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End this circus
At 2:30
PM on Wednesday, February 5, 2003, Laci's family held a press conference at La Loma Park to discuss
several issues. The conference began with Laci's step-father, Ron Grantski speaking with reporters partly from
a prepared statement and partly extemporaneously. He began by talking about Laci's SUV and how the family first
discovered it had been sold. He then talked about how it had been given to them by Doug Roberts.
"We thought that until we find out differently the car should be here for Laci so she has something to drive,"
Grantski said. "We know that the cars were in Scott's name, but thanks to Mr. Roberts it's in the family's
hands now."
Grantski then addressed recent press reports that Scott had been talking to a realtor to investigate the possiblity
of selling the home at 523 Covena Avenue.
"About the house," he said. "The house is in both names, Laci's and Scott's. I find it hard to believe
that he thought he could sell it without Laci's signature. Of course I find it hard to understand a lot of things
Scott has done, so why should this be any different?"
Grantski then addressed the issue of the toll-free tip line (1-866-LACI-INFO) that Scott and his family set up
and first announced during the second part of his exclusive interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC's Good Morning America
prorgram on Tuesday, January 28, 2003.
"We've heard there's another tip line for information about Laci," he said. "The only
tip line that we support
and encourage the public to use is the Modesto Police number which is (209) 342-6166, and the Laci Peterson Web
Site at www.lacipeterson.com"
Grantski then addressed the matter of Laci's due date. She was 7½ months pregnant when she disappeared on
December 24, 2002. From the beginning, Laci's family has always said that February 10, 2003 was her due date. But
in recent television interviews, Scott and his family have used the date February 16, 2003.
Then, with emotion in his voice, Grantski commented on Scott and his recent behavior.
"He said since the first night that he wanted the focus to be on finding Laci, not on him," Grantski
said, pausing with a sigh to help compose himself. "But with the things he's been saying and doing, the focus
is all on him."
Speaking directly to Scott, Grantski added, "If you want to change the focus, Scott, talk to the Modesto police.
End this circus."
He then thanked reporters and introduced Brent Rocha, Laci's older brother. Brent announced the the family was
organizing three searches for the remaining Saturdays in February.
"The first
search
will be held this Saturday, February 8th at 9 a.m. and will include a search of the Delta Mendota Canal,"
Brent said. "Volunteers, friends, and family will meet at the Orchard Restaurant parking lot
in Vernalis
which is near I-5 and Hwy 132."
He then talked about other weekend searches.
"Other tentative locations on the following Saturdays may include searches of Lake Don Pedro on February 15th
and Lake Pardee on February 22nd," he said, adding, "Additional information will be available on the
lacipeterson.com web site.
Click here for a full report on the Rocha's
February 5th press conference.
At almost exactly the same time as the Rochas' press conference was taking place, media reports and speculation
about Scott's whereabouts were suggesting that perhaps he had fled the country. He was reported to be checked-in
to the Hilton hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Scott had been attending the U.S. Grains Council Membership Conference in Guadalajara for a few days prior
to the press conference. Later on that same day, he checked out of the Hilton several days early and was not seen
for more than two days. Even Scott's mother, Jackie Peterson, acknowledged during that time that they had not heard
from him in over 48 hours.
Appearing on KTVU's "Mornings on 2" program, veteran private investigator Nick Montano said if he were
Scott Peterson, he'd be looking for a place to live in Mexico.
"If I were him, I'd be looking for a place to live," he said. "Because his life is over. Even if
they find out that some really bad guy kidnapped Laci Peterson, and he's exonerated, he's done in California."
While Scott was in Mexico, he contacted KTVU-TV's Ted Rowlands and reacted to some of the statements made by the
Rochas during their press conference on February 5, 2003.
"Yes, I traded in the car. We were planning on buying a new one when the baby arrived and I needed a truck
for work."
The truck Peterson had used for his fertilizer business was taken into custody by the Modesto Police early in the
investigation.
On the house, Peterson said: "Yes, I tried to sell the house. Who the hell would want to live in a house that's
unsafe where your wife was kidnapped from?"
As the Rocha family's organized search on Saturday, February 8, 2003 approched, Scott was nowhere to be found.
Scott's mother, Jackie Peterson said she talked to her son everyday, but wouldn't say where he was. She said he
may be traveling abroad to Mexico, Egypt, or Spain making sales calls for his employer.
Jackie Peterson said she was angry with police. From the start, she supported her son. Early on, she also stood
with Laci Peterson's family and police, but that has changed.
She claims investigators are "hounding" the wrong man.
In a telephone interview from her San Diego home with ABC7's Jim Wieder, Peterson said she wasn't surprised her
son sold Laci's car.
She said her daughter-in-law didn't like the Land Rover and was shopping for a Mercedes before she vanished.
She also said her son did not try to sell their home.
"Scott just mentioned the possibility of selling the home to a real estate agent at the search center one
day," she said, "and that was it. He wasn't serious"
She also said she believes Laci was kidnapped because she's pregnant.
Scott Peterson
walks in front of a sign in his yard announcing the reward for information leading to the safe return of his wife,
Laci. The 27-year-old Modesto woman was reported missing by her family on Christmas Eve.
Photo:
ADRIAN MENDOZA/THE BEE |
Scott eventually returned to Modesto and to his home on Covena Avenue on Sunday, February 9, 2003. He placed a
large, yellow sign in front of his house bearing the words "MISSING $500,000 REWARD" and then it described
Laci. He also placed a five-gallon bucket full of roud buttons bearing Laci's photograph.
On the day following the Rochas' February 5, 2003 press conference in which they announced organized searchs on
Saturdays February 8th, 15th and 22nd, Scott's family announced a search of their own.
On Thursday, February 6, 2003 a faxed statement from the "Laci Peterson Family" called for people nationwide
to search for the Modesto woman Saturday.
"With your help," the memo began, "we can cover a tremendous amount of territory in hopes of bringing
Laci home."
"The press release did not come from us," said Kim Petersen, spokeswoman for Laci's family.
Petersen said "our understanding" is that it came from the family of Laci's husband, Scott.
On Saturday, February 8, 2003, over 500 people arrived in the parking lot of The Orchard 24-hour Restaurant on
state highway 132, just east of Interstate 5. The parking lot was the staging area for the organized search that
the Rochas announced during their press conference on Wednesday, February 5, 2003. It was the first of three Saturday
searches planned for the remaining Saturdays in February on the 8th, the 15th and the 22nd.
The February 8th search was slated to cover the Mendota Canal area. The area around the intersection of highways
132 and 33 was selected because it was one of the first locations search dogs were alerted to after Laci was reported
missing some 47 days ago.
Some 500 volunteers showed-up for the search day -- all of them arriving on time in the restaurant's parking lot,
and all of them orderly and mindful not to disturb the restaurant's business, as requested. Most came dressed in
their hiking clothes and boots and seemed ready to traverse rough terrain. As a group, they brought with them about
a dozen four-wheel all terrain vehicles (quads), a half dozen or so canoes, several trailered boats, at least six
trailers full of horses, and even an airplane or two and a helicopeter.
Volunteers were given basic instructions for how to conduct their searches and what to look for. Some 250 serial-numbered
maps, each with different areas highlighted on them were signed-out to volunteers who were asked to return them
at the end of the search day at around 3:00 PM PST. Each map contained a different area to be searched. All maps
were returned, as requested.
A woman's dress and some other items were reported found. But police verified that they had nothing to do with
Laci's disappearance.
Further searches of the Lake Don Pedro and Lake Pardee areas on Saturdays February 15th and 22nd, respectively
had been planned. But because some volunteers decided to search a few of those areas after finishing with their
regular search assignments, Laci's family decided to review the searches scheduled for the 15th and the 22nd to
see if wider search areas could be included on those days.
Click here to read more about the Saturday,
February 8, 2003 search.
Family and friends held a candlelight vigil in La Loma Park near Laci's home on Monday evening, February 10, 2003
to remember her on the day she was supposed to give birth to her son, Connor.
"It's something that Laci's friends really wanted to do," family friend Terri Western said of the vigil.
Sandy Peterson, no relation,
puts down a candle for Laci Peterson on Monday night at East La Loma Park in Modesto.
Photo:
ADRIAN MENDOZA/THE BEE |
Peterson's friend Brian Ullrich attended the vigil, where a poem was read and many cried.
"It's important for us all to be together because today is normally a day we would be together, but under
different circumstances," he said.
The candlelight vigil was marked by the reading of poems and a prayer led by Laci's friend Heather Sutton.
"On behalf of Laci's family and friends, this day means a lot to us," Sutton said. "We thought it
would be appropriate to join together and light candles to honor Laci and Connor, and to carry this message to
everyone praying for their safe return."
The candlelight vigil began at about 6 p.m. in East La Loma Park.
Sutton began by reading a prepared statement that included a poem entitled 'Footprints.' Then she led a prayer.
Sutton stood at the center of a small crowd of about 25 people, mostly Laci's friends and family. The group was
surrounded by at least two dozen reporters and camera crews.
Following the prayer, Sutton reached down and cued a song by Avril Lavigne. The song was entitled, "I'm With
You."
"I'm
standing on a bridge
I'm waiting in the dark
I thought that you'd be here by now
"There's nothing but the rain
No footsteps on the ground
I'm listening but there's no sound
"Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't someone please take me home?" |
As the song played,
many of Laci's friends stood together and cried gracefully. The candlelight illuminated solemn faces shiny with
tears.
Afterward, Sutton thanked everyone for attending and politely requested the media allow Laci's family and friends
to continue the vigil alone.
"Thank you to each one of you for being here this evening," she said. "I know it means a lot to
her family and friends. And to Laci, your family and friends will not give up until you and Connor come home to
us."
All day long on Monday across the city, people stopped and remembered the missing Modesto woman who vanished without
a trace on Christmas Eve.
Scott marked the day privately, emerging from the house only to place a box full of Laci buttons on his front lawn.
The box joined a giant yellow sign announcing a reward for information in the case as a strange makeshift memorial.
Someone had placed a small bouquet of flowers in front of the sign.
Chano Tovar stopped in front of the house to grab a button from the box.
"Today's the due date," the Turlock resident said. "I really feel for the child. I just hope she's
still alive that way the child can have a life too."
Krista Mackey, a Modesto resident, also said she was hopeful.
"Yes, I've followed the news and know today's the day," she said. "I'm just hoping they find something
soon."
A man, who asked not to be identified, also stopped by and hoped the best for the families involved.
"It's really a sad day, I hope it gets resolved soon," he said. "There's a whole lot of people in
pain about this."
The arrival of the date also had an emotional impact on police investigators, but Modesto Police Sgt. Ron Cloward
said it would not change anything they were doing to investigate Laci's disappearance.
It was learned on Tuesday, February 11, 2003, and reported by several media outlets that Scott had severed his
ties with criminal defense attorney Kirk
McAllister
whom he had hired early in the case and who had advised Scott not to talk to the media. But Scott did so anyway,
fueling speculation that his attorney would drop him. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that he had. No word about whether
Scott had retained new counsel was available at the time.
Two Modesto police detectives visited Scott Peterson inside his La Loma neighborhood home for about 10 minutes
Tuesday evening, February 11, 2003. The detectives left without commenting on the nature of the visit.
The next day, on Wednesday, February, 12, 2003, KTVU TV reporter Ted Rowlands reported that an extremely reliable
source with inside information about the case told him that Scott Peterson continued to be the main focus of police
investigators. The source added that even without a body an arrest "could come in a matter of weeks, not months."
Later Wednesday, Rowlands spoke with Scott on the telephone if he was concerned about the source's statement.
"Not at all," Scott said. "They have to have something to arrest me on. I'm not worried."
Late Wednesday night, Februiary 12, 2003, a Modesto police spokesman Doug Ridenour debunked the rumor saying that
he knew of no "imminent" arrest or other break in the Laci Peterson case. Ridenour said there were no
new developments to report.
KTVU's Ted Rowlands and others in the media were also reporting early in the week of February 11, 2003 that 80
to 90 percent of the forensic testing of items collected by police from Scott's home, vehicles and warehouse had
been completed at the California Department of Justice's Central Valley Crime Lab in Ripon, California and that
results had been handed-over to Modesto Police.
On Wednesday, February 12, 2003, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office denied the reports.
"I heard (that report)... and I wondered where that came from," said Manuel Valencia, spokesman for the
attorney general's office, which runs the Department of Justice and its crime labs.
"We aren't saying that and we aren't saying much," Valencia said. "We are just working through the
evidence."
Another set of officials was also heard from on Wednesday, February 12, 2003. Lake Pardee area officials told reporters
that a search of that area would probably not be necessary because no part of the lake was accessible on the date
of Laci Peterson's disappearance or on any of the days surrounding it. Secure, locked gates and fences would have
kept anyone from hiding Laci's body there, they said. Laci's family, in concert with the Carole Sund/Carrington
Foundation had announced during their press conference on February 5th that the Lake Pardee area would be the third of three areas
targeted for organized searches during Saturdays in the month of February 2003. The revelation contributed to the
family's later deciding to change the location of the February 22nd search to the New Melones Reservoir some nearly 60 miles northeast
of Modesto.
On Wednesday, February
12, 2003, Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, her sister, Amy, and her brother, Brent, met with local media at Modesto's
Red Lion Hotel.
The family had also appeared on two national cable shows on Tuesday night. The purpose of the press conference
was to keep the focus on Laci and her son, Connor, who was due to be born Monday, February 10, 2003.
But all questions led to Scott.
Family members said that Scott, who is in the public eye now, is not the same Scott Peterson whose hair Amy Rocha
cut on December 23rd -- the night before Laci disappeared.
"Everything was fine the night before. It was a normal time with them," said Amy Rocha, Laci Peterson's
half-sister.
Other family members also mentioned the change.
"He's a different person right now. He's not acting like he's lost my sister," said her brother, Brent
Rocha.
He cited an incident in which Scott Peterson, 30, was supposed to drive Laci Peterson's green Range Rover to the
police station.
"He asked us to take it, he didn't want to go there," he said.
The family currently is not in contact with Scott, and hasn't been for a few weeks. Communication had been eroding
for some time, they said.
"When we called, he was brief -- it's like we were part of the media," Brent Rocha said.
The family wouldn't comment on whether they thought Scott Peterson had anything to do with his wife's disappearance.
But "he hasn't been eliminated (as a suspect), so there must be some questions that are unanswered,"
Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, said.
The family also had no comment about Scott Peterson selling his wife's car and looking into selling the house.
Rumors were circulating that the family leaked that Modesto police were close to arresting Scott Peterson.
"We heard that today. It didn't come from us," Sharon Rocha said.
And as far as Scott Peterson's affair with 28-year-old Madera resident Amber Frey, Laci Peterson's mother said
she didn't think her daughter knew about it despite what Scott Peterson said.
The family was in seclusion on Monday -- Laci Peterson's due date -- and leaned on their friends for support.
"I had friends and family with me. It was very difficult," Sharon Rocha said.
The family still hopes to bring Laci Peterson, 27, and her son home, but their hope is fading.
"What concerns us most is that we haven't found her yet, we're just holding out hope," Sharon Rocha said.
At the room where the conference was held at the Red Lion Hotel in Modesto, the family put
new photos on the wall of Laci as she grew up and during happier times as an adult. (Those photos, hopefully, will
be available on this web site soon.)
"We thought they were fun photos," Sharon said. "And just an example of the way Laci has been throughout
her whole life. She's always been a happy person, a friendly bubbly person. We thought maybe people would like
to see a different side of her."
Sharon also said her family holds no ill will toward Scott's family.
"They (the Petersons) care very much for Laci," she said. "They want to bring her home too."
On the question of Scott's behavior in the case, Brent Rocha, Laci's older brother, referred to the fact that he
had yet to be cleared as a suspect.
"Well, they haven't eliminated him as a suspect," Brent said. "There must be a reason why. They
have eliminated other people, including Amber Frey, rather quickly. So I don't know for sure the direction their
investigation is going but it would seem he's still within that parameter."
But when was asked if he'd be surprised if Scott were arrested, Brent responded, "Well, based on the information
I know right now, yes. There may be additional facts out there that I don't know. Those may change my belief."
The Rocha family began to ratchet up the pressure on Scott Tuesday night. Appearing on the FOX NEWS CHANNEL, Ron
Grantski, Laci's stepfather, demanded that Scott answer all the family's questions surrounding his possible involvement
in Laci's disappearance on Christmas Eve.
"He has questions he has to answer for us and then the police," Grantski said. "He needs to do that.
The focus is supposed to be on finding Laci... Constantly the focus is on him."
In their own press conference on Thursday, February 13, 2003 in San Diego the Petersons (Scott's mother and father
and some of his siblings) asked the public to do just that.
"With her due date being this month, we feel it's critical to continue our efforts in looking for Laci everywhere
we can," said Scott's sister, Susan Caudillo, at the Montgomery Field news conference. "Every day as
we post and deliver fliers, we meet people who are not aware she is missing."
While Scott was not present at the news conference, his parents were. His mother, Jackie Peterson, said Scott was
in Modesto searching for his wife.
"Scott is looking for Laci. That is his whole purpose," she said.
"Unfortunately, there are no leads," Caudillo said in reading from a prepared statement. She asked that
residents log on to www.lacipeterson.com and print out fliers; and also
help in a weekend
search
scheduled for Lake Don Pedro in Northern California on Saturday, February 15, 2003.
On Tuesday, February 11, 2003, Scott's family said to KTVU TV's Ted Rowlands that he has continued to refuse to
take a lie detector test despite the urging of Laci's family and Modesto investigators. They told Rowlands that
they continued to support Scott and his decision not to take the test.
During the week of February 2, 2003, Scott's family (the Petersons) had asked for help from a Texas-based center
that specializes in organizing searches for missing children, the center's executive director said.
Bob Walcutt of the nonprofit Laura Recovery Center for Missing
Children
said an e-mail came Tuesday, February 4, 2003, from Jacqueline Peterson, Scott Peterson's mother, asking for help
in finding her pregnant daughter-in-law.
"There already has been a great deal of searching, and I'm not sure there's much more I can bring to the table,"
Walcutt said. "We want to help where we can, but we haven't made a decision on whether we want to be involved
in this."
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