Sabrina Aisenberg Missing 11/24/97 Florida

Now in Maryland, Aisenbergs await daughter's safe return an ABC Action News report 12/05/05 BALTIMORE - It remains one of the most notorious missing child cases in the country: eight years ago, 5-month-old Sabrina Aisenberg disappeared from her Valrico home. After a statewide search, Sabrina's parents were indicted. But then, a judge ruled that investigators had trumped evidence. Two years after Sabrina vanished, the Aisenberg family moved to Maryland, escaping the memories of Florida. But hope still burns bright: Sabrina still has a room in the new home and her clothes remain, along with her favorite old toys and new ones, purchased every holiday. The entire family, including big sister Monica and brother Will, is convinced Sabrina would be with them now if investigators had not rushed to judgment. "I think a lot of it had to do with the situation with Jon Benet and with the Susan Smith case. Unfortunately, Sabrina was taken soon after those things and they just focused on us because they weren't going to let that happen to their police office," Marlene Aisenberg offered. Jon Benet Ramsey had been killed just one year earlier; her parents are still suspects. Two years before that, Susan Smith killed her children. The Aisenbergs believe, because of those high-profile cases, they were immediately targeted by investigators. "There is always the exception that makes the rule, and they did not want to believe we could be that exception," Steve Aisenberg said. The Aisebnergs claim investigators only focused on them, ignoring other potential clues. Some leads, the couple says, they didn't even know about until five years after Sabrina disappeared. The most disturbing to them? "Baby crying behind the neighbor's house. Another baby in our neighborhood, their house was almost broken into," Marlene continued. There was also a third missed clue, the couple says. "The baby in the airport crying and the person did not have a diaper bag," Marlene explained. "Somebody on the plane called in and it was never followed up on." Instead, the Aisenbergs were arrested. But, the charges were later dropped; there wasn't enough evidence. Despite what they call a flawed investigation, the Aisenbergs have no choice but to believe in the legal system. "We have to. We have to, because they are the ones that will ultimately put her in our arms," Steve said. If Sabrina is out there, they're urging someone to come forward. "Don't think, 'Oh it's been seven and a half years and she is happy where she is' ... She is not where she belongs," Marlene stated. "Just like Elizabeth Smart was walking down the street and somebody saw her. It just takes that one person." "It is not if she is out there; she is out there," Steve added. You would expect Sabrina's parents to have hope, but her siblings do too. Monica, 12, bears a striking resemblance to age-progressed images her missing sister. Monica has never spoken out before, but says she felt compelled to do so because, even in Maryland, there are questions. "I know she is still out there and still alive and well," she insisted. "It's an instinct when you feel really close to someone that you love dearly, you really know she's still alive and you just know she is not dead." The Aisenbergs maintain they've passed lie detector tests given by their attorney and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Investigators confirmed giving them the test, but have never revealed the results; only saying the couple has not been ruled out as suspects. WFTS

Details of Disappearance 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. 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 this case summary. Sabrina has never been seen again. The garage door and one of the doors to the Aisenbergs' residence had been unlocked during the morning of Sabrina's disappearance. Investigators found an unidentified blonde hair and a shoe print near the baby's crib, as well as seven unidentified fingerprints inside the house. Neighbors told authorities there had been several incidents involving possible attempted break-ins in the area in homes with small children. One of the Aisenbergs' neighbors reported that his dog barked at approximately 1:00 a.m. on the morning Sabrina vanished. After letting the dog outside, the man believed he heard a baby crying somewhere in the distance. He stated that none of his closest neighbors had small children at the time. It is not known if the cries the witness thought he overheard were from Sabrina. Sabrina's parents say she strongly resembled her older sister Monica at the time she disappeared. A photograph of Monica at age four is posted below this case summary; Sabrina may still look like her. Sabrina's hair was brown at the time of her disappearance but may have lightened to blonde as she grew older. Authorities questioned why no one inside the Aisenberg residence awoke if an intruder indeed abducted Sabrina. The family owned a dog and they stated the pet never barked during the night Sabrina disappeared. Investigators suspected Marlene and her husband, Steve, were connected to their daughter's case. Photos of both the child's parents are posted below this case summary. Authorities obtained permission to place listening devices inside the family's home three weeks after Sabrina disappeared. According to the police transcripts of the Aisenbergs' conversations, Marlene and Steve both said that Sabrina was dead during the tapings. Sabrina's parents were indicted on conspiracy and additional charges in September 1999, nearly two years after their daughter vanished. In February 2001, a judge found that investigators lied when seeking permission to place the wiretaps in the Aisenbergs' residence. Steve and Marlene were cleared of all charges against them. The judge also stated that there was nothing on the tapes which contained the evidence mentioned in the transcripts of the Aisenbergs' conversations. The lead prosecutor in the Aisenbergs' case was demoted in July 2001. Steve and Marlene's attorneys filed motions seeking for the government to repay their clients' legal fees in August 2001, given that the charges had been dropped. They received $2.7 to $2.9 million in damages. The amount was later reduced to $1.3 to $1.5 million; the Aisenbergs are appealing the reducation in the United States Supreme Court. Steve and Marlene sued again, seeking further damages and accusing their prosecutors of conspiring to deprive the Aisenbergs of their civil rights, fabricating evidence, and lying about it. In 2004, a judge dismissed this suit, saying the law gives prosecutors an immunity from such lawsuits about their official actions. Steve, Marlene, and their attorney met with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office detectives in August 2005 to discuss Sabrina's case. Sabrina's parents were subjected to extensive questioning, and they took polygraph tests given by their lawyer and the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office has not released the results of the tests, but Steve and Marlene claim they both passed. They have not been ruled out as suspects in Sabrina's disappearance, but have cooperated with the police as authorities began the investigation anew. In April 2003, the possibility was raised that Sabrina may be "Paloma Unknown," an infant who was abandoned in May of 1998. A photograph of the child at aged two is posted below this case summary. Paloma, as an infant, was taken across the Mexican border into Texas by a teenage female claiming to be her mother. The teenager gave Paloma to Molly Garza, a Spanish woman who may have been working in the textile industry. Garza was being deported to Spain and could not take the child, so she gave Paloma to a friend who was a registered nurse at a migrant clinic. Garza signed her name allowing the nurse to give Paloma up for adoption. Such off-the-book adoptions are not uncommon around the Mexican border. The nurse gave Paloma to her sister, Sylvia Washko, who raised her with her husband in Pontiac, Illinois. They tried to adopt her, but without a birth certificate or any information on Paloma's background they were not allowed to. Instead they were appointed as her guardians. Several agencies, including the Texas Rangers and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, have tried to determine information on Paloma's parentage but come up with nothing. A woman in Michigan saw Sabrina's missing-child poster in the spring of 2003 and noticed the resemblance between Paloma and the missing baby's pictures. She called Sabrina's parents, who agreed that Paloma did resemble their daughter. Washko did not think Sabrina resembled Paloma but agreed to DNA testing to make sure. A DNA sample was collected from Paloma and compared to a sample police had of Sabrina's. It did not match. Paloma remains unidentified. If you have any information as to who she might be, please telephone the Pontiac Police Department at 815-844-5148. Steve and Marlene moved to Maryland with their two older children after Sabrina's disappearance. They continue to maintain their innocence in Sabrina's disappearance and stated they believe that their daughter is alive and living with another family somewhere in the United States. Many investigators still think Sabrina was the victim of foul play. Her case remains unsolved. If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office 813-247-8200 Last updated December 10, 2005; details of disappearance updated http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/a/aisenberg_sabrina.html

Sabrina Aisenberg Classification: Endangered Missing Child Date of Birth: 1997-06-27 Date Missing: 1997-11-24 From City/State: Valrico, FL Age at Time of Disappearance: 5 mo Gender: Female Race: White Height: 30 inches Weight: 20 pounds Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Blue Complexion: Light Identifying Characteristics: N/A Clothing: Sleeper, baby blanket with yellow trim. Jewelry: N/A Circumstances of Disappearance: Unknown. Sabrina disappeared from her residence during the early morning hours of November 24, 1997. Her baby blanket is also missing. Investigative Agency: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Phone: (813) 247-8200 NCIC #: M-078309557 Poster Available at: http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?C200301677W

Aisenbergs still live under suspicion Tampa, Florida - When Steve and Marlene Aisenberg were indicted and arrested, many people assumed they were guilty. The bogus charges and twisted snippets of selective evidence, along with illegal wire taps were tossed out. But even with the federal courts siding with the Aisenbergs, they continue to live under the umbrella of suspicion by some people in the public. Barry Cohen represents the Aisenbergs. Barry Cohen, Aisenberg family's lawyer: "Even to this day, despite all the overwhelming evidence that supports they had nothing to do with this, there are still people in the community who think they got off on a technicality or because they hired a good lawyer, and that's simply not the case. Although they did hire a good lawyer, but we also had good judges and we had people in the system that cared about getting to the truth." The Aisenbergs now live in Maryland, but still deal with the recognition that comes with this case. Marlene Aisenberg, a teacher by trade, cannot teach, and Steve is not allowed to coach his son's soccer team, the other parents saying they don't want him around their children. The Aisenbergs have told me many times, don't judge them unless you've walked in their shoes. Steve Aisenberg, Sabrina's father: "We know the truth and we know we had nothing to do with it. But we go on, just hoping to bring Sabrina back." As uncomfortable as it may be, the Aisenbergs welcome the press, saying maybe some day it'll help them find their daughter, who is now 9-years-old. If you have any information about the Sabrina Aisenberg case, call the Hillsborough County Sheriffs office at 813-247-8000. Bill McGinty, Tampa Bay's 10 News Originally Posted on 8/17/2006 4:56:41 PM Last Updated on 8/17/2006 7:28:57 PM http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=37742

Aisenberg Case Still Raising Hackles By ELAINE SILVESTRINI The Tampa Tribune Published: Sep 12, 2006 TAMPA - Nearly nine years after Sabrina Aisenberg vanished from her parents' home, attorneys were in court Monday fighting over the investigation. The probe by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office was the biggest in the agency's history, an attorney for the sheriff said Monday. And so far the only publicly identified suspects remain Sabrina's parents, Steven and Marlene. Attorneys were in court Monday to argue about procedures in the Aisenberg's civil lawsuit against the sheriff's office, but the tenor of the tangle between the lawyers stretched the definition of civil. Because the couple never were charged with any crime linking them to the child's disappearance, they have never been cleared, said Ernest F. Peluso, a former federal prosecutor who now represents the sheriff's office. 'They Are Innocent' "They were never found innocent," Peluso said, referring to the Aisenbergs. "They've never been vindicated." He said sheriff's deputies are trying to find the responsible parties for the benefit of the real victim in this case: Sabrina. Gesturing toward the Aisenbergs' attorney, Peluso said, they're in court looking for money. "They are innocent!" thundered the Aisenbergs' attorney, Barry Cohen. "They are innocent until they're convicted. They're presumed innocent under this country's law." Turning to Peluso, he added, "You may not know that." Cohen said the sheriff's office is trying to keep the lawsuit from going forward so the public never learns what happened in the failed investigation. Last year, after the Aisenbergs met with Sheriff David Gee, Cohen said he was satisfied the investigation into Sabrina's disappearance remained active. But Monday, Cohen returned to his previous stance, saying he doubted there actually is an investigation. The couple were prosecuted in federal court on charges they lied to investigators looking into the disappearance of the 5-month-old on Nov. 24, 1997. Those charges were dismissed, and the government was ordered to pay $1.5 million in legal fees when judges found that government officials had lied to courts in obtaining wiretaps for the couple's home and then lied about what was found on the wiretaps. The Aisenbergs sued for wrongful prosecution three years ago, and attorneys were in court Monday arguing about another request by the sheriff's office that a judge talk to investigators in secret to determine whether the investigation is still active. The sheriff's office wants to be exempted from a requirement that it share certain information with the Aisenbergs as part of the legal process related to the lawsuit. Attorneys for both sides and an attorney for the Tribune haggled over the procedure. Judge Claudia Isom said she will issue a ruling, probably in about two weeks. Hearing Set For Today In the meantime, Isom has scheduled another hearing for today on another motion by the sheriff's office asking that Cohen be barred from his "continuing, improper, insupportable and unethical contacts" with Sheriff David Gee. According to the sheriff's office pleadings, Cohen wrote Gee a letter asking for a meeting involving just Cohen and Gee to discuss the Aisenberg case. "I don't need any of my people present and you don't need any of your people present," Cohen wrote in the letter. "It's just two people who respect one another and who respect the differences that each of us may have professionally, but who are both interested in getting justice in this case." Reporter Elaine Silvestrini can be reached at (813) 259-7837 or esilvestrini@tampatrib.com. http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB3WEYOZRE.html?imw=Y

Lawyer, sheriff mustn't discuss case in private TAMPA - Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee and lawyer Barry Cohen can't chat in private anymore about the disappearance of 5-month-old Sabrina Aisenberg. The sheriff's attorneys argued Tuesday that it wasn't proper for them to be left out of such conversations, given that Gee is a defendant in Cohen's lawsuit against the Sheriff's Office for its handling of the case. Circuit Judge Claudia Isom agreed that the suit and the criminal investigation are "inextricably intertwined." Her order: Cohen must stop contacting Gee personally on Aisenberg matters but is allowed to share tips on the criminal case with an investigator designated by the Sheriff's Office. http://www.sptimes.com/2006/09/13/Hillsborough/Hillsborough_briefs.shtml

Aisenbergs drop suit against sheriff's office Thursday, September 28, 2006 Steve and Marlene Aisenberg are dropping their civil lawsuit against the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The couple's baby daughter, Sabrina, was 5 months old when she disappeared from her Valrico home in 1997. She has never been found. The Aisenbergs were suing the sheriff's office for fabricating evidence in the criminal case against them after charges against the couple involving Sabrina's disappearance were dropped. "While we are pleased with the dismissal of the lawsuit, which has served as a distraction in this case, our focus always has been and remains on finding out what happened to Sabrina Aisenberg," Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said in a statement. Click here for past stories about the Aisenberg case. http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2006/9/28/186365.html?title=Aisenbergs%20drop%20suit%20against%20sheriff's%20office

New leads in Sabrina Aisenberg case Tuesday, December 11, 2007 This age progression photograph of Sabrina Aisenberg has generated new leads regarding her disappearance 10 years ago. This age progression photograph of Sabrina Aisenberg has generated new leads regarding her disappearance 10 years ago. (Slideshow) HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- New leads in the Sabrina Aisenberg case are taking investigators out of Tampa. An attorney for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said those leads started coming in after a new age progression photo of Aisenberg was released on the 10th anniversary of her disappearance last month. Since then, extra deputies have been put on the case to follow the leads. The attorney said they're on the road, but won't say where they're headed. He also said new leads happen anytime a photo is released and they investigate all of them. Sabrina's parents, Marlene and Steve Aisenberg, told deputies their 5-month-old baby was snatched from her crib as they slept in their Valrico home on November 24, 1997. http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2007/12/11/309406.html?title=New+leads+in+Sabrina+Aisenberg+case

Attorney says he's being framed in unsolved case of missing baby By Mitch Stacy | Associated Press 3:47 PM EDT, July 28, 2008 TAMPA - The attorney who represents the parents in the unsolved case of missing baby Sabrina Aisenberg lashed out at investigators Monday, saying they are trying to frame him in the child's disappearance a decade ago. Locally prominent attorney Barry Cohen called a news conference Monday after published reports over the weekend said Hillsborough County sheriff's investigators were now focusing on Cohen, based on information provided by a jailed felon. Cohen made the claim despite the sheriff's office issuing a statement denying that he was ever the focus of the investigation into the 5-month-old's disappearance from her Valrico home near Tampa in November 1997. The St. Petersburg Times reported Sunday that a jail inmate told a fellow inmate that he had disposed of the baby's body at the direction of one of Cohen's investigators, who has since died. The newspaper based the report on a sworn statement it had obtained from the inmate who said he heard and secretly recorded the admission for investigators. Cohen said Monday that both inmates were manipulated and promised reduced jail time by vindictive investigators who wanted to build a case against him. Cohen has feuded with the sheriff's office for years, accusing them of bungling the investigation by focusing on the baby's parents, Steven and Marleen Aisenberg. ``They're trying to frame me because I zealously defended the Aisenbergs,'' Cohen said, using ``lowlifes'' to do it. The sheriff's office statement said ``there's no political, personal or other improper agenda associated with the investigation into the disappearance of Sabrina Paige Aisenberg.'' The statement said some leads in the case remain open but said investigators would not discuss them. Cohen said the Aisenbergs, who now live in Bethesda, Md., are ``sad'' that the sheriff's office is using its resources to target Cohen instead of looking for Sabrina, who they believe was kidnapped and is still alive. A call to the Aisenberg's home was not immediately returned Monday. The Aisenbergs were charged with conspiracy and lying to investigators in 1999 after listening devices were placed in their Valrico home. Investigators produced transcripts that they said showed the couple making incriminating statements about Sabrina's disappearance, but the tapes turned out to be mostly unintelligible and the charges were dropped more than a year later. They sued federal prosecutors -- who acknowledged they wrongfully prosecuted the couple -- and eventually were awarded $1.3 million for legal expenses. The couple also sued the sheriff's office, accusing it of fabricating evidence, lying and failing to adequately investigate the crime. After some of their claims had already been thrown out by a judge, the Aisenbergs dropped the suit in 2006 because they believed it was ``materially impeding'' the investigation into their daughter's disappearance. In 2005, Cohen apologized for complaining that investigators were not actively pursuing leads and for not releasing details of the case. He said then that he was satisfied that the sheriff ``has conducted a good-faith investigation to get the facts fairly and that he's not predisposed to twist the facts.'' http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-0728missingbaby,0,2550539.story?track=rss

View Full Version: Sabrina Aisenberg Missing 11/24/97 Florida