Lisa Steinberg
Six-year-old Lisa Steinberg was beaten to death by Joel Steinberg, her illegal adoptive father, in their Greenwich Village apartment. Her abuse had been ongoing. Hedda Nussbaum, Steinberg's battered partner who was present during the beating, was granted immunity for her testimony. Steinberg was convicted of manslaughter.
Lisa Steinberg is documented in the ColdCaseIndex database as a homicide case in New York City, New York. The events are dated to November 2, 1987. The victim is recorded as 6 years old and female. The last known information on record places the case at November 2, 1987, apartment in Greenwich Village, NYC.
Within the ColdCaseIndex taxonomy, Lisa Steinberg is filed under Homicide with a status of Conviction. A homicide entry documents a killing in which the perpetrator has not been identified, has not been convicted, or where the case is otherwise historically notable. The record is cross-referenced under the themes child, homicide, child abuse, New York, conviction, which connect it to related cases across the database.
The Lisa Steinberg case ended in a criminal conviction. It is retained in this index as a historically significant case — one whose investigation, prosecution, or aftermath shaped forensic practice, criminal law, or the public understanding of violent crime.
Primary jurisdiction for the Lisa Steinberg case rests with local law enforcement in New York City, supported by New York state investigative authorities. The case sits within a wider national picture: the U.S. homicide clearance rate has fallen from roughly 90% in the 1960s to about 54% today, and more than 346,000 homicides recorded since 1965 remain unsolved. ColdCaseIndex documents individual cases like this one to keep them publicly visible and searchable.
Curated starting points for verifying and researching this case. Direct references are checked; search links are provided as further-reading aids. ColdCaseIndex is an index of public information — see a case correction? Email info@coldcaseindex.com.
Have Information About This Case?
Cold cases are solved when someone comes forward. Even a detail that seems minor can matter. If you have any information about this case, contact law enforcement through one of these channels:
- FBI Tips (tips.fbi.gov) — submit a tip online to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
- The local police department or sheriff's office in New York, or the state bureau of investigation
Tips can usually be submitted anonymously. To report an error on this page, email info@coldcaseindex.com.