The Baby Lisa case has garnered national headlines as local authorities and the FBI search for the child missing in Kansas City since Oct. 4.

According to The Kansas City Star, the 11-month-old girl was reported missing from her crib that day.

CNN reports that the FBI recently obtained a search warrant for the house and began searching recently and the order bans the family of the girl from returning home.

A missing child is a a nightmare for any parent. But if recent media reports have taught us anything, it’s that authorities will look to the parents as soon as they look at outside suspects.

And after about two weeks, it appears that’s exactly what’s happened here. Obtaining a search warrant and banning the family from going into their home seems to indicate authorities are now turning their attention inward.

Charges of kidnapping in Massachusetts are among the most serious a person can face. Massachusetts criminal defense lawyers know the penalties are steep and will prepare a strong defense for a person accused of such a crime. That means challenging all evidence and seeking independent witnesses to verify the facts.

In Massachusetts, kidnapping charges can be penalized in a variety of ways, depending on the facts of the case. For instance, if the kidnapping was committed to extort money, a person convicted could be sent to prison for life. In other circumstances, the sentence could range from 2 to 10 years.

The Kansas City Star reports that police have revealed little about what they know to the public. The newspaper reports that the majority of the information coming out about the case has come from the child’s parents.

The girl’s mother has told the media that she failed a polygraph test, was drunk and may have “blacked out” the night the girl went missing and now the police are accusing her of being involved.

The parents and police differ about their cooperation level. The parents say they are helping, while the police have said they are not. It’s been more than a week since the parents and police sat down and spoke and the parents aren’t making the baby’s older siblings, who were home the night of the disappearance, available to detectives.

The case started Oct. 4 around 4 a.m. when the girl’s father got home from his overnight job and reported the girl missing. The mother said she had last seen the girl around 10:30 p.m. the night before.

A neighbor reported a man seen with a baby around 2 a.m. Within two days, the police had questioned the mother and said they were no longer cooperating. The family then scaled back interviews and appearances on national television.

CNN reports that a child resembling Baby Lisa was reported about 100 miles away, but that turned out to be a false lead. The family believes it’s possible someone could have entered the home without the family knowing since their bedroom is on the opposite side of the house and the baby’s room has a loud fan blowing.

But it appears police are spending more and more time focusing on the mother, since she was home the night it happened. She admits to being drunk, but denies involvement in her daughter’s disappearance She has admitted she fears police will arrest her.

Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer Michael DelSignore represents clients facing serious misdemeanor and felony charges throughout the state.

The Law Offices of Michael DelSignore are conveniently located in Stoughton, Attleboro, New Bedford and Westborough.

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Eyewitness Testimony Requires Aggressive Challenge of Massachusetts Criminal Attorney: August 31, 2011