|
||||||||
  |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pics released in case of missing pregnant woman
MODESTO, California (CNN) -- Investigators searching for a pregnant woman missing since Christmas Eve released photographs of her husband's pickup truck and boat Thursday, asking witnesses to come forward and vouch for his whereabouts the day she disappeared. "We continue as a department to desire to eliminate Scott Peterson from this investigation," Modesto Police spokesman Det. Doug Ridenour said at a news conference. Scott Peterson said he last saw his wife, Laci Peterson, 27 and eight months' pregnant, at the couple's home the morning of December 24. A $500,000 reward has been posted to help find her. He told police he was leaving that morning for a fishing trip some 85 miles away. His wife intended to walk their dog and go shopping for items for dinner that evening, he told investigators. According to a police news release, the husband said he came home later that night and found the dog, its leash on, in the back yard. A neighbor had found the dog earlier in the day, authorities said, and put it in the yard. His wife's purse was still in the house and nothing had been disturbed, he told police. Ridenour said the last time another family member had contact with Laci Peterson was a telephone conversation the evening of December 23. Police said they had verified the legitimacy of a receipt Scott Peterson produced, that it had come from a parking lot at the marina he said he'd visited. Authorities have also searched the couple's home, their vehicles, and the husband's business.
Authorities impounded his vehicle, a bronze 2002 Ford 150 pickup with California license plate 6T59718 and his boat, a 14-foot aluminum craft with an outboard motor and a trailer. Police released photos and descriptions of the truck and boat, and asked that anyone who had seen them or Scott between December 23 and Christmas contact police. When asked if the husband was cooperating with investigators, Ridenour said, "To some degree, yes." The couple has been married five years. No one has been ruled out as a suspect yet, he said. "We haven't eliminated him, we haven't eliminated a lot of folks," Ridenour said. Lee Peterson, Scott's father, told CNN's Ed Lavandera his son had not hired a lawyer. "He has no reason to defend himself," Peterson said. He said Scott had been hunting and fishing since he was five years old, and that he had traveled all over the state with his outdoorsman activities. However, Peterson -- who lives in San Diego -- said he was not aware his son had bought a boat. Ridenour said more than 1,100 calls had come in to a tip line set up in the case, and investigators were following all credible leads. Thursday, officers searched expanding areas on horseback and by bicycle. They also continued to question parolees and registered sex offenders in the area. Volunteers have also joined the search, which was expanded earlier in the week outside this community, about 45 miles northeast of San Jose.
Based on the behavior of canine search teams, they believe Laci left her house in a vehicle and not on foot, police said. Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, appealed to whoever has her daughter to bring her home. "I would hope that you would have some compassion in your heart -- that if this was your daughter, sister, (or) mother would you want them to live in the fear and terror that my daughter has been living in?" she asked. After the brief statement, Rocha told reporters she didn't think her son-in-law was involved in the disappearance. In an interview on CNN's Connie Chung Tonight, Rocha called Laci and Scott a "happy, happy couple" and said she didn't know of any problems in their marriage. "Scott's just as worried as we are, he's sick at heart about what's happened to Laci, we are all looking for Laci," Rocha said, adding, "We're going to find you honey, we love you."
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
