What Was Home Like for Little Lisa?

By Lynn A. Granata

Michelle Launders gave birth to Lisa on May 14, 1981. When this beautiful little red-haired Irish beauty left the hospital to be put into her new home, she was named Baby Launders.

Someone had dropped off the little infant at the Steinberg residence. There's no confirmed account as to the identity of who the person was.  It's been theorized that the gynecologist who brought Lisa into the world did. Nobody knows for sure whether or not if he knew that Steinberg wasn't going to make the proper arrangements to get Lisa legally adopted. Instead opting to keep her himself to raise? This was more than an illegal adoption. It was more of an infant kidnapping.

Hedda began to take to the baby immediately naming her Elizabeth "Lisa" Steinberg.  Hedda, apparently received too many shots to the head by Joel's fists by this time to understand that Joel's surname didn't have to be the name selected to use for Lisa. Steinberg didn't impregnate Hedda. This wasn't neither his nor her own child in way shape or form. 

And of course, unlike adoption agencies, who dutifully try to match babies given up for adoption right, will always match the parents to children with the same religion, nationality and background. If these two misfits were ever to go to an adoption agency themselves their chances of getting a baby would be 0. The unkempt house, Hedda's battered condition, Joel's shady business dealings, Joel's unhealthy high-strung prone personality, the lack of responsibility of the both of them, the lack of work stability on account of Hedda. Sorry, they wouldn't even be allowed to get passed the door.

At the time of this meeting, Hedda had just gotten released from the hospital. Joel had given her a severe beating. That he ruptured her spleen, and Hedda required emergency surgery to remove it. Who would want an infant in such an environment? To be Continued...