ABC 20/20 will air its investigation of the 1997 disappearance of five-month-old baby Sabrina Aisenberg, who is still missing. Twenty years ago Sabrina was taken from her crib in the middle of the night. At the time of her disappearance, authorities were suspicious of Sabrina’s parents, Steve and Marlene Aisenberg, of Tampa, Florida. A state circuit court authorized the wiretapping of their home in 1997 and 1998. When the Aisenbergs were subpoenaed at a grand jury, both pleaded the Fifth Amendment. In 2001, the indictment was dismissed. And in 2003, the district court awarded the Aisenbergs $2,680,602.22 in attorney’s fees and $195,670.32 in litigation expenses under the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment is a federal statute that allows federal courts to award attorneys’ fees and court costs to criminal defendants “where the court finds that the position of the United States was ‘vexatious, frivolous, or in bad faith.'”
According to 20/20, there is a possible new lead in the search for Sabrina, thanks to age progression images of Sabrina created by The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The images are based on photos of Sabrina and her siblings (a brother and a sister). The Aisenbergs are hopeful that Sabrina is still alive. In an act of hope, they’ve changed her bedroom (removed baby furniture and toys) so it’s ready for a 20-year-old to move in. ABC 20/20 airs Fridays at 10pm.
