KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Specially trained cadaver dogs detected the scent of a dead person in the home of missing Kansas City, Mo., toddler Lisa Irwin, court documents showed.
"The cadaver dog indicated a positive 'hit' for the scent of a deceased human" in an area of the floor of [Lisa's mother Deborah] Bradley's bedroom near the bed," The Kansas City Star reported an affidavit filed Friday in Clay County Circuit Court revealed.
The attorney representing Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, the father of the 11-month-old who disappeared from their home Oct. 3, said cadaver dogs may be misleading police, ABC News reported.
"My understanding is that there are cold cases where dogs have hit on scents of decomposition that have been in the home for as long as 28 years," said attorney Cyndy Short. "This is an old home; 63 years old. There could be a lot of other explanations for that."
Authorities have not given details about the significance of the cadaver dog's findings or anything found during the subsequent search of the home, the Star said.
"The state wanted this sealed so that there wouldn't be wild speculation or people over-analyzing or mis-analyzing the information," said Short. "We're not concerned about it. We believe Lisa is alive and will be found. This is a distraction and we continue to support this family and its search for Lisa."
