Bay Search Has 'Certain Objectives' in Peterson Case
Bay Search Has 'Certain Objectives' in Peterson Case
Divers searched San Francisco Bay Friday.
Tony Russomanno
As investigators wrapped up an underwater search Friday in the Laci Peterson case, Modesto police remained vague about the details.
Divers searched the area in the San Francisco Bay near where Peterson's body was found. But the only thing anyone directly connected with the search would say is that police have "certain objectives."
"The fact that they're suddenly re-dredging the bay again for the third time makes me wonder possibly do they have some information that there's something else there," said criminal defense attorney Maureen Baldwin.
There may be a weapon, or a weight used to hold down Laci Peterson's body.
"Part of the reason for putting a body in the bay is to obscure the cause of death," said San Francisco coroner Boyd Stephens. "So the way to resolve that is to spend the time and effort and pick up any trace evidence that's present."
But it's not like finding and picking up evidence on land. The divers are working in zero visibility. A technique commonly used was seen last year in a search for evidence in a creek by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department dive team.
"We use a tether line and we have up to four divers," said Lt. Dale Unger, dive team commander. "We're basically feeling hand to hand, crawling on the ground hand to hand, and if it's a body they were trying to find that by bumping into him."
Human remains found in the water could help determine the time of death. San Francisco coroner Boyd Stephens placed donated cadavers in different parts of the Bay in the 1970s to see how changes in tides and water temperature affected decomposition and how long it took the bay's small marine life to attach itself to bones.
"Those can be pretty good markers," Stephens said.
But the search's "certain objectives" mentioned by police may not be an object at all. It may be an attempt to block a charge of police bias against Scott Peterson. Baldwin says Peterson's attorney may be attempting to show that police did not look for evidence that could clear Peterson.
"Sometimes an attorney may play a card, may make a suggestion and see whether or not the police follow up on it," she said.
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