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Posted on 04/15/2003 12:28:41 PM PDT by tessalu
MARTINEZ, Calif. - An autopsy on the body of a woman that washed ashore found no obvious cause of death, the sheriff's department said Tuesday, and further testing is required to determine if it is that of Laci Peterson.
Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said it could take days or even weeks before experts determine the identities of the woman whose body was found Monday and of an infant found Sunday.
Peterson, who was 27 when she vanished in her hometown of Modesto, was eight months pregnant and had been due to give birth to a boy in February.
"We're still trying to find out the identity of the body, and ... whether or not there's any relationship between the adult female and the baby male," Contra Costa County sheriffs' spokesman Jimmy Lee said. "There is no obvious cause of death."
On Monday, the forensic pathologist took X-rays of the remains, did an external exam and removed and preserved any clothing on the body. Then the autopsy began, lasting for about four hours. Lee refused to comment on the condition of the woman's body and on how the body was dressed.
He said that as part of the investigation, officials have contacted an "eluviation" expert — someone who studies how water affects corpses.
"That person will analyze the body and should be able to tell us roughly how long that body's been in the water," Lee said.
Police in Modesto, who have been searching for Peterson for months, had been called in after the bodies were found.
"All it is at this point is they had a body wash up," said Modesto Sgt. Ron Cloward, who has headed the search. "We have no indication at this point that it has anything to do with Laci."
Peterson's husband, Scott Peterson, told police he last saw his wife the morning of Dec. 24 as she went out to walk the dog. He said he then went fishing at the Berkeley Marina, about three miles south of where the woman's body was found in Richmond by a woman walking her dog in a park.
The baby's body had surfaced about a mile away Sunday with his umbilical cord still attached. Authorities were also studying a bone found near the Berkeley Marina on Monday but had yet to figure out if it was human or animal.
Peterson's husband has been questioned about her disappearance but never named as a suspect. He admitted in January that he had an affair with another woman last year but denied any role in his wife's disappearance.
His attorney, Kirk McAllister, said he had told his client about the Monday's developments. "He's very concerned and broken up at the prospect that it might be his wife," said McAllister.
Ron Grantski, Laci Peterson's stepfather, told the San Francisco Chronicle that family members were going through a full range of emotions as they learned of the discovery of bodies.
"It's hard to explain," Grantski said. "You want it to be, you don't want it to be. We've got to have closure, but this isn't the closure we want."
Laci Peterson's relatives had criticized Scott Peterson after his affair was revealed.
Although detectives from Modesto were on the scene Monday night, the case remained in the hands of the East Bay Regional Park Police, who patrol the rocky shoreline where the body washed up at what appeared to be the high-water mark.
"What we've done, as a precaution, is we've notified the Modesto Police Department," Park Police Chief Lapera said. "We have their investigators responding to the scene here ... and that's just a normal precaution."
In Modesto, candles and stuffed animals began to pile up in front of the now-vacant house where Peterson and her husband lived. At the nearby home of Laci Peterson's mother and stepfather, there was a yellow bow on the door and a note asking reporters to respect their privacy.
Other houses on the parents' street had yellow ribbons draped from trees and mailboxes.
"It's just an awful thing; she's such a beautiful girl," said Sophie Mayer, who has lived on the street for 25 years. "It would just be terrible to find her like that."
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What do you think the odds are of a woman's body and a baby's body floating up with a couple of miles of where Scott Peterson said he was on the day his pregnant wife went missing?
There's a tremendous amount of witchcraft going on in that area. Detectives must be scouring the Net for anyone offering movies ....
Also, DNA testing is a time consuming process so don't hold your breath for instant ID.
I am sure the DA wants some sort of proof that LP was murdered. Otherwise, SP could claim she "fell overboard" or some BS like that.
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