Attorney Cyndi Short to Assist in Prominent Missing Baby Case

The case, which involves a missing 11-month- old who disappeared from her crib, made headlines around the nation since the story broke earlier this month. Late last week a cadaver dog alerted to a scent in one of the bedrooms of the Kansas City home where baby Lisa Irwin lived with her parents and two half-brothers. Coupled with the fact that Bradley admitted to being drunk on the night of the infant's disappearance, many are questioning whether the parent's might be more heavily involved in the matter than they are willing to admit. And that is exactly where Short comes in. She, along with Tacopina, are working hard to keep the parents above suspicion. Short has been fielding questions from the media on the behalf of her clients, and has already proved to be a powerful ally to both Bradley and Irwin.

Of course, this is nothing new to Short, who is a skilled trial consultant. She is particularly experienced in the areas of criminal defense, death penalty mitigation, serious felonies, murder cases, and sexual abuse cases and has achieved dismissals, acquittals, and even an exoneration in a 2000 death penalty case that she worked on.


Short's legal career began at a small firm but took on new life when she was appointed to represent an underprivileged woman who, according to the federal government, had tried to assassinate Jesse Jackson during his 1988 presidential campaign. Inspired by the case, Short spend the next 15 years as a public defender, serving those most in need. She started in the trial division but was eventually transferred to the capital litigation division where she spent almost ten years as the head of the office.

Short has received several awards, including the 1997 Lon O. Hocker Memorial Trial Award which was presented by the Missouri Bar for her superior trial work. In 1998 the state of Missouri presented Short with the Defender of Distinction Award for her commitment to serving underprivileged individuals facing serious charges.

In addition to her other obligations, Short has served as a faculty member of the Trial Lawyers College since 1997 and a member of the Alumni Board of Directors since 2004. She is also a member of the Association of Trial Attorneys of America, the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. She holds a JD from Saint Louis University School of Law and a BS in Political Science from St. Mary's College in Indiana.