Posted on 01/01/2003 10:53:24 AM PST by 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
Not only that, but didn't LE say yesterday that Laci didn't leave on foot, but by car? The bloodhound headed for the road, not the park. I still think that the husband got rid of his wife and unborn child. Like steveo posted; 9:30 is an odd time to be leaving for a fishing trip.
I'm hoping the Laci's husband didn't have anything to do with her disappearance. I prefer to bet on the theives across the street having something to do with Laci. Anymore though, you never know. What a twisted world we live in.
My neighbor is a fisherman and went fishing Christmas Eve morning...left about 8am...got back around 5pm...don't know where he went though...we live about 1-1/2 hours from Modesto and Berkeley.
We sure do. I think that the husband did have something to do with her disappearance, but I will certainly apologize if I'm wrong. Very sad.
It still seems to me too, too unlikely that two unrelated major crimes would occur by sheer chance in an up/mid-class neighborhood right across the street from each other the same day. I think you find the perps in one, you have found the perps in the other, even if somehow it WAS Mr Peterson, which I still put at only 10% chance.
It is a bit funny, though, that one poorly written sentence in the report in effect says, "we wish the burglars would come in and tell us what they saw going on across the street, as they were in process of committing their own crime."
Wow. :o)
What a kind and thoughtful brother you are! I looked at *all* the pictures...what a little cutie pie boy he is!
He claims he tried to call his wife 'once' after he was done fishing.
Now, she was eight and a half months pregnant and he should have been worried about her enough to call her more than once.
Besides, that, fishing is such a lonely sport, out there in the boat, all by himself, he surely had time to ring her up more than once?
I'd want to know if she had her own cell-phone and if he tried calling her family or friends when he couldn't reach her.
Hubbie isn't off the hook...
sw
The only thing he could possibly be fishing for is sturgeon or stripers, but they would he heading up the rivers due to the recent heavy rainfall.
Here on the east coast, at this time of year the flood is often the better, once the herring run starts. And while the general movement is upriver now here, heavy rain or snow sends them out toward the warmer ocean water. It would seem that it is inverted out there on the left coast as to temps at this time of year, is that correct?
sw
As civilized people, we cannot fathom the evil in some.
She *does* look sweet, doesn't she? Bless her heart.
Oops, they have a copyright. Is it okay if I post the link? Too late. LOL
The difficulty with that scenario is that he rented a 12-14 foot boat, hardly the vessel to spend time in the ocean much less even get to the ocean. And someone would have seen him you'd think?
Let's go with that. I don't think if he dumped any remains, they were whole..uggh. She was pregnant, and far enough along, the baby she was carrying could have survived, so I'll say dumped "two bodies", as unattractive as that sounds.
VC, I don't have a clue he did it, except what we all are talking about, and the police appear to be baffled also.
The poor girl disappeared without a trace it seems, and the only two possibilities are, she wanted to run away, OR she met with foul play.
But think about the cell phone. The ONE place you'd want to take your cell phone with you, would be out on the water...it's good in case of emergency, no?
Oh, but I'll bet he just "forgot" it in the truck :~)
sw
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