Baby Lisa's parents maintain innocence, believe she's alive

Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin describe struggle to 'stay sane' on 'Dr. Phil' episode

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>>> with new developments in the four-month-old disappearance of a missouri baby. the girls' parents saying they are hopeful their daughter is still alive. good morning to you, lilya.

>> reporter: good morning. baby lisa disappeared four months ago from her home in a case that gripped the nation and turned this kansas city neighborhood upside down. her parents are speaking out. four months later and there are still no answers in the baffling case of baby lisa . after keeping a low profile , deborah bradley and jeremy irwin have broken their silence.

>> it's not a joke, a circus, a game. this is my baby.

>> reporter: talking about life without their daughter.

>> it's really, really hard because every day i wake up and i think about her. when i go to sleep i think about her. it's almost everything i can do to stay sane.

>> reporter: in an emotional interview with dr. phil the couple answered tough questions about the disappearance of their 10-month-old infant who they say vanished from her crib in the night.

>> they absolutely insist they do not know what happened with this baby.

>> reporter: deborah admitted she had several drinks the night lisa was reported missing and doesn't remember when she last checked on her. that night, jeremy was working his first overnight shift as an electrician when he returned home around 4:00 a.m ., lisa was gone.

>> the father says his 10-month-old daughter was missing and he's not sure how long she's been gone.

>> reporter: police launched a search of the area, seemingly leaving no stone unturned. questions have been raised about discrepancies in deborah and jere jeremy 's account of the night.

>> you reported the lights were turned off and you went to bed. jeremy came home at 4:00 a.m . and the lights were on. obviously whoever took the baby wouldn't turn lights on. were you wrong about that?

>> when he came in the bedroom and said, all the lights are on in the house it was an exaggeration.

>> reporter: kansas city police continue to investigate the disappearance but say the couple has not fully cooperated, telling nbc news deborah bradley and jeremy irwin have still not sat down to talk with detectives separately as we need. it's an important step for the case to move forward and we're hopeful they will do that. the parents are hopeful some day baby lisa will come home to the family.

>> my boys talk about her all the time. they ask about her. i keep telling them, we're never going to stop looking. we're going to find her.

>> reporter: police have not named a suspect. they say although the quantity and quality of tips has decreased they are actively investigating.

>> lilia luciano , thank you very much. there are new developments

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By Scott Stump

TODAY contributor

updated 2/3/2012 9:31:14 AM ET

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Breaking their silence for the first time in nearly three months, the parents of a missing Kansas City baby are speaking out —and saying they believe their daughter was kidnapped and is still alive.

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Video: Baby Lisa’s parents speak out to Dr.Phil (on this page)

Four months after Deborah Bradley, 25, and Jeremy Irwin, 29, reported their then-10-month-old baby Lisa missing, they told Dr. Phil they had nothing to do with her disappearance. In the interview, which airs Friday, they also answered tough questions regarding the night the baby vanished on Oct. 4.

“It's not a joke, it’s not a circus, it is not a game,’’ Bradley told Dr. Phil through tears. “This is my baby. It's really, really hard because every day I wake up, and I think about her. And when I go to sleep I think about her. It's almost all I can do to stay sane.’’

Bradley has admitted to having several drinks on the night the baby disappeared, and discrepancies have emerged between her story and Irwin's. He has said that when he came home at 4 a.m. from his shift as an electrician, all the lights in the house were on; Bradley claims they were off.

Kansas City Police

Baby Lisa Irwin has been missing since October.

Story: Baby Lisa’s mom: I was drunk when she vanished

“When he came in the bedroom that morning and woke me up and said all the lights are on in the house, it was a total exaggeration,’’ Bradley said.

Authorities have said the couple has not fully cooperated in the investigation, but KMBC-TV reports that Kansas City police met with the couple and their attorney Thursday. It was the first time they've met with police since the first few weeks after the baby disappeared.

"Detectives did not learn anything significant but are hopeful there will be more meetings in the future," Kansas City police Sgt. Stacey Graves told KMBC, adding they would not release more information about the conversation.

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Story: Probe of missing Missouri baby Lisa Irwin scaled back

Dr. Phil asked the couple if they felt they have been treated fairly by the Kansas City Police.

“No, I don’t,’’ Bradley said. “There’s nothing but misinformation out there.’’

The family home has been searched repeatedly by the police and FBI, and cadaver dogs have been brought in. Investigators also combed nearby woods, industrial sites and the surrounding neighborhood.

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The case remains open and more than 1,200 tips have poured in. There are no suspects at this time, and Bradley and Irwin told Dr. Phil they remain hopeful for the return of their child.

“(Her stepbrothers) talk about her all the time,’’ Bradley said. “They ask about her and I just keep telling them, ‘We're never gonna stop looking. We're gonna find her. She's coming home. I just don't know when.’’