plus the dog not barking. Something just doesn't sit right with me on this case.

 

[Nocgirl]

I saw the last half hour of this episode as well the other night.

I am not convinced the Aisenberg's are totally innocent either. The video that was shot of them laughing and smiling just a few days after their daughters disapperance, is a little awkward. I can tell you that if my baby daughter had disappeared, nothing in the world could make me crack a smile for a long long time.

 

[meggilyweggily]

Again, I refer you to my own story above, when my reaction to a bad car accident that could have resulted in my death was to burst out laughing. People react to stress and tragedy in all sorts of different ways. I don't think anyone can put a time limit on how long a "normal" person should be expected to cry and scream and rip their own hair out after a tragedy.

To tell another story: Back in 1986, when Michele Dorr disappeared from her backyard pool without a trace, her father had a breakdown a few days later and went to the cops and claimed he had killed her. He described her murder in great detail and begged them to arrest him. Except he hadn't done it. She was abducted by someone else and her father had nothing to do with her disappearance and no knowledge of what happened to her. Her father had just broken down under the stress and, I think, genuinely believed he must have done it.

 

[christine2448]

I would think that they would have at least passed ONE of the polygraphs.

True with the Ethan Patz case, point taken and noted BUT "I" just find it very strange that garage door was open, utility door was unlocked, alarm was off, when there were supposed break-ins going on in the neighborhood, plus the dog not barking. Something just doesn't sit right with me on this case.

Welcome southerngal! Glad to see ya outta lurker mode!

I am with meg on this...Lie Detectors are not reliable in anyway, IMO. I just finished reading, again, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector (working on PI License) and I happen to have it on PDF form (220 pgs) if anyone wants to read it, email me and I'll send it on to you.

 

[christine2448]

I saw the last half hour of this episode as well the other night.

I am not convinced the Aisenberg's are totally innocent either. The video that was shot of them laughing and smiling just a few days after their daughters disapperance, is a little awkward. I can tell you that if my baby daughter had disappeared, nothing in the world could make me crack a smile for a long long time.

The detective cracked a joke to lighten things up...the air was thick.

I don't know whether or not they are involved..but, them smiling, in no way, to me, is evidence. What evidence supports them being involved?

Nice to see this case getting attention again. I have always wondered if it would ever be solved. In the shows that I have seen I have always found that there just wasn't enough evidence to prove to me that they were involved. Same as JonBenet...I am IDI.

 

[meggilyweggily]

them smiling, in no way, to me, is evidence.

Precisely!

I haven't heard of any hard evidence they were involved, beyond those useless tape recordings that nobody besides the prosecution could hear.

 

[christine2448]

Sabrina disappeared from her family's residence in Valrico, Florida between 12:00 a.m. and 6:42 a.m. on November 24, 1997. Her mother, Marlene Aisenberg, told authorities that she checked on Sabrina at approximately 12:00 a.m. and the infant was asleep in her crib. Marlene stated that when she returned to her daughter's room at 6:42 a.m., Sabrina had disappeared. Sabrina was wearing a lavender sleeper with a floral pattern at the time she vanished. A handmade blue and yellow blanket with imprinted animal images and yellow piping was also missing from her crib. A photo of the blanket is posted below. While her parents were charged in her disappearance, the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence and unethical behavior by the authorities. Classified as Endangered Missing.

Theories: First off, the issue of police and prosecutorial misconduct in this case is jaw-dropping. One paper said afterward that the Keystone Kops would have done a better job than what they had done. After using rather doubtful evidence to obtain a wiretap of the Aisenberg's home, they can't get tapes that are understandable. So what do they do? Create manuscripts that have no basis in fact! All of the tapes were ruled to be largely inaudible by a judge, and were thrown out as evidence. There was a fingerprint that was not identified in the home, someone reported months later that someone they baby-sat for had a baby who bore a strong resemblence to Sabrina, as well as plans of the Aisenberg home, and several other break-ins of homes with babies in the area- I find the evidence is overwhelming for Sabrina having been kidnapped. Yet none of these factors clinched it for me. Rather, it was the disapearence of a blanket from her crib at the same time she vanished. Most people trying to cover up a murder wouldn't think of such a small detail, but if you had to take a baby outside on a November night, wouldn't you grab something to wrap them in? And if you were unfamiliar with the house, you'd grab the first thing you could. Like a crib blanket. The recent case of Delimar Vera is a lesson for all those who seek to bury Sabrina perhaps before her time. A child may be overlooked by those who seek a body.

http://www.forthelost.org/saisenberg.html

 

[christine2448]

I wonder what is going on with the developments from back in Dec

NEW LEADS

Tampa -- Ten years after her disappearance, there are new leads in the Sabrina Aisenberg case.

More than 2,000 leads have been received since Sabrina disappeared. Now, deputies say they're guardedly optimistic they might be able to solve the case.

Investigators won't say much about what the new information might be. But, the Sheriff's office confirms that Hillsborough detectives have travelled out of the county to follow up on a new lead.

Where they've gone, and why, are questions they won't answer. But Sabrina's parents, Steve and Marlene Aisenberg say thy believe there is a serious, renewed effort to find their daughter.

Marlene Aisenberg told us, "They said we want to find Sabrina. We want to get Sabrina home." She says that's what detectives told her parents in a recent surprise visit to West Palm beach.

Detectives say last month's media coverage of anniversary of the ten-year-old case sparked an increase in calls about the case. Some of those tips came after the release of an age-progression picture of Sabrina, showing what she should look like today.

Investigators won't sy if any new leads are connected to that picture.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=b31e7c15-0054-4862-90ee-42ac038d3d52

 

[laini]

Wow, these recent developements are exciting. It would be wonderful to find her alive raised by another family. Maybe she was kidnapped to be sold, then adopted out, and the family who paid for the adoption had no idea she was kidnapped in the U.S. It seems that is what Marlene thinks, from her statements.

I don't have a firm opinion on whether I think the parents are guilty or not, but I have a thought that keeps coming back to me. Now let's see if I can explain it where it makes sense. LOL.

The controversy of them laughing a day after their daughter was kidnapped: If they accidentaly killed her as some believe, then they also shouldn't have been laughing a day later either. You would think they would be terribly distraught that they killed their baby. So, that makes me think the laughing doesn't mean anything. Does that make sense? A psychopath or drug addict maybe could do that, but I don't think these parents could laugh after murdering their child anymore than if she were missing. Maybe they had a brief period of hope - that she would be found soon.

 

[meggilyweggily]

You have to consider also that they have other children. There were no reported problems with the other kids that I heard of. You could make the argument that they were trying to act as normal as possible for the sake of their children.