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| From: Samantha Bodies Of Woman, Infant Wash Up On Shore In Richmond APRIL 15, 2003 Modesto police were flown in to this Richmond crime scene where two bodies, one of a male fetus and one of an female adult — washed ashore. Medical examiners are trying to determine whether the badly decomposed bodies of a woman and an infant boy that washed up on the Northern California shoreline are that of Laci Peterson and her son. Peterson, 27 when she vanished, was due to give birth to a boy in February. "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 left their home in Modesto 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. Richmond is about 90 miles northwest of Modesto. An independent forensic pathologist began examining the woman's body Monday night, about six hours after it was found by a woman walking her dog in a park near Point Isabel. The baby's body had surfaced about a mile away Sunday with his umbilical cord still attached. The medical examiner's office did not return messages early Tuesday. 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 and said his wife knew about the affair. His attorney, Kirk McAllister, said he had told his client about the day's developments. "He's very concerned and broken up at the prospect that it might be his wife," said McAllister. The Contra Costa Times quoted law enforcement sources as saying investigators are focusing on maternity undergarments found on the woman's body. But Contra Costa sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee disputed that, saying that only astandard woman's bra was found. The newspaper also reported the body was missing its head and legs, but police disputed that report as well. The Contra Costa Times quoted forensic scientists as saying it is possible for a pregnant woman's baby to be found relatively intact and separated from the mother a few months after the woman's death, due to aphenomenon known as "coffin birth" that causes gas from the decomposing mother to expel the baby. Ron Grantski, Laci Peterson's stepfather, told the San Francisco Chronicle that family members were going through a full range of emotions as they awaited official identification of the bodies. "It's hard to explain," Grantski said. "You want it to be,you don't want it to be. We gotta have closure, but this isn't the closure we want." Laci Peterson's relatives have criticized Scott Peterson since his affair was revealed. Lee cautioned that it might take a day or longer to identify the woman and how she died. He said results from the infant's autopsy would be used to determine if they were mother and child. "It's a very time-consuming procedure. They need to collect the evidence of whatever they can find on the body and clothing," Lee said. "It's going to take some time." East Bay Regional Park Police Chief Norman Lapera refused to provide details on the body's condition or say whether the woman appeared to have been pregnant. "We obviously know all that information. We're just not releasing it at this time," Lapera said. Although detectives from Modesto were on the scene Monday night, the case remained in the hands of the 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," Lapera said. "We have their investigators responding to the scene here ... and that's just a normal precaution." Investigators searched the area around the Berkeley Marina in the weeks following Laci's disappearance and last month searched the area near where the woman's body was found. ********* POSTER'S RESPOND From: _KAT Apr-15, 2003 On another website I read that authorities are not confirming the maternity clothes. Also, there is speculation that the adult body might have been weighted down with something, and eventually floated free. There's been a huge amount of speculation around the bags of cement found on the Peterson property, Scott's ownership of a cement mixer (which he claimed he bought to make anchors for his 14-foot aluminum boat), and theboat's previous owner saying that he saw what looked like cement dust in the boat when the police showed it to him. Also, witnesses said that LE searched a dumpster at one of Scott's warehouses looking for discarded cement bags. I have never believed Scott's claim that he needed a large cement mixer machine to make anchors for his little fishing boat. It's easy to make anchors for a littleboat out of coffee cans and a bag of reddi-mix cement. What was he really using that big cement mixer for? ************** From: JUDYW10 APRIL 15, 2003 Dan Abrams reporting that a heavy black tarp was found on the shore near the bodies. I watched the MPD press conference.Ridenour appeared very nervous and said he couldn't say anythingabout the investigation. Kim Petersen read a statement from the family,asking for privacy, thanking everyone for their support. Then the statement said, if the bodies are identified we hope LE will get the 'animal' who did this heinous crime. Very strong words, but justified. ************* How kind it was that baby Connor came ashore first. It seems that even in death, a mother's love is unshaken. She saw her baby gently to safety, and having done her duty, she herself came ashore. It would be so terrible to have found Laci and wondered where her baby Connor was. Kindred souls have a way. Even in death, Laci protected her little son...... *********** HOME INDEX |
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