Parents of missing Missouri infant say they are helping police (VIDEO)

The parents of a missing 10-month-old Missouri girl late Thursday have disputed claims they had stopped cooperating with detectives, a relative said.

The AP reports:

A woman who identified herself as Ashley Irwin, sister of Jeremy Irwin, read a statement on behalf of her brother and Deborah Bradley, parents of missing infant Lisa Irwin.

"We have never stopped cooperating with the police. We've been cooperative from day one and we continue to assist the police with the investigation," the statement said. "The main goal has always been to find Lisa and bring her home. That remains the sole focus of the parents."

Irwin and Bradley had been working with Kansas City police after reporting the disappearance of Lisa overnight Monday. 

However, the couple, who said Lisa Irwin was snatched from her crib, had changed course, police spokesman Steve Young said, CNN reports.

"I don't have to illustrate how that affects the investigation," Young reportedly said. "It speaks for itself."

However, Ashley Irwin said the parents wanted to thank police and the community and would release another statement on Friday.

Kansas City, Missouri, police Capt. Steve Young had said at a Thursday evening news conference that the pair had stopped assisting police in the investigation.

"I don't have to illustrate how that affects the investigation," Young said of the development. "It speaks for itself."

Irwin and Bradley are not considered suspects, Young said, Reuters reports.

However he said, the parents' claim that whoever took their daughter also stole their cellphones hadn't produced any leads. The couple said all three of their cellphones were taken the night Lisa went missing. 

Investigators were focusing Thursday on a heavily wooded area, with around 100 officers involved in the search.

There are no suspects in the case. Irwin and Bradley, however, say they have given a list of more than a dozen suspects they believe may have taken Lisa, the IBT reports.

Irwin described to reporters Thursday how he discovered Lisa was gone when he returned home from work about 4 a.m. Tuesday morning.

"The windows were open and lights were on and she was nowhere to be found," Irwin said on ABC's "Good Morning America" show. "We've been going over everything in our minds. We just don't have any idea."

He reportedly also said: "She's everything… She's our little girl. She's completed our family, and she means everything to my boys. We need her home. I can't be without her."