Police say foul play likely (Laci Peterson)

Modesto Bee ^ | January 1, 2003 Posted: 06:02:00 AM PST | By PATRICK GIBLIN

[vikingchick]

A week after Laci Peterson disappeared, Modesto police said Tuesday that foul play had become the main focus of the investigation.

Detective Jon Buehler said other possibilities had not been ruled out.

But, he said, "as we continue to profile Laci's background, gather witness statements, recognize her close relationship with family and friends, investigate the circumstances of her disappearance, and in view of the timing with the holiday season, it is becoming more apparent that her disappearance is the result of foul play."

Police spokesman Doug Ridenour said: "We are hopeful that we will find her alive. But seven days after the fact, we are not as optimistic."

Peterson, 27 and pregnant, has been missing since Christmas Eve. Her husband, Scott, 30, said he last saw her at 9:30 a.m. when he departed their La Loma neighborhood home en route to San Francisco Bay to go fishing.

At a news conference Tuesday, police said they had confirmed the validity of a time-stamped parking receipt, presented by Peterson, from a vending machine at Berkeley Marina, which is where he said he launched his aluminum boat in the hours after he last saw his wife.

Peterson said he departed as his wife prepared to go to East La Loma Park, not far from their Covena Avenue home, for a walk with their golden retriever.

Police said Saturday that their investigation had led them to doubt whether Peterson ever made it to the park. They believe she disappeared between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.

Ridenour said police still have no strong leads. Two more seemed to fizzle Tuesday:

Video surveillance tapes from Copeland's sporting goods store on McHenry Avenue showed that Peterson did not shop there on Christmas Eve. Monday, police said they had received a credible tip that she had been there in the afternoon.

Detectives said it seemed less likely that a burglary across the street from Peterson's home had anything to do with her disappearance. The timing does not seem to fit, detectives said. The burglary occurred some time between 10:30 a.m. Dec 24 and 4 p.m. Dec. 26.

Witnesses reported that they saw three suspicious-looking people in front of the home at about 11:40 a.m. Dec. 24, Detective George Stough said. That sighting was more than an hour after a neighbor found Peterson's dog -- with leash attached -- wandering in the neighborhood.

Still, police said they could not discount a connection, and they again announced a $1,000 reward for information leading to suspects in the burglary.

Police described the possible burglars as short, dark-skinned men. They were seen in an older, full-size van, either tan or light brown, with one or two doors in the rear.

Detectives especially want to know if the burglars were not involved in Peterson's disappearance. "If we got a call from the suspects saying that they saw something happening over there but they are afraid to come in, we might be able to work out a deal," Stough said.

Police launched their search soon after Peterson reported her missing at about 6 p.m. Christmas Eve.

Ridenour would not comment on whether Scott Peterson had taken or been asked to take a lie detector test. Such an examination would be part of the investigation, and as such he said he could not comment.

"It would be wonderful to be able to eliminate Scott from the investigation," Ridenour said. "Mr. Peterson is still considered a suspect." In fact, no one has been ruled out, police have said.

Peterson's relatives said Tuesday that he had hired an attorney. Securing legal representation is not unusual in cases like this one.

Police started their search at East La Loma Park and the rest of Dry Creek Regional Park, and later went to Tuolumne River Regional Park. Police also have checked parts of the Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers, and the wetlands where the rivers empty into the San Joaquin River.

Tuesday, volunteers continued to check various neighborhoods, moving to Salida and Ceres, Sgt. Ron Cloward said.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department dive team searched parts of the California Aqueduct and the Delta Mendota Canal, as well as the Fox Grove Fishing Access on the Tuolumne River near Hughson and the

Orange Blossom Recreation Area on the Stanislaus River outside of Oakdale.

Police are continuing their effort to talk to 155 known sex offenders who live in southeast Modesto. Some of them listed the Modesto Union Gospel Mission on Yosemite Boulevard as their residence, but were not there when police came calling.

In an effort to locate them, officers planned today to go by horseback to homeless camps.

The police tips line is 342-6166.

Bee staff writer Patrick Giblin can be reached at 578-2347 or pgiblin@modbee.com

[runningbear]

I do 171 miles each work day from Modesto to San Jose and back...

[Scupoli]

I do not know how you do it. I go to SF once or twice a month and the traffic is hellish. I can't imagine doing that everyday. I'd go nuts.

[Scupoli]

I wonder if/how many back roads there are to get to the Bay area. Any commuters out there know?

[Rheo]

Where was the van tho when the neighbor returned the dog and muddy leash at 10:30am?..did she just not notice it but then someone else did at 11:40am?

I cannot help thinking that there was no burglary...but an opportunity for insurance fraud....I'm sooo suspicious!<

[runningbear]

Further in the end of this posted Modbee.com story, is a list of the stolen property:

STOLEN PROPERTY Tec 9 mm semiautomatic handgun

Beretta .380-caliber handgun

Ryobi drill -- bluish-green in color

Campbell-Hausfeld Pneumatic Tool Kit

Canon AE-1 35 mm Camera

Gucci woman's watch

Louis Vuitton purse

Firefyter safe -- model FF2500

Numerous items of jewelry including large-carat rubies and diamonds

Items stolen from the house of the Medina's.

[alexandria]

looking at the time frame, it appears as though he might have been able to take off from the Berkeley Marina, cruise out into the ocean in any direction (2 hours there and back), and dump the body.

I don't know much about boating but wouldn't it be kind of difficult to make good headway "into the ocean" with an aluminum boat? The water in the bay always looks choppy to me, because of the wind guess. Although the boat would be a great place to stash the body for ride to dumpsite.
The possibility that she was killed and dumped BEFORE that morn is very compelling, especially since police think that the prior "eye-witnesses" are mistaken. Remember, another "credible" witness reported seeing her at Copeland Sports. Officers veiwed store video yesterday (?) and discounted this.
As someone asked earlier, who besides the husband can tell us WHEN they last saw her. Even if it was a neighbor that saw her in her yard, driveway, or even checking her mailbox?

[runningbear]

I just get jiggy with it...lol..

Actually when I started this commute thing, I left a normal time. Hated it! The Sunol Grade crunch just got to me, and to top it off, I did that ride share thing, and boy did it bring back my bad driving habits. ;o)

Now, I leave at the unthinkable hour, 0340 hours just to get out of the full commute crunch. Successful so far, but much wear and tear on the vehicles.

ooops! should I have given out a better to avoid the crunch time departure?... lol

[runningbear]

your map guides are the County of Alameda and Santa Clara Thomas guides to lead you to anyplace there is a road!

Well, these counties for me at least.

[reloader]

"I do not know how you do it. I go to SF once or twice a month and the traffic is hellish. I can't imagine doing that everyday. I'd go nuts"

Man, I don't know how you could live out there.
My town has 1800 people and it's 50 miles to the nearest Wall-Mart.

Happy New Year All !!

[Rheo]

Thanks for that list!....also the SF Chronicle lists $3000 in cash that was in the safe.

[vikingchick]

Actually I've changed my 'theory' LOL since getting more info to a possible body dump (sorry....how else can I say it?) in the actual Bay itself. He didn't HAVE to go out into the ocean, the Bay is vast, the Bay is deep enough in most places). I'm no oceanographer LOL but it seems to me it's not completely IMPROBABLE for somebody to take their boat to the middle of the Bay, furtively look around for observers, seeing none, then pushing something over the side of the boat.

Better than dumping in a river or lake (it would be found soon enough); better than burying it in known places (bloodhounds set loose, and digging makes too obvious of landmarks.)

What then? The Bay! [I'm thinking like a criminal here....so sue me.] The body could be swept out to the ocean, or sink right into the deep mud at the bottom.

Sorry if this offends any sensitive individuals out there. I am not responsible for my imagination.

DISCLAIMER: I am not saying this is what actually happened. It could be something else entirely. I am guessing. I am not always right.

[pbear8]

Did they take the safe or break into it? (Not much of a safe if they broke in).

[sunshine state]

Full term pregnancy is 40 weeks. Plus, what yelling and screaming are you talking about? Not everyone does that during labor.

[Rheo]

Sounds like they took the whole safe from the reports and the list that runningbear put up.

[BARLF]

Hi Rheo...........just marking my spot. LOL

[Rheo]

Hi BARLF...hope you are well!

[alexandria]

Crowslanding Rd. is definately a "rural" type route. I grew up riding horses not too far from there and attended BBQ's w/ the local horseman's club at "Catfish Camp" which is a small parklike area next to the river.
It is farther south than where Crowslanding meets Fink Rd. and then Hwy. 5, but I used to drive that way many times.
There is minimal traffic before Hwy. 5 (next to none) and a quick look at mapquest.com just now shows 6-7 canals and 2-3 rivers. Granted SOME of those canals are small but they are all remote.
The area where Crowslanding Rd. crosses River Rd., and from what I remember almost all the way to Hwy 5, the road runs real close to the river sometimes next to it until it reaches Hwy 5.
If he knew this area AT ALL I would not find it hard to belive he could very well pull over, check for cars, get the body out of the boat/truck, walk to the fence seperating the edge of road with river, throw her body over fence, do another quick check for cars before jumping over himself, pick up body and walk into trees/bushes to river edge or close by and dump her.
If he covererd her up with bushes or even old tree branches you would have to almost walk OVER her before she would be seen. BTW you see MANY people, especially men with boats on trailers, stopped by the side of the road on this streach. Think about it. If it is secluded enough for a "nature call" and only at times 10-20 feet MAX distance from road what better place?

[Scupoli]

My town has 1800 people and it's 50 miles to the nearest Wall-Mart.

I'm guessing you don't have a traffic problem;-)

[Scupoli]

Hmmm, unless the safe was not well hidden, how would the burglars know where it was? They either had to know when the residents would be gone and for how long, or they knew the inside of that place.

[alexandria]

I cannot help thinking that there was no burglary...but an opportunity for insurance fraud....I'm sooo suspicious!

Tell me about it! I got an hours worth of scolding when I slipped and "wondered" out loud if maybe the woman and some "friends" robbed the neighbor and just split as they had planned already.
It got worse when I said, "No! Scratch that. "Maybe she was having an affair and, after they flee to Mexico, he (a hero) "rescues" her from the mean awful bad guys in a chance encounter." They take an easy $500K home.

Channel 13 now saying they are scaling back search.