The story of Laci Peterson is a tragic one. The pregnant mother disappeared from her home in California on Christmas Day, 2002. How her body was found four months later is particularly gruesome and might be distressing to some readers so be aware, read at your own discretion.
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Laci’s husband, Scott, reported her missing but was ultimately charged with and convicted of her murder in 2004. He became a suspect when his affair with Amber Frey was uncovered, and investigators and prosecutors established his motive, that he wanted to escape his marriage and a child that he reportedly didn’t want.
“It’s horrible,” he told People in an interview published in 2024. “I was a total a-hole to be having sex outside our marriage… I regret not testifying [at my trial], but if I have a chance to show people
what the truth is, and if they are willing to accept it, it would be the biggest thing that I can accomplish right now—because I didn’t kill my family.”
How was Laci Peterson’s body found?
The search
Laci’s stepfather and her husband, Scott Peterson, both filed reports with the police that she went missing on December 24, 2002. After it’s revealed Scott was having an affair with Amber Frey, a massage therapist, he and Laci’s family drift apart as the community searches for her.
The location
Image Credit: Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Laci Peterson’s body was found four months after she disappeared. Her remains washed up in the San Francisco Bay and were discovered in April 2003. Scott was arrested the same day.
The condition of her remains
Image Credit: Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images According to a report from ABC News at the time, Peterson’s head and parts of her limbs were missing when her body was discovered. It was so decomposed it actually didn’t really look like a body anymore, but there was tape on Laci Peterson’s lower outside her clothing.
While her cause of death was undetermined, forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden told Good Morning America that the limbs and head were probably removed before Laci was put in the water. A cement bag that was found washed up on the shore was also considered as evidence.
What about her baby?
Image Credit: Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images In perhaps the most distressing detail, the body of Laci’s unborn child, whom the couple was going to name Conner, was found separated from his mother. According to the autopsy report, the child’s skin was not decomposed at all, and Laci’s cervix was intact, indicating that she had not given birth while she was alive. Rather, it was determined that the fetus was expelled by her decaying body.
“It does tell us that the baby was in the womb for many months after Laci was in the water and Laci in fact protected the baby until the baby came out shortly before the bodies were found,” former chief pathologist for New York City told ABC News at the time.
“It was her death that caused Conner’s death while he was still in the uterus,” Dr. Brian Peterson, who conducted the autopsy, told the court at the time, per the LA Times. However, Scott’s defense attorneys argued the baby was born alive and murdered later, which they say proves their client couldn’t be the killer.
