Missing baby Lisa Irwin case: Retired FBI agent thinks family should talk to police not Dr. Phil

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Friday afternoon, Baby Lisa's parents broke their three month long silence. Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin appeared on “Dr. Phil”.lisa

Four months have passed since the couple reported their daughter, Lisa Irwin, missing from their Northland home.

Retired FBI Agent Jeff Lanza sat down with NBC Action News Reporter Beth Vaughn to comb through the Dr. Phil interview.

Lanza's 20 years in the FBI told him that Friday’s episode was more about show business than solving a crime.

 “This is just show business right now. Dr. Phil called them up and said, ‘I want to get you on the show’ and they're doing that for their own ratings. They don’t care much about the case, I imagine," Lanza said.

Bradley told Dr. Phil, in the pre-taped interview, that she agreed to be on the show in hopes of bringing her baby home.

Though, Lanza countered by saying that appearing on a national show may help, but talking to police will help more.

He said, “To me, they haven't fully cooperated and answered the questions that need to be answered, at least at from what police are saying. So, to me, it's not unusual for the focus to still be on them."

Lanza thinks Lisa’s parents have chosen the focus of the investigation because of their reported refusal to be cooperative.

Though, Bradley sees the situation very differently.

She said to Dr. Phil, “To me, it's just nonsense. It's just picking my words apart. When he came in the room that morning and said the lights were on in the house, it was a total exaggeration.”

Bradley feels targeted by police and the community.

Irwin continued, “There are also a lot of people out there who don't have a lot of information and make ridiculous accusations.”

Lanza’s advice is for the couple to stop looking on the Internet, if they are getting offended about what they’re reading.

Irwin was also critical of the relationship between the FBI and police in Kansas City. In Lanza’s experience, the two agencies have a history of working well together.

He added, “Investigators, FBI and police are fact finder. If they're doing it right, they're not coming in with a preconceived notion of a crime.”

By Friday evening, police reported they received more than 120 tips on Baby Lisa. In the last month, they received just seven.

NBC Action News tried to talk to Bradley and Jeremy Irwin at their home Friday, but they wouldn't answer the door.

If you know anything about what happened to Baby Lisa, call the Tips Hotline at 816-797-TIPS.