A five-month-old infant is kidnapped from her crib.
![A baby, Sabrina Aisenberg, in a blue jumpsuit playing on a blanket.](https://cdn.unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/existing/mis_sabrina_aisenberg1.jpg?x38205)
Sabrina Aisenberg
Missing:
Gender: Female
DOB: 6/27/97
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Defining Characteristics: Has several marks in the shape of the letter “Y” below her right shoulder
Remarks: Last seen 11/24/97
CASE DETAILS
![A baby, Sabrina Aisenberg, in a blue jumpsuit playing on a blanket.](https://cdn.unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/existing/mis_sabrina_aisenberg2.jpg?x38205)
Age Progressed Photo: Sabrina, 10
According to Marlene Aisenberg, she got up shortly after 6 A.M. on November 24, 1997 , and went into her kitchen:
“I noticed the laundry room door to the garage is opened and I’m like, ‘Whoa, what’s that doing open?’ And I just ran to the first bedroom and I look in Sabrina’s crib and she was gone. And I was just, like, you know, I was hysterical. ‘Steve, Sabrina’s missing! Sabrina’s gone!'”
Steve and Marlene Aisenberg’s third child, five month-old Sabrina, had vanished from her own crib. The Aisenberg home, located in a suburb of Tampa, Florida, became an instant crime scene. According to Marty Rosen, a journalist who covered the story for St. Petersburg Times, news of the kidnapping sent shock waves through the local community:
“This frightened a lot of people, terrified a lot of young parents. It was chilling for people who lived in that community. It was a quiet, safe, out-of-the-way place. And then a baby disappears.”
![Sabrina's parents sitting on a couch. Steve has short brown hair and Marlene has shoulder length wavy brown hair.](https://cdn.unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/existing/mis_sabrina_aisenberg3.jpg?x38205)
Steve & Marlene Aisenberg
The Aisenbergs had left their garage door open overnight. The interior door may also have been left unlocked. But there was no sign of an intruder. Then, the investigation took a sudden, unexpected turn. Marlene and her husband became prime suspects.
Marlene Aisenberg says she was floored by the accusation:
“‘To me, it was the most unbelievable thing I could have ever heard. And, I was like, ‘I have no idea where Sabrina is, I have no idea who took her. That’s why you’re here. Help.’ You know, ‘Find her.'”
![A baby sleeping in a crib.](https://cdn.unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/existing/mis_sabrina_aisenberg4.jpg?x38205)
Sabrina was kidnapped
Deputies removed several items from the Aisenberg home, including Sabrina’s crib and bedding. They were sent to the FBI lab for analysis. As the search for baby Sabrina continued, the Aisenbergs taped a public appeal, pleading for her return. The plea might have inspired sympathy for Steve and Marlene, but, according to Marty Rosen, their demeanor made people suspicious. The day after Sabrina vanished, the media taped the Aisenbergs smiling as they left their home:
“A lot of people in the community saw that clip and saw Steve smile, and they saw Marlene with a quick flash of a smile, and they jumped to conclusions. They said, ‘Why would these people be smiling? There must be something wrong here.’ Some people felt they were guilty of something. Some people felt that they were involved in some way in Sabrina’s disappearance.”
![An investigator examining a window with a magnifying glass.](https://cdn.unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/existing/mis_sabrina_aisenberg5.jpg?x38205)
Investigators found no sign of forced entry
Steve and Marlene voluntarily took polygraph tests. In Marlene’s case, she says the results were apparently a matter of debate:
“They told me it was inconclusive. And they told me that they expected it to be that because I was hysterical and, you know, everything. And my baby’s gone, and you know, they would expect that.”
The sheriff’s office wouldn’t say whether she passed or failed. Shortly after Sabrina disappeared, the Aisenbergs hired an attorney. To some, it was just another sign of their guilt. But Marlene Aisenberg said the police left them no choice:
“When the police sit across from you and say, ‘We believe you know where your daughter is and we believe you know who has her,’ there’s a good reason to get an attorney.”
![A close up image of a polygraph test. The needles are drawing the lines on the paper.](https://cdn.unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/existing/mis_sabrina_aisenberg6.jpg?x38205)
Sabrina’s parents took a polygraph test
Months passed with no sign of baby Sabrina. According to Marty Rosen, the police said that they would soon be laying out their case against the Aisenbergs:
“The police held several press conferences fairly early on in the case and told the reporters that, in fact, they had evidence and that we should just hang on. That they were processing the evidence and that it would be forthcoming. And I’ve not seen any of that evidence to date.”
Lt. Greg Brown of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office:
“Unfortunately, most of the leads bring us back to a dead end, and that brings us back to this community. And we feel that the answers to this crime are within this community. Our policy has always been that we don’t list people as a suspect unless we have enough to charge them. We have not ruled the Aisenbergs out. They have failed to assist us in some ways, and it makes it more difficult to rule them out as having some involvement in the case.”
![A billboard advertising that Sabrina is missing and a number to call.](https://cdn.unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/existing/mis_sabrina_aisenberg7.jpg?x38205)
The community was alarmed by her disappearance
Marlene Aisenberg:
“I believe that somebody came into our home and just took her. It had to be someone who wanted a baby so bad and they couldn’t have one themselves or they needed money so bad that they would want to sell her.”
Steve Aisenberg:
“It could be that somebody just watched Marlene and I, and saw our habits of occasionally leaving the garage open and knew we had a baby. Or, it could have been somebody that knew us casually and then through others knew our habits. So it, you know, anything is just pure speculation.”
Watch this case now on Amazon Prime in season ten with Robert Stack and in season six with Dennis Farina. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. Various seasons available now on Hulu.
Bill
The same people that would blame these parents probably would also blame the parents in the famous Madeline McCann case back in 2007. Because they didn’t look or act how they thought grieving parents ‘should’, just like the Aisenbergs. And now German police seem pretty certain they have identified the real killer after all these years, a notorious peadophile who was living only a mile away from where she was abducted.
The fact is, many police depts are guilty of tunnel vision on one suspect on who they spend far too much time and omit other leads. Then there comes a stage where evidence against other potential leads has drifted away over time and they have committed so much time and resources to the original suspect that they need to try and make it stick. Has anyone read the transcript of those crackly wiretaps? They read like the script of the worst B-movie you’ll ever see… it is simply not how two people talk to each other in real life. No wonder the courts threw them out. After that, there’s nothing on these parents…nothing.
So many innocent people are in jail right now on the most flimsy of circumstantial evidence, where other evidence proving their innocence has been unkowingly denied to the defence and where other credible leads were not followed by police. And we see the drip drip release of the falsely accused on a constant basis after innocence projects get long ago crime samples retested with modern DNA evidence. People seem to think it takes a lot to send someone to jail for life. It doesn’t…not if you have the will of the law behind it and you don’t have a good attorney that can stop you from being screwed.
Kana
This is a sad story. I don’t know what happened to poor Sabrina. I hope we all find out someday. Was the information that the poster named Barb posted ever investigated further? About how there was a break-in at another house in the same neighborhood that seemed to have targeted the baby’s room, who thankfully was sleeping in the parents’ room. How about the fingerprint discovered that didn’t match anyone from the house?
I also wanted to comment in reply to all those posters who keep mentioning the dog. We have a dog who barks his guts out at almost every little thing, including at strange vehicles that come up the driveway (we live on an acreage away from town), and in some cases, even at vehicles he recognizes, and at tiny sounds he hears during the night. BUT, there have been many times where he did NOT bark at all. Sometimes, he’ll go pick up his duck toy or tennis ball or chewy so he can have something in his mouth because he gets nervous. He has completely slept through loud sounds before as well. The dog not barking doesn’t necessarily mean anything. The dog may have recognized the person. Maybe the dog did bark but the family ignored it and forgot about it. Maybe the perpetrator fed the dog a snack or even something with a sedative in it. There could be many reasons why the dog didn’t bark.
Mario
The parents are innocent
Sara
Does anyone know why not all cases are on the website?
Junior
Privacy issues and the director removed a few for legal reasons.
Mona
I would like to know if the FBI got involved and if they did an investigation. Also, it could have been an anti-Semitic hate crime.
Tommy
These parents are clearly Innocent. When the case is ultimately solved, please take note that you’re an idiot if you’ve been blaming the parents this whole time.
.
Roger
I just watched the 20/20 programme. There are so many similarities with a case in New Zealand. A man (Scott Watson) was convicted of a double murder on circumstantial evidence, including a “jailhouse snitch”‘s evidence. The police will sometimes do anything to get a conviction. The truth doesn’t matter.
Alexis
Alexis abreu
addison 13 years old
sorry but i will get to the bottom of this
Shannon
I left the key in my front door for 2 weeks when I moved into my house and have left the garage door open many times. People get busy and forget/make mistakes. No one is perfect!
Media twists everything to get sales/views with no regard for the people’s lives they’re ruining anyone that has had to deal with the media would probably agree.
The prosecutors are there to solve cases, not find the truth.
Sonia
So what does does everyone think about these women who have came forward lately saying they might be Sabrina? DNA tests are pending. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Couldn’t these ladies show the Aisenbergs their baby pictures? That would tell the tale as Sabrina was a very distinct looking baby. Also, those other children of the Aisenbergs look exactly alike so an adult Sabrina would definitely look like them. Anyway, can’t wait to find out myself. I hope one of them is her!
bad
who laevs there garage door wide open and she even said that you killed her so it is imposible to think that she was that crazy enough to lie to the goverment
RightFighter
The police made up those statements. Did you hear the tapes on 20/20? Nothing but static and a totally unintelligible conversation in the background. Everyone who heard them played in court was dumbfounded. Police and DA were more interested in a prosecution than in solving a kidnapping!
nanci
who leave the garage door or front doors open. I think the mother either gave the baby away, or just get the rid of the baby, because she didnt want to answer any questions when the police interviewed her. How can a child be taken from the home and no one know about it. Besides if the baby was in a room all by itself, you would think the parents would make sure all doors and windows are locked.
claire
jeremy kyle can do dna results same day
Trish mson
Hello i have 2 under five kids . When ur tired u do leave or forgot . If got to be with kids in bed and hundreds in my wallet and leave side door wide open all night as I forgot to shut and lock it . Things happen
Sonia
I cannot claim to know what happened in this case but I will admit to being highly suspicious of mom and dad. I agree with the people on this board who say they don’t believe Sabrina’s parents are telling everything they know. The dog not barking is highly significant. My dog barks like Hell whenever anyone enters our house whether he knows them or not. An intruder coming in would make some noise no matter how quiet they were trying to be and dogs hear everything. As for people saying they know the Aisenbergs and they would never harm Sabrina because they were crazy about her; don’t be so sure. You don’t always know what happens at home when only mom, dad and the kids are there. I have an aunt whom people fall in love with when they meet her. Coworkers love her, people at her church love her as do her friends. They would never believe she could abuse her children but abuse them she did. In the most brutal and cruelest ways imaginable. She burned their hands on the stove. She beat them beyond belief. I personally witnessed her beat her two year old with a belt and once saw her slap her six month old out of a baby seat for letting food dribble out of her mouth when she was feeding her. She once threw her six week old baby against the wall and blamed it on postpartum depression. I could go on and on with stories you people would not believe but I think you guys get the point. Would all these people who think that she’s so wonderful believe all this? No way! I can tell you that it’s 100 percent true. I’m not saying Sabrina was abused because I don’t know these people. I’m just saying don’t be so sure that they’re innocent just because you know them. The truth is that you never know what happens behind closed doors.
Katie
Omg just because your Aunt was a horrible person does not mean these parents were. How can you even related the two? You know nothing about them and who they are behind closed doors. I’ve left my garage door open before on accident! People on here saying how could you leave your garage door open. Seriously ? Ah talk about ignorant human beings. If these parents didn’t want to baby they wouldn’t want their older or middle child either. !!! It’s clear they are loving parents and the world we live in is not safe. There are a bad criminals out there that will break in and steal your baby ! Look at Elizabeth Smart. Stolen in the middle of the night out of her bed .
Sonia
Hey I was just using my aunt as an example of how people can be fooled. I’m not saying these people are guilty or innocent because I truthfully don’t know. Of course I don’t know what happened in the Aisenberg house behind closed doors, no one here knows. I was only saying that things are not always as they seem to the outside world. These people may very well be innocent but they also may not be. I hope and pray that Sabrina is out in the world somewhere alive and well. If in fact she is, I truly hope that she is reunited with her biological family.
Anonymous
For me, it’s a “no-brainer” why people in 100% circumstantial evidence cases like this one are so eager to pin the blame on SOMEONE/ANYONE. We live in an Anonymous Society that has been getting more anonymous since the Industrial Revolution began. We now live in a society where most people don’t even know the name of their neighbors, much less 99% of the other people they encounter everyday. In an Anonymous Society, anonymous/random crime is relatively easy to commit. Yet, people (including police) can’t emotionally accept living with anonymous/random crime. It’s Just TOO Emotionally Upsetting to think that an anonymous/random person can enter your home at night & steal your baby. Rather than dealing with the emotional reality of what it means to live in a society where anonymous/random crime is very possible, most people (including the police) deal with this emotional uncertainty by just blaming SOMEONE/ANYONE. This is what I see happening here to the Aisenbergs, as well as to the MANY Innocent People sitting in prison today. … joseph.kulik.919@gmail.com
Karl
Rubbish, absolute rubbish. The police dont operate on fear of the unknown or fear that life aint rosy, they know it isnt!
They operate based on evidence, common situations, probability. Most kidnappings are done by parents, most child abuse is a relative. Simple statistical fact.
RISSSS
That’s one of the only things worth reading on this thread. Most of these people are just like everyone else, wanting to blame the parents because the police never looked any further than them. I’d love to know how they would react if someone committed a crime against them and then THEY were blamed for it. Everyone reacts differently to grief, and I’m not seeing anything here other than shock. Could it have been the parents? Sure. Could it have been a 100% random crime? Absolutely. These things are not common. People don’t have a set-reaction for a possible kidnapping. I’d think if they were guilty, they’d be overacting with grief. And then people like all these idiots on this thread would condemn that. Leave these people alone and go back to your flocks.
habundia
Look at facts and statistics and you would know that real grieving people who are innocent act totally different as those who at the end of a case were proven to be guilty of the crime. If you would look into all those mossong cases (thousands are there) and ypu will see the BIG dofference between those who are guilty and those who arent……..it has body ng to do whit the excuse “all people grieve different “, the reality and facts (and all those examples that are out there) tell us there is only difference in grieve between guitly and innocent parents…….that are the facts!
RISSSS
And everyone keeps bringing up the dog. So what, the dog didn’t bark. Maybe no one heard it. My own dog is worthless as a watchdog. Maybe the dog slept through it. And has anyone here ever picked up a sleeping 5 month old??? Some of them can sleep through everything. You know, strange things do happen, and all these “miracles” could have occurred on that night. Some idiot posted earlier asking why they would leave the door open if they had heard about a peeping tom. SOMETIMES PEOPLE FORGET THINGS!!!! As a parent of small children, I totally feel for these people. And who can blame them for NOT wanting to stay in a place where every day they faced scrutiny and persecution because the cops in this case didn’t want to look any further. It’s a very sad, sad thing and maybe these people just wanted to try and forget. Everyone deals differently with grief. If you carry it with you everywhere it consumes you. They still had 2 other kids to live for, and it seems to me like that’s what they did. Like someone else said, maybe they grieve privately. How do you know they don’t sit in their beds and cry themselves to sleep every night? Apparently all the judges and jury here have it figured out, but until you give me some solid evidence, I’m not going to convict these people.
habundia
There is no reasonable explanation for parents to “Want to forget their 5month old missing child”, thats just ridiculous
Just take a look at those parents who have been missing their child for over a decade or longer…….they still are a mess when they talk about their mossong kid…..these parents show nothing of that!
Jessy
They didn’t want to forget their baby daughter, they wanted to get out of that house with its constant reminders.
Anonymous
What about the book, Secret in the Bay? I didn’t read it, but it sounds like the author knew about what happened to this little girl. I’m almost tempted to buy it, but I almost feel that the author is trying to cash in on a tragedy.
Anonymous
They killed their baby, and they are not in jail, in what world do we live in
marty capitano
Secretsbythebay.com A Book About The Aisenberg investigation.
Anonymous
We may never know for sure, but I hope she is found like some other children and be reunited with her family. It is totally plausible that someone took her from her crib…Elizabeth Smart (older and in unimaginable fear) but how can anyone say for sure. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but we are not judge and jury. Imagine if this happened to you, you were innocent, and everyone judged your every word and action!!
Dee
exactly
Anonymous
When you plead the 5th,it sure makes you look guilty and makes people wonder what youre hiding
Anonymous
To this day, I still think the Aisenbergs are guilty. I don’t believe a word of their story. This whole case doesn’t ring true. It’s even worse than the Jonbenet Ramsey case. We’re supposed to believe some random stranger who was not familiar with their house simply walked in at night, got past the dog! And snatched this baby, walked out with the baby, got past the dog again, yeah right. And made it safely away with this baby. The baby didn’t cry and wake anyone up, the dog didn’t bark. The kidnapper knew the entire layout of the house in the dark and was apparently friendly with the family dog. None of this sits right. The motive wasn’t money, there was no ransom note or call. Sorry, I don’t believe someone simply wanted the baby and targeted their house. People who want a child enough to kidnap one will usually go for a playground or trying to snatch a child after school or even out of a hospital. No one is going to simply cruise a neighborhood, pick a house they are not familiar with, and go into it in the dark. The whole thing reeks. I don’t believe the parents at all.
Malini
I heard the 48 hours story.. I totally agree with ur conclusion. I feel one of the family members killed the baby accidentally, and the whole thing was a cover up for that. The MOST important point to note was..that the dog never barked.
I cud also hear the conversation faintly on their wiretaps n a couple of those statements matched the recordings. .
kayden
I believe they did that themselves as well. I don’t believe any part of the story
Brenda
Excellent points.
Sherbelee
I agree. I watched the Dateline episode on this. I was continually struck by the mother smiling throughout the interviews. Even while saying things like, “I was so upset.,” she smiles throughout. The father, on the other hand, just looks blasé, as if they’re reading items off a grocery list. I think one of them may have accidentally killed the baby, or they did something else with the baby. All kinds of suggestions have been made, right on down to, they sold the baby to a wealthy childless Israeli couple because they had serious money problems. Whatever happened, I am convinced they know what happened to the baby.
Tina
You do realize that that the Ramsey’s were cleared right? Jon Benet was not killed by her parents. They probably knew the person though I think that most people, whether they realize it or not, don’t want to believe that children can be snatched away in their own home by a stranger. There are other cases where someone can get in a home and gets by the dog. I just saw one on Unsolved Mysteries Yesterday. The murderer was not a close friend either. Some people just don’t seem to behave the way others think they should, but that doesn’t make them guilty. My gosh, can you imagine going through something so terrible, and then on top of it the court of public opinion convicts you? I would have thought after so many years baby Sabrina would have been found somewhere. I pray that she is safe wherever she is.
Georgie T
I’ve seen several shows regarding the Aisenberg case. Like many others, I was always suspicious of the parents’ behavior, the fact that the dog didn’t bark, the baby didn’t cry, and no one woke up. If they didn’t do it, I wonder if someone close to the family had something to do with it. The Aisenbergs’ demeanor always seemed suspect. Hope I’m wrong, but that girl is not coming home.
caroline
that’s awful who would kidnap a baby! I feel so bad
Anonymous
My gut feeling is that the parents know more than they are letting on. Maybe their intentions weren’t 100% malicious but they definetly know something. Maybe her death was an accident and they covered it up by saying she was kidnapped. Whatever the case may be, no parent is going to be smiling after finding their daughter missing. They offered up all these scenarios as to why someone would take her. Just strikes me as odd. Makes me feel like they got away with something. Another thing was the comment I read on the 911 call. I completely agree that I would have checked on the other children first. Also the mother’s wording “I was like…” and “You know” and her explanation of the lie detector test really slamming home the fact that she was “hysterical and you know everything” and that’s why it was inconclusive. Her story and the way her and her husband say things are too laid back. And though I agree about the baby being on the first floor alone is wrong and completely unsafe, some people aren’t are cautious with their children. Which is another reason why I don’t trust them. They have their newborn down there and have left the door unlocked numerous times?? The dog didn’t bark?? If someone is coming up the house that late at night the dog is going to bark at least a couple times in fear even if it ends up knowing the person it will still initially bark letting the family know someone is there. Even though she doesn’t seem to have “maternal instincts” as not checking on her other children and leaving her newborn near an unlocked door everynight by herself, the dog CERTAINLY has animal instincts and would undeniably alert the family that someone is outside or entering the home. Something smells fishy with these two and I don’t like it. Poor babygirl I hope she gets justice someday<3
Mary
What is the latest about this case? I haven’t heard anything over the years.
unsolved
Unfortunately Sabrina is still missing.
caroline
me nether. I feel soooo bad for the parents of this pore kid
SolveTheMystery
I remember watching a dateline episode years ago and the day the baby went missing police were tapping and recording incoming phone calls to their home in case a kidnapper with a ransom was to call..Very understandable procedure…Well on a recording only 27 hours after the baby goes missing, the father is on a recorded phone call talking to his brother. Then the line beeps indicating someone’s is calling but he didn’t answer the call. The line beeped several more times and he just continued talking…Now why would u not answer this other line when it could possibly be the person who supposedly kidnapped your infant daughter? I think his excuse when confronted by police was that he never heard the beeps but u can clearly hear them on this recording. I also thought it was crazy he was even taking a chance to tie up the phone line to talk to his brother. If it were me I would get on that phone unless it was ringing out of fear I would miss a call from the sick individuals who supposedly came into the house and took my 5 month old daughter. I remember bits and pieces from this case but I do remember feeling they weren’t being 100 with the police.. another thing that struck me as odd is that when the mother Marlene calls police to report the baby missing, the 911 dispatcher asks is there anyone else in the house with you and the mother says yes, my husband and 2 other kids..The dispatcher asks are your 2 other children okay and safe and the mother Marlene says I don’t know let me check..And she checks as she’s on the phone with 911 and says yes they are in their beds. Again, this is just me but if I had 3 children, and I noticed that one of them was missing out of their bed in the morning, the first thing I’m going to do is run to my other children’s bedrooms to make sure they are there and okay!!! I mean wouldn’t you? That also struck me as so odd. Tell me what u think…
Bonnie
I am very late reading about all this, but I think your statement was exactly on point. Those parents are guilty and should be held accountable.
Kerry
the thing that I keep remembering from the call is when the operator asked if the other children were in the house and THEN the mother called out to the father to check on the other children. I only had one child, and (thankfully) I’ve never been in this position, but I can’t help thinking if I found one child missing I would automatically run and check on the other children (or whether it possible that the baby had been taken out of the crib by one of the other children) and to ensure that they were safe. I can’t say who is guilty and who is not, but that one thing bothers me on the 911 recording.
C.C
The father was building a home at the time she came up missing, and he had the foundation pored way to early in the morning, I was 14 when I first heard this story and I still believe to this day that, that baby is in the foundation of that house.
Wendy Beals
Wow,was this looked into? Something isn’t right with the parents.
Dannyboy
All we can do is to speculate and I’m gonna do that right now.
IF the parents know what happened to their baby girl I’m sure they planned it.
If they decided to get rid of her maybe they needed help.
What’s easier than to go to bed, forget to close the door and then wake up next morning and then start acting hysterical.
Have the police checked their phones? Who did they talk to before the disappearance?
Did they recieve a huge amount of money all of a sudden?
(Have I been watching too many movies)?
I’d like to know more about this case.
Sharron
Anyone who thinks the parents are not guilty is ignorant. The mother is not someone pleading for her child’s life. I always suspected the parents when I first saw the case. Now I believe it even more strongly since I’m older.
Anonymous
I always thought they should check the finances of the police officer that lived on the same street it was awful
strange that he knew information before anybody else
ace
I have moles in groups of 3 triangle design all over could it be me
Introverso
There are 2 things which cause me to not believe the intruder/kidnapper theory. 1) The dog. Why didn’t the dog bark? Even if it was a dog that didn’t usually bark, how did the intruder know that? I guess it’s possible they didn’t know the family had a dog, but they knew they had a baby so I can’t see them not knowing about the dog. Let’s say that this was a planned kidnapping by a stranger, which is what the parents claim happened. The kidnapper would have found a family with a baby and would have probably studied this family. They would have realized the family had a dog. But there is no way they could have known whether or not the dog would bark at an intruder in the middle of the night. So they just rolled the dice on this? They went to all the trouble of finding a family with a baby and planning a kidnapping, and then just gambled on whether or not the dog would blow their cover? I think not. 2). The baby herself. The same reasoning applies here as with the dog. They’re going to go to all this trouble only to have the baby cry and wake the parents up? And how did they know where the baby slept? For all they know she could have been sleeping in the parents’ room. It just doesn’t make sense. If she was kidnapped, it was by someone who knew this family. They knew where the baby slept and they knew the dog or at least knew the dog wouldn’t bark. And even then there would be no way to guarantee that the child wouldn’t cry and wake everyone up. The kidnapped theory just doesn’t make any sense.
Anonymous
I am not sure what happened to Sabrina but look how many children disappeared from their beds during the night and later found murdered. I am thinking of the little girl, Danielle from San Diego who was kidnapped and murdered by a neighbor, David Westerfield. He entered the house from an unlocked door. I know there are many more cases- a little girl from Florida taken during the middle of the night murdered by a known sex offender who lived in her neighborhood. I really don’t know how a person is supposed to act since each of us deal with extreme stress differently. I can’t think of anything more horrendous then being an innocent parent and considered a suspect in your child’s disappearance.
David
I think that they someone simply went in the garage and was trained to open locked doors and walked in the house to take the baby
Lakeland
I knew Steve and Marlene.
They adored Sabrina, she was a long baby and they had already decided she was going to be a model.
Steve did not do drugs.
They both loved children and family.
Marlene had her own childcare facility.
No one knows what happened to Sabrina and that includes Steve and Marlene and no one will ever know because no effort was put into finding anyone, the police were fixated on Steve and Marlene.
No one knows what happened to Jonbennet Ramsay in terms of who killed her and no one knows what happened to Maddy McCann in terms of where she is or who took her. Sabrina could have been stolen to order and sold in South America, or North America and let’s hope that is what happened so she is still alive and living a life that to her is normal – which is something Steve and Marlene will never know now, and let’s not forget their other children and what they have also been put through. Steve and Marlene were guilty until proved otherwise, they (official bodies) could not find evidence to make them guilty so they made it it. They have been persecuted. Meanwhile whoever did take her is out there, got away scott free. All efforts appeared to be put into trying to make Steve and Marlene guilty than looking at another scenario. 4 lives have been ruined and hopefully Sabrina is still alive somewhere obvious to all this so it remains at 4 and not 5. The chances of the guilty person getting found now are almost zero. The entire thing was a disgrace and the police force should be ashamed of themselves. 2 parents and 2 siblings mourning for the loss of a baby but no one cared about that. Nothing can undo what has been done to them. I hope they can heal and be left in peace.
Check out the Aisenbergs on Facebook
I have watched this story from the very beginning and always felt they know exactly where Sabrina is. Marlene, and their older children all have Facebook pages. Marlene is happy, smiling all the time taking vacations, and these “family” outings they are a husband and wife Realtor team, and make it look like they have this perfect little life. Steve for years has looked guilty from the pictures that are on Marlene’s Facebook page, Marlene seems as if she doesn’t even care, its almost as if Sabrina never existed its Odd. They did post a video last summer on Sabrina’s 18th birthday to her but that’s all they ever mentioned about her. I know that they were struggling financially and moved to Maryland in Steve’s Fathers home but why would you leave the state where your baby was last seen? I believe that they sold Sabrina and poor Sabrina has no idea who she really is
Johnny
These situations usually lead back to the parents in someway. Sometimes, it is an accidental drop of the baby or some kind of fall. It’s strange that a perpetrator would run off with a baby. There were people in the house and could have awaken at any time. Plus other valuable things in the house. Hopefully, Sabrina is still alive but as the months and years pass…This would be more unlikely. It has some similarities to Jon Benet but this Sabrina was much younger.
Susan
Sabrina was a very distinctive looking baby. It would have been near impossible to pass her off as a different 5 month old especially by someone who knew of the family via other people. Even with all that hair shaved and dressed in boys clothing she still would have looked just like Sabrina .
Johnny
The Sabrina case is a nightmare for any young parents. In my research and studies, the parents are usually involved 90% of these disappearances or kidnapping type things. Why? Usually, the parents are usually with the young child most of the time whether feeding or changing the young person. So, it would make sense Florida police would question the parents. I don’t remember a ransom note demand being left. That also raises red flags. It seems strange that the intruder would target the baby. What’s he going to do with it? He had time to kill Steve & Marlene and the whole house plus ransack the house of money and valuables. I remember the Jon Benet case. The parents John & Patsy were under tremendous scrutiny. Finally, they were cleared after years of investigation. It’s a tough case to theorize. Almost 20 years now still missing. I think Sabrina died early on but holding out hope. Wonder what other people think.
Sharon
The couple was profoundly wounded, with the mother in shock. This was a local story when II was a Tampa resident . The sheriff’s department was in question for being less than vigorous, for not investigating other possibilities when deciding too quickly that the parents were “it.” Other reports suggested collusion between ranks that fostered the department taking this easy path. Also, the department had received, but not acted on, information about an older woman seen with a fretful infant at Tampa International Airport in the night hours following the abduction. Regarding how a stranger could know the plan of a stranger’s home: the family lived in tract housing; a tour through the right model home would tell all you needed to know.
Amy Colleen England
I really don’t want to think my mom would ever lie to me but I’m having a hard time finding my birth father and this is such a long stretch but she is not telling me the truth abou something I fill she is holding some devastating information from me so it just made me think of the possibilitys I’m very sorry if I’m out of line It’s extremely Frustrating to figer out .I’m 29? Have no kids but would love love to have tons of them In fell completely lost in my age and with life also my hair all the sudden turned curly ass heck an no one in my family ever has curly hair also have always needed glasses sentences skin always felt left out and never felt like part of the family she my mom Kim England if that’s her real name but she would say I take after my great grandma when I asked who I looked like and how come I was so fair skinned almost see through I am she has dark skinned and my real father is dark hair an eyes its really out there that I would even consider this but my early its memorie is one that I woke up an a women wearing my moms stripped white an blue night gown was doing the dishes I went to her to grab her leg an she looked. Down an that was not my mom extremely turmeric as u can image my mom later tells me that she had gotten a baby sites and she was wearing her pjs but I don’t remember my mom ever coming back? Humm possible but I really don’t remember and if I was so scared why wouldn’t I remember her return? Also I have no baby pictures only one or two and I have a buzz haircut she said I was 1 years old in the picture but idk for sure I guess I was bold till I was 1 or 2 not sure if that’s even a thing well also I have an older sister Brenda Nicole England there are plenty of pictures of her and all the picks are June j1986 the year I was supposed to be born picture of my mom an real father but my mom doesn’t look pregnant I the pictures and my mom has always told me that my dad left before I was born June 1986 he was there with my sister so I’m confused well sorry if this doesn’t lead to any thing and I’ll ask the angels to help your family to find your missing beautiful brave girl and a safe return I apologize if there is any inconvenience here love angel Colleen ps my name is Amy Colleen England
Jennyfer
Kidnapped! I believe the parents are innocent. I am so tired of news media “convicting” innocent parents. They did it to parents of Jaclyn Dowaliby, Azaria Chamberlain, and Madeleine McCann. I do not believe the parents did anything to their baby! Why do people always look at the parents and then make false drug allegations and so on? Evidence that was NOT revealed by the news media was an unidentified fingerprint that did not belong to anyone in the family or friends. I do believe this girl was kidnapped by somebody desperate for a baby.
Olde School
Has anyone ever heard of Jaclyn Dowaliby?
Please forgive me Cynthia and David. From the beginning I believed in your innocence. My heart was breaking for you, but I didn’t think there was anything I could do for you. I was wrong. Now, hopefully, those that did not believe in your innocence realize the truth.
Perhaps someday the truth about Sabrina will become known. Who will apologize then?
Jennyfer
Yes. I know about poor Jaclyn. Also Azaria Chamberlain. People are so eager to blame the parents for any reason. I blame news media mostly for that. All they care about is ratings and selling their papers.
C. Lowry
This case has bothered me for a long time. There are some things that just don’t fit for me. If I got up in the morning and found the garage door open, I would check on the children who could walk. I would think one of the older children had gotten up early and left the door open. I don’t understand how Marlene would “run to the crib” and find the baby is missing. Secondly, I don’t understand how they went so quickly to a kidnapping claim. They didn’t say, “Our baby is missing. We can’t find the baby. We’ve looked and looked and we can’t find her anywhere.” My child was missing for about an hour. She was about 14 and decided to take a walk. She lost track of time, and wasn’t home when she should have been. I looked all over, but not once did I think she had been kidnapped. From everything I have read it doesn’t appear that they looked at all…. just ran to the crib and yelled she was kidnapped. Something is not right.
RISSSS
Where exactly does one look for a 5 month old? Do you think she managed to escape from her crib on her own? You’re an idiot. You’re comparing a 14 year old to an infant. You’re just like all the other assuming morons on this thread.
paola vega
I feel like the parents had something to do with, I don’t knw much about but I feel like they did from the smile and how they acted is very suspicious.
Caitie
I don’t believe the parents did it, we all have left our doors unlocked at one point or another. I think that people grieve in their own way, they had no reason to hurt Sabrina at all. I do agree that the dog probably didn’t bark because it was someone it knew,
j.c
I believe it was them. The last statements on this page are just dumb and so out of concept. She’s saying maybe somebody wanted a baby so bad and they couldn’t have one. I don’t think that’s the case. I believe they killed their own daughter or are keeping her somewhere. They filed a report so they wouldn’t look like the ones who did it. She just seems suspicious. I think she did something and the husband doesn’t know.
E. Y. Holmes
Does anyone know of a kidnapping I may have witnessed when I was little? It occurred at the Anderson or Mt. Washington branch of the Cincinnati Public Library sometime between 2005 and 2007 I think. A mom told her kids she would be right back and a few minutes later another lady picked up one of the kids. She was a little blond girl wearing a pink jacket. She kept yelling “Mommy!”. Does anyone know anything about this?
Taylain
I’ve seen her. But she was a little younger than the ten year old photo. Maybe a year less. In Virginia at the mall, I was in a a store and I saw her, messing with a few bracelets. And this guy was behind her, just watching her. I wasn’t paying attention to him, just the girl. She was short, 5″3 at the most, brown hair, dark brown eyes, her eyes were a bit slanted. She was thin, but looked like she was athletic
unsolved
Thank you for sharing your tip. We have passed it on to the law enforcement agency handling this case.
samantha
No sign of forced entry? It had to be someone the famliy knew and knew the house. Look in to famliy member’s . It’s the only explaion, no sign of forced entry. Eather famliy members or famliy friend eather way , its someone that knew the famliy and knew the house.
Aaron Copeland
As horrific of a case as this is, regardless of whomever committed the crime will have to live with the guilt of knowing what they did for the rest of their life. Plain and simple . May that little girl rest in peace if she’s no longer with us.
Sherbelee
Not everyone has a conscience, so I would not count on them having to live with the guilt.
Megan
I just watched this case on 48 hours and I’m quite honestly baffled by the whole thing. In these situations I always push myself to try and have the benefit of the doubt. I find it really hard to believe that any parent would harm their child but in this case I just feel like they know more than they’re letting on. And if they didn’t do it, I feel like they at least know who did, or they organized it or something. In regards to some of the other comments, their emotions did seem kind of fake. I also thought of the theory that maybe Marlene doesn’t know but Steve does? He always seems so detached and inside himself in all the interviews, maybe it’s guilt.
I don’t think we’ll ever figure out the answer to this case. Whether the Aisenberg’s did it or not, they know something and they’re guilty of something.
Dan The Man
Ever consider this could be like the Elizabeth Smart case?. Could it have been it was somebody who knew the Aisenbergs, knew the Aisenbergs’ sloppy habits such as poor security and untidiness, knew the layout of the house and most important, knew the dog who wouldn’t be aroused by this person’s appearance. This is the only explanation I can think of for the Aisenbergs not being in the culprits. Seems strange. But it happened in Utah, so it could have also happened in Tampa. If the Aisenbergs did it, they have pulled off the crime of the century.
amber
The dad was on drugs bad… I think they know…I also think they sold their own daughter for money…addiction is serious and IDC who doesnt agree with me but it happened in my friends life…she was sold by her parents!!!
beezoo..
I think the parents did do it.. Continuing to repeatedly say ” you know ” is over compensation, purely just getting you to sympathize with them instead of thinking they had something to do w/ it.
Anonymous
The age progression looks like one of my daughters classmates at venice high school in venice florida, which is about 45 minutes south of tampa
unsolved
Thank you – we have passed your tip on to the Sheriff’s Office.
Anonymous
Did u call the police
Tony Camacho
I wonder if they had life insurance in Sabrina.
I personally think the parents are responsible. I remember watching interviews of them, they would casually smile blah blah when in fact your fxxxxxg eyeballs should be swollen falling out of their eye sockets…
Sick!
Tina
Life insurance will not pay on a missing person. I can’t believe that so many assume that the parents did this. Everyone reacts differently to stress. Just because the police don’t have any leads doesn’t mean that the parents are guilty.
Morgan
Someone does know something. Maybe that someone is Sabrina herself…..Hint hint: perhaps she is still alive!
randy bailey
I beleive one of the parents drop the baby or somehow killed the baby and thought they would go to jail and covered it up like that,that would make sense.
michael
it is not fair to cast judgement. we all know one thing for sure, that somebody knows what happened
anonmys
Who ever did that is sick and needs to be behind bars with no mercy.
Micki
Could it be that one of their other children took Sabrina out of her crib and accidentally dropped her? If Sabrina died accidentally; maybe the parents are covering for their other child.
Dee
What troubles me is that because certain crimes are ‘usually’ the parents/spouse etc. the police often don’t look too deeply. I am also troubled by how frequently the words ‘they acted oddly’ or ‘they didn’t ring true’ etc. people handle shock and grief in different ways. I often seem detached when a loved one dies but i grieve deeply in private.
Sandi jarrett
Odd they said there had been peeping toms in that area..but they left garage open! Even stranger leaving interior door unlocked! And why would you have an alarm system if you are not going to use it and leave all these open oppurtunities? I would hate to think the parents are involved but it is all very odd! Most of all l pray that baby was and is still alive and well if she was actually kidnapped.
Tori
I have follwed this case all along because my oldest daughter is Sabrina’s age.I always waited to see the mother cry real tears.She seemed so pulled together for a mother with that type of loss. Accident?perhaps,but those parents KNOW that Sabrina is dead. Thats why they moved away. What mother could leave the last place she saw her child? You wouldnt,, You Could not!!
Joe Kulik
Dear Tori: I’m very tolerant of the opinions of others, but your suggestion that the family moving is a sign of “guilt” is just ridiculous. 1) Maybe they moved away because the house had too many bad memories about Sabrina’s abduction. 2) Maybe they moved away to get away from the public scrutiny. ANY mother who would stay in he same house simply because that’s “the last place she saw her child” is Just SICK, IMO. There is such a thing as “moving on with your life” Ever hear of that?? You’re just another person who has already made your mind that the parents are guilty, & who interprets EVERY Action by them as a sign of guilt. That’s all. ,,, joseph.kulik.919@gmail.com
Maria
They are definitely guilty of something – my gut feeling is it’s them…doesn’t matter if they already have children – sh*t happens and you just never know if maybe they did it high or by accident but whatever it is…they know…
Cher
I think the parents had something to do with their daughter’s death. Karma!
money 4 silence
The questions that need answering are. Where was Marlene that weekend? Who was she with? Why did the investigation come to a silent halt after Pam Bondi ‘s fiance supposedly loaned the Aisenberg’s mouthpiece $250,000. Does Scott Overbeck hold the answer to what really happened to Sabrina Paige Aisenberg?
Victoria
I cannot make up my mind about what happened with this case. I heard the 911 call and I cant usually make up my mind about a murder based on that alone but this time I still cannot determine if the parents knew anything. It sounds like such a nightmare that people would come in and take a baby, it seems so unlikely but in the end, maybe that is exactly what happened.
Brettany
I think they know more then they think they do
Jr86
Mom and Dad know a lot more than they are saying!! This makes me sick, I think it was probably some freak accident, and they got scared and disposed of the remains. I hope that I am wrong, I would like nothing more than to be wrong and baby Sabrina get to come home.
Jrwiki
I watched this story this morning on Nancy Grace unsolved mysteries! I do believe the parent know what happend to their daughter! I do think I was probably an accident and they panicked and disposed of the body! I am with others, the dog would go nuts with someone in the house who didn’t belong, come on! Like I said I don’t beleive it was done on purpose, but I do beleive with my whole heart mom and dad know a whole lot more. I am not sure what the law can do now but something isn’t right with this!
MEK
It’s one thing to have doubts about believing the parents . .
And it’s another to state they are guilty, especially when there is absolutely no proof of this.
1. Just because a dog doesn’t bark, doesn’t mean the parents are guilty. What a leap
2. A person doesn’t need to know the whole layout of a house, just use a flashlight.
3. Someone who wants a child will go for a school playground? Where did you get that idea? It’s easier to walk into an unlocked house and take a child while everyone sleeps
rather than a playground with a hundred eye witnesses. Again,what a leap.
4. “When I head my child I kept them beside me”. This was not your child. This was
their 3rd child and she was 5 months old. Most parents do not keep a 5 month old that
sleeps through the night in their bed with them. This child had her own crib and was
sleeping where she usually slept.
There are children taken everyday from all parts of our country and others. They are sold to others that want children. There have been many documentary and news shows about this. Look at your milk carton, read the paper and the stories of kids who found out when they were teens that they were taken / stolen.
When you look at the entire picture, the police clearly decided the parents were guilty
early on and as a result, didn’t look elsewhere. They falsified wire tap information and
gave false information to the press and grand jury.
I don’t know if the parents are guilty.
But what I know for sure is that no one else can be sure they’re guilty either.
Trish
II totally agree and to this day I believe in my heart that the parents know exactly what happened, accidental or not, they are involved. But guess we’ll never know. They will have to live with the guilt.
sandy
MEK I agree completely. I don’t lock my doors. I don’t go around locking everything up. Not one piece of evidence say they are quilty. It was someone the dog knew.
Sunflower
I disagree about just needing a flashlight to navigate a house you’ve never been in. In that situation, an intruder could have walked right into the parents’ bedroom and woken them up. Someone looking to commit a crime wouldn’t just walk into a home at night and wander around, hoping to see something valuable. A common thief would definitely stake out the house first, and definitely wouldn’t go in when the entire family (and dog) was home. If you were planning on stealing a CHILD, I’d imagine you would want to be even more careful.
I don’t know if the parents are guilty or not, but they are suspicious.
Nan210
Very good points!
FSM
Completely agree with Pat and MEK. Typical mob mentality to jump on the bandwagon and say the parents are guilty. You people are just bullies. How terrible to have your baby snatched and then be accused of killing her. Parents doFn’t say it was random but that someone was watching, knew they left the garage indoor open and came in.
Amateur body language sleuths also irritate me. Just because someone doesn’t react the way you think they should, they’re guilty and as for the stupid woman who has her baby sleep next to her – you’re not doing it any favours.
Astrid smith
Finally a comment which is not total assumptions. Im shocked by the assumptions people have made based on THEIR ideas or personal values. I am from new Zealand and saw various documentaries about this. Its good to see facts and also that you have not made assumptions. I have gotten past plenty of dogs in my youth so the dogs behaviour proves nothing. Ive never written on a site like this before but thank you for being factual. Its made me realise how nasty people can be to put things on line. It sort of appears this is the only facts in this thread and i have to wonder about the moderation here. A very sad case. There are many other ways to get rid of a child legally if you dont want to ot cant care for it. Also im from nz abd these cases are almost unheard of.
marquaisbobo
that’s easy
crystal
OK….when I had my baby I made sure she slept next to our bed. Something sounds suspicious about this story. I cannot for the heart of me put my finger on it. I am looking at the parents….. one or both know something.
Alyona
I agree…They seem to provide too much information or speculation as to why /how she disappeared. …I would think parents in these situations would be focused more on regret of not closing the door and appeal to find their child…and now they say :someone wanted baby/someone stole a baby. My speculation is that they indeed sold it.
KAILA
U ARE CORRECT. BABY SHOULD BE RIGHT NEXT TO PARENTS!
Steven
It wouldn’t make much sence if the parents were the ones who wanted their baby gone. They already had children they didn’t have anything against the 3rd child. But they should know its normal for the police to suspect them when they have no evidence or any leads to suggest something else.
ArleneHeed
I believe there was evidence that the husband/father was using drugs the night of the baby’s disappearance.
SHANNA
I agree…
Barb
Does anyone know that the neighbors down the street had a window that was broken on the same night. That window was in the baby’s nursery. Thankfully for them they baby was sleeping with mom and dad. Why wasn’t that ever brought out in the news?
Diana
Good point. Police and the media were focused on the parents “guilt.” instead of a legitimate investigation. into what happened. Police did not look for a live baby, They only looked for a dead body despite the fact a live baby would be of value to someone who could not have children.