Missing Baby Lisa Abducted for $300, Police and Lawyers Squash Latest Rumors
The legal team representing the family of missing baby Lisa Irwin recently corrected statements that someone was offered $300 dollars to take the infant.
An anonymous neighbor falsely reported that John “Jersey” Tanko took the child for $300.
Kansas City police also issued a statement to quell unrest over the rumors.
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"We heard about it and are checking into it, just like we have on all leads," said Kansas City Police Capt. Steven Young.
NBC action news caught up with the alleged gossip-spreading neighbor, as he was about to go to work as a dishwasher in a restaurant. In the parking lot of the restaurant, the teenager denied ever hearing or saying anything about Lisa being kidnapped for money by Tanko nor that he had ever discussed the events surrounding Oct. 4 with him.
"No," said the teen. "I haven’t seen him since like Sept. 11.”
However, the teenager did discuss with NBC action news investigators that he did recall talking to someone about Tanko.
"I told someone, I was like (expletive), 'Jersey was the kind of person where you could say here, here’s $300, take care of this baby,' and he would have done it," he said. "That’s all I’ve said. I haven’t seen Jersey since weeks before all this happened actually."
For weeks after the disappearance, Tanko could not be found. Police said that despite Tanko’s history of violence and run-ins with the law, he is currently not a suspect and is serving time in prison on an unrelated burglary charge.
Private Investigator Bill Stanton, who spoke with NBC action news in Kansas City, said that he had not contacted the teenager who allegedly spoke about Tanko.
"Until there's further investigation, I'm going to take him at his word," said Stanton. "I met his alleged girlfriend and she and her mother were giving this information. While it's interesting, it may be people who are overzealous."
