KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The questions for Jeremy Irwin and Deborah Bradley were familiar, but this time the person doing the asking was the host of one of the most popular daytime television programs in the nation.
The couple, with their New York City-based lead attorney Joe Tacopina, appeared on the “Dr. Phil” program on Friday to answer questions about the disappearance last October of their young daughter Lisa Irwin.
During the interview, Bradley said that it was impossible to remember all the details that occurred the night her daughter disappeared from her crib in the family’s Northland home. She also said that she understands why that had police looking at her, but she said that shouldn’t keep them from turning their attention to someone else.
The show’s host, Dr. Phil McGraw, questioned the couple about inconsistencies with Bradley’s first statement with police following her daughter’s disappearance. The family’s consultant, New York-based private investigator Bill Stanton, even admitted that he had doubts about the couple at first.
“When I got in on the plane. I thought they did it,” said Stanton. “I even told her, ‘I’m not here for you, I’m here for Lisa’.”
But during another interview on FOX News on Thursday, Stanton said that he couldn’t imagine why the couple would draw more attention to the case if they’re guilty. At one point during their appearance on the “Dr. Phil” show on Friday, Bradley was given a chance to respond to what she called “errors” about the case that have popped up in the media and online.
“It doesn’t really hurt what they say to me, but when they spread this gossip, lies and insane theories, it keeps people from paying attention when they’re at Walmart and restaurants,” said Bradley. “There’s someone out there who’s got my daughter. We just want her to come home.”
Family lead attorney Joe Tacopina then addressed the issue of Bradley’s lie detector test. He said that it’s likely that police told her that she failed to pressure her into admitting that she had something to do with Lisa’s disappearance.
“She did not fail the polygraph test,” said Tacopina. “It was confirmed to me that there was no failed polygraph test by Deborah. It’s one of those things that get out there and distract from the case.”
