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Investigators Follow New Leads In 1997 Child Disappearance

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By STEVEN GIRARDI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 26, 2008

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  Scott Overbeck

VALRICO - Hillsborough County sheriff's investigators have been following new leads in the disappearance of Sabrina Aisenberg, whose parents reported her missing from her crib nearly 11 years ago.

Neighbors who lived near Steve and Marlene Aisenberg at the time of their 5-month-old's November 1997 disappearance said Hillsborough County sheriff's detectives were in the neighborhood about one or two months ago. Charles Jones, who lived next to the couple on Springville Drive, said the officers showed him a sheet of mugs shots and asked if he recognized anyone. He said he didn't.

"They didn't tell me very much. They did tell me they might solve the case in a couple months," Jones said. "I'm very skeptical about them solving the case. I mean, I hope they do, but it's been a long time."

The sheriff's office was generally tight-lipped about the case but said they were following leads including some generated by Dennis Byron, who was once jailed with Scott D. Overbeck, 44. Overbeck is in custody on charges that include cocaine possession, obstructing an officer and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

"This is an active, ongoing investigation," says Tony Peluso, deputy chief legal adviser to Sheriff David Gee and the primary legal adviser in this case.

Peluso would not elaborate on the leads.

"I am not authorized to give any timelines or hints about when this investigation might conclude."

Byron said two detectives approached him at a Lake Butler prison processing center and asked about Sabrina's disappearance, court transcripts state. He said he told them what he knew.

He said in transcripts that Hillsborough County deputies brought him to jail in December 2007. At the time, he said, he wore a wire and got information from Overbeck. He said he passed a polygraph test about what he knew. By helping, he said, he was supposed to be allowed to stay out of prison. The transcript didn't say what information he obtained from Overbeck.

Byron was arrested in December 2006 after deputies said he intentionally tried striking a deputy's vehicle with his vehicle. After wearing the wire, he was taken out of jail and placed in a drug program.

He left the program. He told law enforcement he fled because Overbeck was a motorcycle gang member and that he was scared that news had spread that he had served as an informant against Overbeck. He was arrested in Lee County and sentenced to nearly 70 months in prison because he had violated terms of his release.

The Aisenbergs couldn't be reached for comment. The couple, who now live in Maryland, were once arrested on charges they lied to investigators about their daughter's disappearance. The charges were dropped, however, after U.S. Magistrate Mark Pizzo threw out key evidence — audiotapes of bugged conversations — because he said investigators had lied to get permission for the bugs and then lied about the conversations they captured.

The Aisenbergs' attorney, Barry Cohen of Tampa, declined comment today but said he might issue a statement Monday.

Overbeck's attorney, Dino Michaels, said he did not want to comment in depth, but he did not foresee Overbeck being charged in Sabrina's disappearance.

"Right now, Scott is not charged in relation to that," he said. "This is more baseless speculation."

Overbeck is the U.S. Marshals Service's custody because of a pending federal charge, Michaels said.

Editor Howard Altman and reporters Valerie Kalfrin and Josh Poltilove contributed to this report. Reporter Steven Girardi may be reached at (727) 451-2333 or sgirardi@tampatrib.com.

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