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

[homeschool mama]

**Interesting. And where were YOU on Dec. 24th? **

An hour north of Modesto if I drive 75. :o/ Oh, and my sister lives a couple blocks from the Peterson's. Ooops.

[Rheo]

Numerous items of jewelry including large-carat rubies and diamonds....totaling $50k per news articles.

They were lucky they didn't have gifts under the tree...or at least no mention of them.

[alexandria]

They did. I heard about jewelery worth $50K on first report. Then later they only mentioned electronics equipment. Finally the THIRD report I heard on the house being burglarized they said jewelery, guns, and safe gone.
You can bet that when they took the "portable" safe, they did not expect the HAUL they had. After all most people only get those safes to protect important documents from fires.
As for the other question, I would have to know her address or close to. La Loma Ave. is a long street but it is within walking distance to where the dog went, although I personnally wouldn't want to walk there, not alone.

[alexandria]

Oohhh...my hubby wanted one of those for Christmas.

Shhhh! So did Rheo... :o}

[Rheo]

Ah..ok...haven't read anything about the electronic stuff in the papers....thanks!

[Rheo]

Ha!...I have a Ryobi drill and would not buy another one..no guts...next one is going to be a 18v Makita or Porter Cable.:-)

[homeschool mama]

***Ha!...I have a Ryobi drill and would not buy another one..no guts...next one is going to be a 18v Makita or Porter Cable.:-)

Oh my...didja hear that, Fidgit? Good thing I didn't get you one. Ha!

[alexandria]

Ha!...I have a Ryobi drill and would not buy another one..no guts...next one is going to be a 18v Makita or Porter Cable.:-)

LOL! What a woman! Makita? No way! My Craftsman drill would stomp all over a Makita, and well...I REALLY like the leather holster that I got to go with it! ;o}

[Searching4Justice]

It would be difficult to transport an 8.5 month pregnant lady without someone seeing something.

If he had her in the trunk he could have stopped on any bridge and dumped the body over the side. I smell something fishy as this fish story doesnt seem to hold water, her ready to have a baby and he is thinking fishing ? Is this how you prepare for a newborn ? Besides fish I smell a rat........

[Vic3O3]

Actually, term is considered 40 wks, not 38, although any baby born from 37 wks on, is usually healthy as though they had remained in utero for the full 40 wks.

As for ruining others hunting, we hunt only private land and we are the only hunters on it. Since 1st labors are usually lengthy, (mine was 36 hrs, at 41 wks gestation...)it wasn't an issue. Besides, the land I hunted last year was about 40 min CLOSER to the hospital than my home!

So...had I actually begun the lengthy process of labor while sitting on the ground waiting for bambi to wander by, I'd have simply waited a bit to make sure it wasn't false labor (very common at the end of a pregnancy), then walked back to the truck (in the hospital they made us walk 1 mile that first day, just to try to speed things up! Yes we measured it out...)with my husband who was in the field with me, and driven in to be checked out, or back home to get the go-kit, and let the dog out and called the in-laws, and then on to the hospital. Oh, and there wasn't any yelling or screaming that I remember, unless it was in the last 3 hrs of the event...You'd have to check w/my husband on that.

[Vic3O3]

STOLEN PROPERTY Tec 9 mm semiautomatic handgun

Beretta .380-caliber handgun

Hmm...Tec 9, and a .380 auto...well, they probably didn't shoot her to death with that "arsenal". Having fired a Tec9, they'd be lucky to hit her at all from 5yds! And I always recall the burgerjoint shooting a few years back where an employee was shot 5x with a .380 auto and was in stable condition following...

Besides, aren't Tec 9's outlawed in Kalifornia now by Gov. Greyout?

[runningbear]

on the burgarly, if not pros or even semi pros, depending on criminal's age bracket, hard to rid of jewlery. Most may likely find it to be sold in the streets, or redone by some shop. If younger age crowd did the stealing, than the jewlery will be sold to those the thieves know to pawn them off for what ever cash they can get. If they are dumb, and the jewlery is of quality, than they be stupid to take to a gemologist or pawn them at a shop. I believe San Jose Police has ways to pull up information from pawn shops to see if stuff was sold, and send off alerts of stolen items to all.

[runningbear]

Yeah, that is what I thought on the Tech 9, because of Califonia 101(?) incident in SF several years ago, on that crazy suicidal gunman, who shot up that building housing law offices. I believe the infamous Sen. Feinstein had the dirty deeds on that bill. I thought I saw a pic of her holding that type of weapon many years ago. So when I saw this item, I went, hummmmm, are thee homeowners of this theft going to get a little scared for having a Ca illegal weapon?

[runningbear]

hey, just a thought, is anybody linking all these stories so we can link on something that was prior posts, and stories?

[texasbluebell]

bttt

[homeschool mama]

Good info...thank you.

[homeschool mama]

***So...had I actually begun the lengthy process of labor while sitting on the ground waiting for bambi to wander by, I'd have simply waited a bit to make sure it wasn't false labor (very common at the end of a pregnancy), then walked back to the truck (in the hospital they made us walk 1 mile that first day, just to try to speed things up! Yes we measured it out...)with my husband who was in the field with me, and driven in to be checked out, or back home to get the go-kit, and let the dog out and called the in-laws, and then on to the hospital. Oh, and there wasn't any yelling or screaming that I remember, unless it was in the last 3 hrs of the event...You'd have to check w/my husband on that. ***

:o)

[dd5339]

"Like I said, she was being selfish and inconsiderate."

Not really as I was the only other person hunting that piece of PRIVATE ground.

I'm also sure, had she gone into labor out there that her Aunt would have made an exception to the no vehicle rule and let me drive the truck in!

And having survived a 36 hour labor of my heavily armed wife, there was no screaming and yelling, execpt in joy at the last. In fact she announced the onset of labor, her water breaking, with normal conversation.

Besides all of that, it's been my experience that deer will be more spooked by idiot road hunters/poachers than any amount of stomping around in the woods.

Semper Fi

[pbear8]

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.

This is a good theory except that you must go out at least one nautical mile from the Berkeley Marina before the water gets deep. This puts you right in front of the Coast Guard on Yerba Buena and the Bay Bridge and the cameras Vessel Traffic has all over there plus the ferries which transit all the time. We had a tall ship come in too. The area is just too exposed. I'll try to go and take a picture tomorrow (Friday).

[pbear8]

Nautical chart of Berkeley Marina (soundings in feet):