What Happened to Laci Peterson? Revisit the Heartbreaking Murder That Gripped America

It’s been more than two decades since Laci Peterson vanished after allegedly going for a walk with her dog on Christmas Eve 2002. While her dog returned home, the 27-year-old — who was pregnant and expecting a baby boy named Conner with husband Scott Peterson — never returned. Not long after she disappeared, Laci’s husband called 911 to report her missing.

What Happened to Laci Peterson?

The bodies of Laci and her unborn child were found four months later in San Francisco Bay. In 2004, nearly two years after killing his spouse and their unborn child, Scott was convicted of murder in the first degree for Laci’s death, and murder in the second degree for Conner’s. In March 2005, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

In July 2020, a California judge reversed Scott’s death sentence after his trial was determined to have “a series of clear and significant errors” during juror selection. “People may retry the penalty phase if they so choose,” according to a press release obtained by In Touch.

Laci Peterson’s Body Found Four Months After Her Disappearance

In the time that has passed since the infamous killer’s trial ended, many have forgotten what exactly happened to Laci. In August 2018, Dateline revisited her tragic death in a special called The Laci Peterson Story, which included details about her autopsy. Warning: Many of the details regarding Laci’s death are graphic and reader discretion is advised.

In April 2003, a couple walking their dogs spotted the decomposing body of a late-term male fetus on the beach in Richmond, CA. One day later, the body of a recently pregnant woman was found on a nearby shoreline. It was later determined that the woman’s body was indeed Laci’s. At the time of her disappearance, she was eight months pregnant. The fetus was also confirmed to be Conner.

A source previously told the Associated Press that “one-and-a-half loops of plastic were around the fetus’ neck, and that there was a significant cut on the fetus’ body.” Laci’s exact cause of death was unable to be determined because much her body was decomposed at the time it was discovered. However, it was confirmed that her body had been brutally mutilated; she was decapitated, and her forearms, her right foot, and her left leg from the knee down were missing by the time her body was found.

Scott had told investigators he was on fishing trip to the San Fransisco Bay on Christmas Eve at the time Laci went missing. Her body and that of her unborn son were found not far from where he allegedly took his boat out.

In September 2017, Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha, opened up about the heartbreak over knowing that Scott was the one who killed her beloved daughter. “That’s the last person you want to think had anything to do with the disappearance of your daughter — her husband,” she said in the ABC documentary Gone Girl. Truth & Lies: The Murder of Laci Peterson. “The person that was a member of your family, somebody that you loved and cared about, and thought he felt the same way about your daughter. And knowing how she felt about him.”

Scott Peterson Speaks Out For the First Time Since Laci Peterson’s Body Was Found

Scott spoke out for the first time since 2003 in a jailhouse interview for Face to Face With Scott Peterson, a three-part docuseries premiering on Peacock on August 20, 2024. He continued to deny any involvement in the disappearance and murder of Laci and Conner, although he opened up about his affair with massage therapist Amber Frey, which began a month before his wife and unborn son went missing.

“It’s horrible,” the Modesto, California, native admitted. “I was a total a–hole to be having sex outside our marriage.” Amber coming forward in early 2003 and confessing their affair while Laci was still missing caused Scott to become the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance.

The former fertilizer salesman maintained his innocence and called out police for allegedly ignoring other possible substantial leads that didn’t involve him.

“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,” he explained.