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It’s been almost thirty years. People still talk about that morning in Valrico, Florida, like it was yesterday. November 24, 1997. Marlene Aisenberg walks into the kitchen, sees the laundry room door ajar, and then the garage door open. She runs to the crib. It's empty. Five-month-old Sabrina is just... gone.
Honestly, the case became a circus almost immediately. You've probably seen the old footage of the parents, Steve and Marlene, looking "too calm" or smiling at the wrong time. The public turned on them fast. But if you’re looking for the Sabrina Aisenberg DNA results that finally end the mystery, the truth is a lot more complicated—and a lot more frustrating—than a simple "yes" or "no."
The Women Who Thought They Were Sabrina
Since the advent of consumer genetic testing, several young women have come forward believing they were the missing infant. It makes sense. If you’re a woman in your mid-twenties with no baby pictures and a vague history, you’d wonder too.
In 2018, the case caught fire again. Two different women contacted the Aisenbergs. One of them had a story that gave everyone chills: she had no photos of herself before age one, her birthday was within days of Sabrina’s, and she discovered she was using a Social Security number belonging to someone in California.
ABC’s 20/20 did a massive special on it. Everyone held their breath for the Sabrina Aisenberg DNA results. The Aisenbergs, who have kept a bedroom waiting for Sabrina in their Maryland home all these years, were hopeful.
But the tests came back. Negative. Both of them.
It wasn't the first time, either. Back in 2003, there was "Paloma," a young girl found abandoned in Mexico and brought to Texas. A woman who knew the Aisenbergs saw a photo and swore the resemblance was uncanny. Again, DNA was the ultimate judge. Again, it wasn't her.
Why the DNA Search is Still Active in 2026
The Aisenbergs haven't stopped. They’re basically experts in forensic genealogy at this point. They’ve uploaded their own profiles to every major database you can think of—Ancestry, 23andMe, the works.
Basically, they are waiting for a "ping."
If Sabrina is out there, and if she ever takes a DNA test for fun or to learn about her heritage, the system will immediately flag a parent-child match. It’s a digital dragnet that runs 24/7.
The Messy Reality of the Investigation
The reason this case is such a wound for the Tampa area is because of how badly the initial investigation was handled. The police were convinced the parents did it. They bugged the Aisenberg’s home for 79 days and claimed they caught the couple confessing on tape.
Except they didn't.
When the tapes finally got to a judge, they were so garbled they were basically white noise. The judge didn't just dismiss the charges; he shredded the investigators. He called their "transcripts" pure fiction. The Aisenbergs eventually won a $2.9 million settlement from the government because the prosecution was so "frivolous."
Yet, the stigma stuck.
What the evidence actually showed:
- Unidentified blonde hair found near the crib.
- Seven unidentified fingerprints inside the house.
- A shoe print that didn't match Steve or Marlene.
- A neighbor’s dog barking at 1:00 AM.
- The neighbor hearing a baby crying in the distance.
None of this pointed to the parents, but it did point to an intruder. Some people still think it was a "stolen to order" kidnapping. Others think she was taken by someone who desperately wanted a child.
Where the Case Stands Today
As of early 2026, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office still considers this an open investigation, though "cold" is the more accurate term. There was a recent push by attorneys to get access to old files that the police have kept sealed for decades.
The Aisenbergs live in Maryland now. They work in real estate. They’ve raised their other two children, William and Monica, who are now well into adulthood. But they still check the databases. They still look at the age-progression photos released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The most recent age-progression shows a woman in her late 20s with a distinct resemblance to Marlene.
What You Can Actually Do
If you’re following this because you think you might have a lead or because you’ve seen someone who looks like those age-progression sketches, the advice from forensic experts is always the same.
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- Don't rely on "the look." Human memory and facial recognition are famously unreliable over 25+ years.
- Encourage DNA testing. If you know someone who has holes in their childhood history or suspicious birth records, a simple commercial DNA kit is the most effective tool we have.
- Check for the birthmark. Sabrina had a very specific Y-shaped birthmark on the back of one of her shoulders.
The Aisenbergs have stated repeatedly that they don't want "justice" in the form of a prison sentence for whoever took her—they just want to know where she is. They want to know she’s okay. Until a DNA test says otherwise, they’re going to keep that bedroom ready.
Actionable Step: If you or someone you know has a murky history regarding their adoption or birth in the Florida area circa 1997, the most direct path to resolution is submitting a DNA sample to a major public database like GEDmatch, which law enforcement and search organizations use to cross-reference missing person profiles.