The Case of Laci Peterson

Laci Denise Peterson, 27, was eight months pregnant when she disappeared from her Modesto, California, home on December 24, 2002. Her husband, Scott Peterson, told investigators that he had gone fishing at Berkeley Marina and returned to find Laci missing. A massive search followed, but Laci and her unborn son, Conner, were not found until April 2003, when their remains were discovered along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. Scott Peterson was arrested and charged with murdering both Laci and Conner. In November 2004, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder for Laci's death and second-degree murder for Conner's death. His death sentence was overturned in 2020 because of errors in jury selection, and he was resentenced to life imprisonment without parole in 2021. His conviction remains in force despite continuing post-conviction challenges.

Laci Denise Rocha was born on May 4, 1975, and grew up in California. She met Scott Peterson while working at a restaurant in Morro Bay. The couple married in 1997 and later moved to Modesto, where Scott worked in the fertiliser sales industry and Laci worked as a substitute teacher. By late 2002, Laci was pregnant with the couple's first child, a son they planned to name Conner. Laci was approximately eight months pregnant when she disappeared. The couple lived in a home on Covena Avenue in Modesto. In the months before Laci disappeared, Scott had been conducting an affair with Amber Frey, a massage therapist. Frey later contacted police after learning that Scott was married and that his wife was missing. The affair became an important part of the subsequent investigation and prosecution case.

On the morning of December 24, 2002, Laci was at the couple's Modesto home. Scott later told investigators that he had left the house to go fishing at Berkeley Marina, approximately 90 miles away. When he returned home later that afternoon, he said that Laci was gone. The couple's dog, McKenzie, was found outside the house with a leash attached. Laci's disappearance immediately prompted a major search involving local police, volunteers and multiple law-enforcement agencies. Investigators initially treated the case as a missing-person investigation. As evidence accumulated, however, the investigation shifted towards the possibility that Laci had been murdered. Police examined the Peterson home, Scott's vehicles, his warehouse and the boat he had recently purchased. The prosecution later argued that Scott had transported Laci's body from Modesto to Berkeley Marina and disposed of it in San Francisco Bay.

The investigation received national attention almost immediately. Scott told police that he had gone fishing in the bay on Christmas Eve. Investigators examined his movements and discovered that he had purchased a small fishing boat shortly before Laci disappeared. Police also learned about his relationship with Amber Frey. Frey contacted authorities after learning from news reports that Scott's wife was missing. She cooperated with investigators and allowed police to record telephone conversations with Scott. In recorded conversations, Scott continued to communicate with Frey while Laci remained missing. Investigators also discovered evidence concerning Scott's financial circumstances and his movements around the time of Laci's disappearance. The search continued for more than three months. On April 13, 2003, the remains of an unborn male child were discovered along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay near Berkeley. The following day, April 14, Laci's remains were found nearby. DNA testing confirmed the identities of Laci and Conner. Scott Peterson was arrested on April 18, 2003, near a golf course in La Jolla, California. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying large amounts of cash and multiple forms of identification. He had also altered his appearance. He was charged with first-degree murder for Laci and second-degree murder for Conner. The prosecution's case was largely circumstantial. It included evidence concerning Scott's affair, his financial circumstances, his movements on Christmas Eve, his boat and the location where Laci and Conner were eventually found. The defence argued that someone else had abducted and killed Laci and presented evidence concerning a burglary that had occurred in the Petersons' neighbourhood shortly before her disappearance. The jury rejected the third-party culpability theory.

On November 12, 2004, Scott Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder for killing Laci and second-degree murder for killing Conner. The jury also found a special circumstance for multiple murders. Peterson was sentenced to death in March 2005. In August 2020, the California Supreme Court upheld his murder convictions but overturned the death sentence because the trial judge had improperly dismissed prospective jurors who expressed general opposition to the death penalty. Peterson was resentenced in 2021 to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. His murder convictions remain intact. In 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence Project began representing Peterson and subsequently filed post-conviction petitions arguing that new evidence supported his claim of innocence. In April 2026, a San Mateo County Superior Court judge rejected Peterson's latest attempt to introduce the claimed new evidence, finding that the petition was procedurally barred and that the evidence did not warrant relief. Peterson's legal team announced that it intended to appeal. As of October 2026, Scott Peterson remains incarcerated and legally convicted of the murders of Laci and Conner. His continuing legal challenges have not overturned either conviction.

Laci's disappearance became one of the most extensively covered missing-person cases in the United States, with national media coverage continuing throughout the investigation. The discovery of Laci's and Conner's remains in San Francisco Bay transformed the case from a missing-person investigation into a double-murder prosecution. The case remains significant because the prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence. Peterson has continued to maintain his innocence, and his current legal team argues that evidence concerning other possible suspects and the timeline of Laci's disappearance was not adequately considered. Those claims remain contested, and no court has overturned Peterson's convictions.