On December 24, 2002, Laci Peterson was last seen by her husband "supposidly" in their Modesto, California home. Her husband, Scott claimed that after he went out fishing that Laci was gone when he arrived home. Laci was 7 1/2 months pregnant when she became missing. A massive search was launched for Laci, but to no avail, she was not found.
Early on, police were suspecting foul play in Laci's disappearance, but the family was not told this until sometime later. Their main focus was also that of Laci's husband, Scott. Something did not seem right about his behavior and statements.
One phone called the course of the investigation. That was the call of Amber Frey calling to tell police that she had been seeing a man that she believed was Scott Peterson. She would tell police that Scott had told her that he was unmarried. The plot began to thicken in the disappearance of Laci. Scott Peterson would begin a series of phone calls to Amber Frey and his calls were being recorded by police. The tapes would later reveal a twisted mind and plenty of deceit. It seemed that Scott Peterson was living a double life. Was this double life, a possible motive for murder? How could it be murder, when Laci was only "
MISSING"?
With the tape recorded calls with Amber Frey now out in the open, the family of Laci Peterson forever severed ties with the son-in-law that they first thought was not capable of being involved with Laci's disappearance.
Approximately four months later, a person walking a dog along the shoreline of the San Franscisco Bay would find a badly decomposed body of a baby. Not too far up the shore, a torso was found. DNA testing would reveal that the baby and torso was that of Laci Peterson and her unborn child. The family of Laci's greatest fear had come to pass. Laci obviously had been murdered and evidence continued to mount against her husband, Scott.
Shortly after the discovery of the bodies of Laci and Conner, Scott Peterson was playing a game of cat and mouse with the police in San Diego, California, which is not far at all from the Mexico line. He was arrested at the Torrey Pines golf course. Inside Peterson's vehicle, there was $15,000 cash, all kinds of clothing, his brother's passport, and his appearance had changed dramatically. Scott had grown a beard (which is something a lot of men do) and his hair color had gone from brown to a bleached blonde. Was Peterson about to make a run for the Mexican border when he was stopped by police?
Peterson's trial began in 2004 and it was a huge event. Every channel carried updates on the trial of the man who murdered his wife and baby. Everyone listenend carefully as the Amber Frey tapes were played. In one word, the whole case of Laci Peterson and her husband's double life was "amazing". How could anybody be twisted and sick?
In November of 2004, the jury came back with a verdict that most of America was listening to. That verdict was GUILTY! Just a few weeks later, the judge accepted the jury's sentence of DEATH. He now resides on San Quentin's Death Row in California.
There are many questions still left unanswered about the death of Laci Peterson, but at least Scott Peterson was going to be made to answer for his crimes against his wife and unborn child.
Every year since this happened, as Christmas Eve arrives, I think of Laci Peterson and her family. What a horrible time to pull a stunt like this. What a reminder this must be for Laci's family. That one phone call that changed their lives forever.
Just recently, Sharon Rocha was awarded Laci's life insurance money. Scott Peterson tried to get his murdered wife's money. That was yet another example of why this man is right where he belongs. Sharon also has a book set for release on January 3, 2006 about Laci's murder. Sharon says that she wanted to tell the story that the news and others did not. This will be a first hand experience of the nightmare she went through. The book's title is called "For Laci". This is a book that I'm sure I'll pick up the day it's released.
Today my mind goes back to that 2002 Christmas Eve and the days following the disapearance of Laci. This was a senseless crime that could've all been avoided with a simple divorce. I hope that Laci's family can find some sort of peace and understanding as this anniversary arrives yet again.
For more information on the case of Laci Peterson visit:
www.LaciPeterson.Comwww.FindLaci2003.Us
On Dec. 30, 1999, authorities were alerted that there was house on fire in Welsh Oklahoma. Upon arrival to the residence, it appeared that this was not just a normal fire. Two people were later found shot to death and there were two teenagers missing. Those teens were Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible.
