Employee recalls sex talk between Peterson and woman at trade show

REDWOOD CITY -- A ribald conversation between Scott Peterson and a woman he had just met at a trade show was so inappropriate it made one of Peterson's employees uneasy, according to the employee's testimony Tuesday in Peterson's double-murder trial. "Scott and (the woman) had a conversation that I believe was somewhat inappropriate for a married man and an engaged woman. There were discussions about sexual positions and what she liked and what he liked," said Eric Olsen, a fertilizer salesman hired by Peterson. Olsen said the steamy conversation occurred at a trade show the two men were attending at the Disneyland Hotel in October 2002. Prosecutors wanted the jury to hear the conversation, because the woman involved was Shawn Sibley, who introduced Peterson to Amber Frey shortly thereafter. Olsen's testimony marked the beginning of the prosecution's groundwork for their star witness, Frey, whom they believe inspired Peterson to murder his pregnant wife. More than a month after the dinner conversation, Sibley called Olsen with a serious question. "She wanted to know if Scott was married. At that point, as an employee of Scott's, I didn't want to be plugged into the situation going on," Olsen said. Shawn stated she wanted to set up Scott with one of her friends. I told her she needed to talk to Scott about this," Olsen said, his eyes darting between prosecutor David Harris and Peterson, who ..........

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"Scott and (the woman) had a conversation that I believe was somewhat inappropriate for a married man and an engaged woman. There were discussions about sexual positions and what she liked and what he liked," said Eric Olsen, a fertilizer salesman hired by Peterson. Olsen said the steamy conversation occurred at a trade show the two men were attending at the Disneyland Hotel in October 2002.

Prosecutors wanted the jury to hear the conversation, because the woman involved was Shawn Sibley, who introduced Peterson to Amber Frey shortly thereafter. Olsen's testimony marked the beginning of the prosecution's groundwork ............

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REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — At a fertilizer convention two months before his wife vanished, Scott Peterson led a female colleague to believe he was single and then grilled her about her preferred sexual positions, a former employee and another conventioneer testified Tuesday afternoon.

The men told jurors in Peterson's capital murder trial that his dinnertime discussion with Shawn Sibley, a businesswoman who went on to introduce him to his mistress, became so raunchy that they wolfed down their meals and fled.........

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The judge in the capital murder trial of Scott Peterson paved another avenue to appeal yesterday by allowing a police officer to testify about an anonymous tip, a legal expert said.

``This alleged conversation between the defendant and an anonymous caller is clearly inadmissible as evidence,'' said J. Albert Johnson, a defense attorney and former prosecutor.

Johnson was referring to Judge Alfred A. Delucchi's decision to allow Detective Allen Brocchini to testify about a man who claimed that Peterson had told him nine years earlier that if he ever killed someone, he would dump the weighted-down corpse in the ocean and let the fish eat it. .......

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The Dismissed Juror in the Peterson Case:
Why He Should Have Been Kept on the Jury

By JULIE HILDEN
julhil@aol.com ((I guess this writer wants feedback. Otherwise, why list your email?))

On Wednesday, June 23, the judge in the Scott Peterson criminal trial removed one of the jurors, Justin Falconer, and called on an alternate to replace him. After Falconer was dismissed, the defense then moved for a mistrial, but its motion was denied.

In this column, I will argue that Falconer should not have been dismissed in the first place. Although Falconer slipped up in making what turned out to be an innocuous comment to a Peterson relative, the comment itself did not indicate bias on his part, and should have been forgivable under the circumstances. .......

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2:14 p.m.: REDWOOD CITY -- Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorney Rick Distaso Tuesday morning showed the jury in Scott Peterson’s double-murder trial that it is easy to leave a mistaken impression.

He asked Modesto Police Detective Al Brocchini about a tip he received from one of Peterson’s college buddies, who said the defendant in 1995 described how he would dispose of a body.

“He said he would tie a bag around the neck with duct tape, put weights on the hands and throw it into the sea,” Brocchini said, recalling the phone conversation.........

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October 23 First day of agricultural convention in Anaheim, during which Scott Peterson meets Shawn Sibley. He asks her what he should he write on his name tag to attract a woman. She suggests, "I'm rich." Scott suggests, "H.B." for "Horny Bastard." They have dinner, drinks and visit until approximately 3:00 a.m., during which time, according to the National Enquier, he makes "obvious passes" at her, even though she has told him she is engaged. He asks her what her favorite sex positions are and makes other suggestive comments. He tells her he has homes in Sacramento and San Diego.

October 24 Scott Peterson celebrates his 30th birthday. Scott Peterson and Shawn Sibley attend the second and final day of an agricultural convention in Anaheim—the beginning of a personal and business relationship that includes him "begging" her to "set him up" with one of her friends, who turns out to be Amber Frey. Convinced that Scott Peterson is interesting in finding someone for a "serious relationship," Shawn Sibley will eventually provide both of them with each others' phone numbers.

November 6 Laci Peterson calls James Yip's office and talks to Cheryl Smith, stating that while she was taking walks, she was having shortness of breath.

November 8 Laci Peterson again calls James Yip's office and talks to Cheryl Smith, complaining of shortness of breath.

November 11 Margarita Nava cleans Scott and Laci Peterson's home.

November 19 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak by phone.

November 20 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak by phone. Scott Peterson meets Amber Frey for the first time in person, reportedly at the Elephant Bar Restaurant (according to some earlier accounts, at the World Sports Cafe; according to Det. Jon Buehler's preliminary hearing testimony, this meeting happens on November 19; according to Ron Frey, the couple's first date is a picnic). According to the February 10, 2004, National Enquirer, Scott Peterson tells her he has been working all day and would like to check into his hotel room to take a shower before dinner. The couple then goes to the Radisson Hotel in downtown Fresno, where he brings out a bottle of champagne from his overnight bag and also produces fresh strawberries. After he showers and changes, they go to dinner at Edo-ya. During dinner, Scott Peterson tells her about his various travels, both past and planned, including his plans to spend Christmas in Kennebunkport, Maine, after a one-week trip to Alaska with his uncle, father and brother. He also tells her he has plans to go to Europe after Christmas. After dinner, they walk next door to BB's Lounge and dance before spending the night in his hotel room.

November 21 According to the February 10, 2004, National Enquirer, Amber Frey leaves Scott Peterson's hotel room at 6:00 a.m. Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak by phone.

November 22 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak twice by phone. According to the February 10, 2004, National Enquirer, he tells her he is at airports between flights when, in reality, he is on his way back to Modesto.

November 24 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak twice by phone. Sharon Rocha has dinner at Scott and Laci Peterson's home. Laci Peterson tells Sharon Rocha that Scott Peterson has joined Del Rio Country Club (according to other sources, the membership began on December 1, 2002).

November 25 Margarita Nava cleans Scott and Laci Peterson's home. Laci Peterson visits her obstetrician.

November 26 Scott and Laci Peterson go to Disneyland (according to some sources, they go there on November 27). She does not feel well and has trouble walking, so Scott Peterson rents a wheelchair and wheels her around the park.

November 27 According to Kim Petersen, Laci Peterson ends her teaching contract because of her pregnancy (some sources state she quit teaching in December 2002). The Peterson family has a baby shower for Laci Peterson in the San Diego area.

November 28 Scott and Laci Peterson spend Thanksgiving with Lee and Jackie Peterson at their home.

December 1 Scott Peterson joins the Del Rio Country Club at a reported membership cost of $25,000 (according to Mark Geragos, $20,000).

December 2 Scott Peterson calls Amber Frey. According to the February 10, 2004, National Enquirer, the two meet for the first time since November 21, 2002, when he unexpectedly shows up at her home and presents her with a souvenir of their first night together: the corks from the champagne they had, inscribed with their names and the date they met. They pick up Ayianna Frey from daycare, pack a picnic lunch and go to Squaw Leap. When they return to Amber Frey's home, she cooks dinner and shows him photographs. He spends the night at her home.

December 3 According to the February 10, 2004, National Enquirer, Scott Peterson picks up Ayianna Frey from daycare and goes with her and Amber Frey to pick out a Christmas tree. That evening, she asks him if he had ever been married. He tells her that he had not, and that he had never even had a serious romantic relationship before. Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak twice by phone.

December 4 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak by phone.

December 5 Susan Medina notices the right rear tire on her Mercedes is dangerously low. Scott Peterson sees her circling her car and offers her a ride to an appointment. While on the way, he changes a business date by phone so he can go with Laci Peterson to an appointment, assumed by Susan Medina to be a checkup with Laci Peterson's obstetrician. Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak by phone.

December 6 According to Det. Al Brocchini, Shawn Sibley finds out from a colleague that Scott Peterson is married. She calls one of his employees to ask about Scott Peterson's marital status, but the employee refuses to comment, telling Sibley that she should call Scott Peterson to get an answer to her question. She then calls him to confront him directly about the revelation, saying, "Look, all I care about—are you married or aren't you married?" Sibley believes that Scott Peterson sounds "extremely upset like he was crying" when he talks to her. He tells her that he sometimes tells people he's married, and sometimes tells them he is not, implying that he is a widower: "Look, I'm not married. I lost my wife." He begs Sibley to not say anything to Amber Frey, giving him a chance to explain the situation to her himself: "Let me break it to Amber." Sibley agrees to keep the information to herself until he has had a chance to speak with Amber Frey.

December 7 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak by phone. According to the February 10, 2004, issue of the National Enquirer, Laci Peterson begs Scott Peterson to cancel a business trip he says he has planned for late January 2003 because the time is too close to Conner Peterson's due date.

December 8 According to Sharon Rocha, Scott and Laci Peterson have dinner at her home. Scott Peterson negotiates a transaction with Bruce Peterson, offering $1,400 in exchange for a Sears Gamefisher 14-foot aluminum boat that is later seized by Modesto Police Department investigators (according to some early reports, this negotiation occurs on December 9, 2002). Scott Peterson searches the Internet and goes to a U.S. Geological Survey website showing the central San Francisco Bay.

December 10 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak three times by phone.

December 11 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak twice by phone. Scott Peterson and Amber Frey attend a birthday party for Shawn Sibley's fiancé at the Copper River Country Club.

December 12 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak by phone.

December 13 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey rent an outfit for him at the Fashion Fair Shopping Center in preparation for a formal Christmas party they are attending the next night.

December 14 Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak by phone. According to the February 10, 2004, National Enquirer, they dine at the Casanova. According to articles in the Modesto Bee and the National Enquirer, and supported by preliminary hearing testimony, they then attend a Christmas party at the World Sports Bar. Amber Frey wears a strapless, straight-cut, red evening gown, and Scott Peterson wears a dark suit, a white shirt and a gray tie. They have photographs taken as a couple—pictures that will emerge months later in the tabloids. She tells him she would like to have one more child. He answers that, although he would treat her daughter as his own, he was not interested in more children. Reportedly, Laci Peterson, dressed in a burgundy silk maternity pantsuit, arrives at about 7:00 p.m. at a "couples" baby shower in her honor—without her husband (according to other reports, she does not attend a Christmas party given by Mike and Heather Richadson, having previously explained to Heather Richardson that Scott Peterson's boss was in town). According to the February 24, 2004, National Enquirer, this is a actually a party being thrown by Stacey Boyers and her boyfriend, Jake Zimmeht. After one guest hangs a string of glass Mardi Gras beads around Laci Peterson's neck, she has her picture taken as she sits in a brown wicker chair—the last known picture of her and one that would grace countless missing-person posters. Saying she was tired, she leaves the party at about 9:30 p.m.

December 15 Ron Grantski goes fishing, accompanied by Sharon Rocha, in Oakdale off Orange Blossom Road. According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least once by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak three times by phone. According to Sharon Rocha's preliminary hearing testimony, Laci Peterson calls her in the morning and invites her and Grantski over to dinner. According to Sharon Rocha's trial testimony, Scott Peterson had offered to make lasagna for dinner but got home late, so Laci Peterson bought lasagna (according to early accounts, Laci Peterson makes dinner). After dinner, the two couples sit in the living room—Laci Peterson on the love seat, Sharon Rocha and Grantski on the sofa, and Scott Peterson on the floor—and watch The Sopranos on television. Laci Peterson asks Sharon Rocha if she wants to feel Conner Peterson. Sharon Rocha goes over and sits next to Laci Peterson, feeling her stomach, but is unable to feel the baby kicking. According to the February 10, 2004, issue of the National Enquirer, Sharon Rocha also puts her ear to Laci Peterson's stomach to listen for the baby, at which time Laci Peterson makes a pointed remark about her husband being unwilling to feel or listen for the baby—an accusation that he does not defend. It is during this gathering that there is a lengthy discussion about fishing during which, it will be pointed out, Scott Peterson does not mention his recently purchased fishing boat.

December 16 According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least three times by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak five times by phone. According to suggestions made by Kirk McAllister at Scott Peterson's preliminary hearing, Amber Frey possibly begins recording her conversations with Scott Peterson. Laci Peterson calls Sharon Rocha and asks if she can watch McKenzie, Gracie and Siam because she and Scott Peterson will be visiting with Lee and Jackie Peterson in Carmel for 3 days.

December 17 Scott and Laci Peterson go to visit with Lee and Jackie Peterson in Carmel (according to a March 7, 2004, account in the San Francisco Chronicle, this visit occurs on December 20, 2002; according to Jackie Peterson, she and Lee Peterson go car shopping with Scott and Laci Peterson in Carmel on December 15, 2002, and Laci Peterson chooses a Mercedes to be her future car, claiming that her Land Rover is unsafe for a baby). According to Jackie Peterson, she and Lee Peterson go car shopping in Carmel with Scott and Laci Peterson during their 3-day visit). According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least twice by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak four times by phone.

December 18 Scott and Laci Peterson visit with Lee and Jackie Peterson in Carmel

According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least once by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak twice by phone.

December 19 Scott and Laci Peterson visit with Lee and Jackie Peterson in Carmel, then return home at about 1:00 p.m. Sharon Rocha and Laci Peterson speak on the phone at about 7:00 p.m. According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least five times by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak eight times by phone.

December 20 According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least twice by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak twice by phone. According to the National Enquirer, the two see each other for the last time before Laci Peterson's disappearance. Sharon Rocha and Laci Peterson speak on the phone. Laci Peterson reportedly attends her prenatal yoga class and speaks with Debbie Wolski about doing a mural in Conner's nursery, borrowing her portfolio for evaluation. According to one eyewitness, Laci Peterson goes to the Tradecorp Warehouse. Scott Peterson goes to Big 5 Sporting Goods and buys fishing lures and a 2-day fishing license, valid for December 23–24, 2002.

December 21 Scott and Laci Peterson go to a Christmas party, where despite her advanced stage of pregnancy, she shows up with in a party dress, steadying herself in high heels, with crab cakes in one hand and a house plant in the other. About this time, Brent Rocha speaks to Laci Peterson; he will later recall that she was "her happy, joyful self." According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least twice by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak twice by phone.

December 22 Between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m., Homer Maldonado sees a woman he later identifies as being Laci Peterson, walking near what he describes as "a small park" located at Miller Avenue and La Loma Avenue. Laci Peterson goes outside, where Scott Peterson has finished mowing the lawn and is starting a leaf blower. Across the street, Susan Medina prunes bushes in her yard and exchanges waves with Laci Peterson for the last time. According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least twice by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak twice by phone.

December 23 Amy Rocha arrives at Salon Salon at about 6:30 a.m. Margarita Nava comes over around 8:30 a.m. to clean Scott and Laci Peterson's home and, among other things, mops the bathroom with bleach and mops the kitchen floor with Pine-Sol and water, although, according to some sources, Scott Peterson will later say she mopped only half of it. Scott Peterson comes home briefly around 10:00 a.m. to pick up a FedEx package. Laci Peterson goes to Trader Joe's to buy groceries and checks out at 10:06 a.m. (according to newspaper reports, 11:35 a.m.), spending $98.19 (according to newspaper reports, $90.90) and buying 24 items. Nava helps Laci Peterson with "four or five" bags (according to some accounts, Laci Peterson carries these herself) when she returns from running errands, and notes that her employer spends most of her time on the couch with her feet up, eating or watching television. According to Nava, Laci Peterson turns on the television about noon. Just after noon, she goes to Sweet Serinity Day Spa for a facial waxing treatment scheduled for 1:00 p.m. She arrives early, probably between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m. Nava leaves Scott and Laci Peterson's home at exactly at 2:00 p.m. During the early afternoon, Sharon Rocha goes to the movies with a friend, and Scott and Laci Peterson work briefly in their yard. At 2:35 p.m., they go to a scheduled appointment at her obstetrician's office, where she is examined by Esther Tow. Tow determines that Conner Peterson's hearbeat is strong at about 150 beats per minute, and that he is a "viable baby." According to some reports, Laci Peterson has a sonogram. Tow later states that Laci Peterson's mood is pleasant during the exam. Scott Peterson applies for a private mailbox at Mailboxes, Etc. Amy Rocha drives to Vella Farms Produce Market and Gifts to order a decorative fruit basket for her grandfather, then drives back to Salon Salon. At around 4:45 p.m., Laci Peterson calls Stacey Boyers to wish her a merry Christmas. Boyers later states that Laci Peterson was "happy as ever...ready for Christmas and cheerful." Laci Peterson and Sharon Rocha exchange messages by phone several times, but do not speak to one another. Scott and Laci Peterson visit Amy Rocha at Salon Salon at about 5:45 p.m., where she cuts his hair and Laci Peterson sits in the chair next to them and talks (by one early account, she has her nails done; according to Chris Johnson, she sits on a black couch). Scott Peterson offers to do a favor for Amy Rocha by picking up the f ruit basket between noon and 3:00 p.m. the following day, saying he will be in the vicinity of the store when he is golfing (according to some accounts, he states that he has an early tee time at the Del Rio Country Club; according to other accounts, he has an afternoon tee time with some friends, which is canceled; according to a February 12, 2004, article in the Modesto Bee, the club did not require members to reserve tee times). Laci Peterson calls and orders a pizza. The visit to Salon Salon is videotaped by the salon's surveillance camera, but investigators will not recover the tape before it is recorded over. This visit, which by some accounts ends at approximately 7:30 p.m.(according to Laci: Inside the Laci Peterson Murder, between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m.), is the last confirmed time anyone other than Scott Peterson sees Laci Peterson alive. Scott and Laci Peterson invite Amy Rocha over to share the pizza, but she gives her half-sister a hug goodbye and then goes to have dinner with a friend visiting from another state. Scott and Laci Peterson return home and eat pizza. At about 8:30 p.m., Sharon Rocha is on the phone with Sandy Rickard and picks up Laci Peterson's call using Call Waiting. Laci Peterson discusses plans for the upcoming holiday gatherings—dinner at her mother's home on Christmas Eve, and brunch at her home on Christmas Day. This conversation is the last confirmed time anyone other than Scott Peterson speaks with Laci Peterson. According to Sharon Rocha, Laci Peterson does not mention any other plans Scott Peterson has for December 24, 2002. This conversation is short, as Sharon Rocha returns to her conversation with Rickard. Laci Peterson says she is very tired. Sharon Rocha asks if she is feeling all right. Laci Peterson replies that she is "just tired." According to Scott Peterson, he and Laci Peterson watch a movie and then go to bed at about 10:30 p.m., with she wearing his blue pajamas. According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least once by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak once by phone.

Midnight–6:00 a.m. According to one of the men later identified as a burglar working the La Loma neighborhood, Scott Peterson is "doing something suspicious" around 3:00 a.m. According to Det. Al Brocchini's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson is seen driving his truck on Interstate 580 in the direction of the Berkeley Marina at 3:00 a.m. He is pulling his boat, and there is a "bundle" in the boat, wrapped up in a blanket with a Mexican motif. According to a truck driver, a truck and boat matching the description of Scott Peterson's are seen near the Berkeley Marina at about 3:30 a.m. Susan Medina sees Scott Peterson's truck in his driveway at about 5:00 a.m.

6:00–9:00 a.m. According to James McGritt, he sees Scott Peterson on the water and dragging something along the side of his boat around 6:30 to 7:00 a.m. McGritt observes from a hill overlooking the Emeryville Peninsula Marina, watching Scott Peterson near the end of the Old Berkeley Pier. According to an anonymous woman, she sees Scott Peterson in his truck pulling his boat at the intersection of Miller, Santa Cruz and La Loma avenues between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. She notices a tarp covering a large object in the boat. She arrives at the intersection just after Scott Peterson does. He appears to be heading south on Santa Cruz Avenue, but refuses to proceed. When the woman does not move, either, he instead turns right quickly onto La Loma Avenue, with the trailer's right rear tire going over a curb. At about 7:20 a.m., John and Karma Souza see three "suspicious" persons as they jog in East La Loma Park. The first man, wearing a "puffy jacket," is at McClure Trail and Dry Creek Park Trail. Two other men "pop" out of the bushes and ask John Souza for a cigarette. According to Scott Peterson, he awakens about 8:00 a.m. and sees that Laci Peterson is already awake—he will later say that she probably woke up at about 7:00 a.m. He showers and eats a bowl of cereal, the same breakfast he reports that she had. Sometime before 9:00 a.m. (by some accounts, 8:44 a.m.), Scott Peterson loads something large, wrapped in a blue tarp, into the back of his pickup truck. He is witnessed by a neighbor. He later states that he loaded "market umbrellas" that he was taking from the pool area at the home to put in storage. At some point during the day, Scott Peterson, by his own account, cuts his knuckles reaching into his tool box and spreads blood into the truck by reaching into the pocket of the door.

9:00–9:15 a.m. An anonymous caller to the Sonora Police Department later says she saw a man driving a light-colored or silver truck pulling an aluminum fishing boat about 9:00 a.m. near Phoenix Lake Road, headed east on Highway 108. According to Scott Peterson, he speaks with Laci Peterson as she works in the kitchen and watches KXTV, which is showing Martha Stewart Living—according to him, a show that has something to do with cooking meringue (later reports are that a "meringue" segment aired December 23, 2002, but the defense shows at Scott Peterson's trial that "meringue" was also mentioned once on the December 24, 2002, program).

9:15–10:00 a.m. According to Scott Peterson, Laci Peterson states she is going to mop the floor, clean up the kitchen, grocery shop for tomorrow's brunch, bake gingerbread and walk McKenzie in East La Loma Park. She asks Scott Peterson to bring in a bucket and she begins to mop the floor of the entryway as he leaves the home. Scott Peterson later tells investigators that he believes his wife was last seen near the Dry Creek area of East La Loma Park about 9:30 a.m. According to some reports, Scott Peterson has a golf tee time at 9:30, but does not cancel it (the Modesto Bee will later report that no tee times were required of Del Rio Country Club members). According to Scott Peterson, he leaves at this time to go to the Tradecorp Warehouse to do a little work. According to Connie Fleeman, she is heading to Crescent Food Market, on Coffee Road near Floyd Avenue in north Modesto, when she notices Scott Peterson's truck and boat in the store's parking lot, but sees that there is no fishing gear packed. Between 9:15 and 9:45 a.m. (or at about 10:00 a.m., by the National Enquirer account), Scott Peterson taps her with the door as she enters the store and he is leaving (with the door of his truck, according to the National Enquirer account). She later describes him as having a big grin on his face and looking very happy. After apologizing, he wishes her a merry Christmas. She buys cigarettes and starts driving north on Coffee Road, then catches up with him when she pulls into the left-turn lane at East Rumble Road. Rolling down her window, she tells him that the box in his truck bed is slightly open. At this point, Scott Peterson gives her a "horrifying, scary look" and then speeds off without tending to the open box. According to Kristen Reed, she drives by Scott and Laci Peterson's home at 9:39 a.m. and sees both of their vehicles in their driveway. According to Amber Frey, Scott Peterson calls her during the day to tell her he is with his parents in Maine and will be heading to Brussels.

At 10:08 a.m., Scott Peterson calls to check his voice mail on his (209) 505-0337 phone—a call lasting 1 minute 21 seconds. At the Tradecorp Warehouse, Scott Peterson checks his e-mail and sends one e-mail. According to a prosecution investigator, at 10:09 a.m. or just after, someone accesses the computer at the Tradecorp Warehouse. According to Scott Peterson, he builds a mortising woodworking machine.

At 10:18 a.m. (by some early accounts, around 10:30 a.m., by some later accounts, between 10:10 and 10:17 a.m.), as she is backing out of her driveway heading for a store, Karen Servas notices McKenzie in the middle of the street, staring at her. She pulls her car over to the curb, gets out and walks to the back of the car, where McKenzie is standing by the vehicle's rear bumper on the left side. She checks his tags to make sure it is McKenzie. She notices that McKenzie's leash is still attached and has wet dirt, grass clippings and leaves on it, but later reports in the Modesto Bee say that she returned the dog "not realizing there might be something amiss," noting that he had gotten loose previously—a fact that she later denies in preliminary hearing testimony. Family members will later say the dog did not behave in an unusual manner after they arrived. Servas takes McKenzie by the leash and walks over to Scott and Laci Peterson's home, where she hears a noise in the back yard. Thinking Laci Peterson may be in the back yard doing some yard work, Servas walks to the driveway and sees the side gate "wide open." She walks through the open gate, through the covered patio, to the middle of the backyard, and realizes the noise she heard was someone raking another yard. She tells McKenzie, "Bye-bye," and exits the back yard. As she closes the gate, McKenzie barks once. Servas returns to her home and washes her hands before heading out to run errands. She arrives at the Bank of America, but sees that the parking lot is full. After circling the bank twice and not finding a place to park, she drives to Austin's Patio, Deck and Pool Furniture. She shops for approximately five minutes, buys two ornaments at 10:34 a.m. and departs. At 10:37, she phones Tom Eakin. At 10:19 a.m., Russell Graybill scans a checkpoint bar code just down the street from Scott and Laci Peterson's home, noting nothing unusual going on in the neighborhood. Rudy and Susan Medina leave their home, headed toward Los Angeles to visit relatives. They leave their dog outside the house. Rudy Medina locks the gate with a padlock Susan Medina calls her son at 10:32 a.m. to let him know that they are on their way.

At some time between 10:35 and 10:50 a.m., Graybill delivers mail in the La Loma neighborhood. At about 10:30 a.m. (according to an early interview, at 10:38 a.m.), Amie Krigbaum wakes up to the sound of barking dogs (Sage and, according to her later conclusion, McKenzie) and takes her dog out to her front yard. She notices that the neighborhood is quiet, with no one outside, and that the window coverings are closed at Scott and Laci Peterson's home.

Shortly before 11:00 a.m., someone stops using the computer in the Tradecorp Warehouse.

11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. By about 11:30 a.m., Scott Peterson, by his account, finishes working, hitches up his boat and heads toward the Berkeley Marina. Unnamed witnesses—presumably, Diane Jackson—report seeing three suspicious-looking people in front of Scott and Laci Peterson's home at about 11:40 a.m. Diane Jackson is driving home at 11:40 a.m. when she sees "three short of stature, dark-skinned but not African American guys" standing near a van parked in front of 516 Covena Avenue, the home of Rudy and Susan Medina, and across the street from Scott and Laci Peterson's home. She notices the van has one rear door open, and the other ajar, but sees no landscaping equipment, contrary to Modesto Police Deparment assertions that the van in the neighborhood at this time was one used by landscapers. As she passes by, the three men turn toward her with looks she senses as threatening. Karen Servas, after going to Starbuck's and back to the Bank of America, returns home between 11:45 a.m. and noon. She sees a package in Scott and Laci Peterson's mailbox. Presuming a 1.5 hour drive to the marina, Scott Peterson arrives by 1:00 p.m., although he later tells Det. Jon Evers he arrives by noon. The holiday season has left just three workers there: two maintenance workers and a groundskeeper. At 12:54 p.m. (according to trial evidence), he buys a boat launch ticket (according to earlier reports by Ted Rowlands, the marina receipt produced by Scott Peterson shows a time of 1:30 p.m.). According to Scott Peterson, he launches his boat from the Berkeley Marina boat ramp and heads northwest about two miles, trolling around Brooks Island.

1:00–4:00 p.m. According to Scott Peterson, he stays on the water until it starts to rain and the waves become choppy, at which point he heads back to the Berkeley Marina (Scott Peterson later tells Det. Jon Evers he fishes for a couple of hours, from noon until about 2:00 p.m., and tells Det. Al Brocchini that he fishes for about an hour—an estimate that Brocchini seemingly ignores as he estimates Scott Peterson's time on the water at 90 minutes). According to Scott Peterson, he speaks with a couple of unnamed fishermen, who report that they also have caught no fish. At about 2:00 p.m., Scott Peterson returns to the Berkeley Marina, where he has trouble backing his trailer down the boat ramp. According to Scott Peterson, this effort draws laughter from maintenance workers (according to the maintenance workers, Scott Peterson backs his boat into a pylon and they offer him help, which he refuses; in other reports, workers see Scott Peterson fumbling ineptly to get his boat off the trailer). At 2:12 p.m., Scott Peterson calls and checks his voice mail on his (209) 505-0337 phone. According to his own account, and supported by Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson tries unsuccessfully two times to reach Laci Peterson, leaving a 29-second message at her home and a 30-second message on her cell phone's voice mail (by some accounts, he leaves two messages on her home answering machine). At approximately 2:15 p.m. (Det. Al Brocchini will tell him later during an interview that this call was time-stamped at 12:17 p.m.), he leaves a 29-second message for her: "Hey, beautiful. I just left you a message at home. It's 2:15. I'm leaving Berkeley. I won't be able to get to Vella Farms to get the basket for Papa. I was hoping you would get this message and go on out there. I'll see you in a bit, sweetie. Love you. Bye." At 2:34 p.m., Scott Peterson calls Greg and Kristen Reed to discuss plans for New Year's Eve—a call lasting 5 minutes 1 second. At 2:40 p.m., he calls San Diego Crating and Packing, presumably to speak to Lee or Jackie Peterson, and is on the line for 3 minutes 9 seconds; again, at 2:45 p.m., he calls San Diego Crating and Packing and is on the line for 2 minutes 27 seconds (according to Lee Peterson, he speaks with Scott Peterson once, a call sometime between noon and 2:00 p.m. that lasts about 2 minutes). At 3:45 p.m., Amy Rocha receives a call from Vella Farms Produce Market and Gifts concerning a fruit basket that Scott Peterson had offered to pick up for her during the day but did not. She attempts to reach Scott Peterson on his cell phone and at his home, but receives no answer on either phone. Scott Peterson does not return her call—even though he has made at least seven calls within the previous 2 hours, and will use his cell phone again just minutes after her call is received, when he stops to buy gas at a Chevron station in Livermore and, at 3:52 p.m., calls his home a second time.

4:00–6:00 p.m. Ron Grantski calls Laci Peterson about 4:00 p.m. but gets the answering machine and leaves a message reminding her to bring whipping cream to her mother's house for dinner that evening. At 4:05 p.m., Karen Servas leaves her home, late for an appointment (she reports this time as 5:05 p.m. in preliminary hearing testimony and changes it in trial testimony after checking her appointment calendar). She notices that there is still a package in Scott and Laci Peterson's mailbox, and that his truck is not in the driveway. According to Scott Peterson, he drives back to the Tradecorp Warehouse, unhooks his boat, checks his e-mail and then heads to his home. According to Scott Peterson, he arrives home between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m., although even the latest of those times would mean he covered the 51 miles from Livermore in just 53 minutes, including the time spent at the Tradecorp Warehouse (according to Amie Krigbaum's media accounts, Scott Peterson arrives between 4:45 and 5:15 p.m.; according to her trial testimony, he arrives by 4:45 p.m.). Scott Peterson backs his truck into the driveway next to Laci Peterson's Land Rover. He sees McKenzie in the back yard, with his leash on and running free. He takes the leash off McKenzie and places it on the picnic table and enters the house through the rear French doors, which are unlocked. McKenzie and a cat follow him into the house, and the cat runs toward a bucket, so Scott Peterson takes the bucket outside and dumps it. He also takes the mops outside. By some speculative accounts, he sees Laci Peterson's purse, keys and cell phone on a table inside the home (according to Det. Jon Evers, Scott Peterson does not find these items on the table, but the purse and keys are found later by Evers on a hook in a closet). He goes to the washing machine, removes a pile of white towels from inside the washing machine, takes off his clothes, puts them in the washer and starts it. He goes into the kitchen, gets a box of cold pizza out of the refrigerator and pours a glass of milk. He eats one slice of pizza and part of another slice. He goes into the bathroom and takes a shower. He puts on fresh clothes. He plays the messages on the answering machine, from him and from Grantski (according to some speculative accounts, Scott Peterson also mops the floor, vacuums and irons). At 5:15 p.m., Sharon Rocha looks at a clock on the stove and thinks, "I need to get myself put together before everybody gets here." According to Amy Rocha's trial testimony, she receives a call from a "panicked" Scott Peterson at about 5:15 p.m. At about 5:20 p.m. ("a little after 5:00," according to Sharon Rocha in an interview; at "about 5:17," according to her preliminary hearing and trial testimony), Scott Peterson calls Sharon Rocha to ask if Laci Peterson is with her, stating that her vehicle is in the driveway, McKenzie is there with his leash on and that Laci is "missing." Sharon Rocha replies that her daughter is not there, and suggests that he call her friends, then call back. Scott Peterson at some point calls Stacey Boyers, saying he has called "René and Renee (presumably, René Tomlinson and Renee Garza), and asking her to call "Lori and Kim" (presumably, Lori Ellsworth and Kim McNeely). During the evening, Scott Peterson also speaks with or leaves messages with with Brian Ullrich, Lori Ellsworth, Lee Peterson and Karen Servas. Sharon Rocha runs down the hall of her home to tell Grantski that Laci Peterson is "missing." In a short time, Scott Peterson calls back, saying he had called everyone he could think of and no one knew where Laci Peterson was. Sharon Rocha then advises him to check with neighbors. At about 5:30 p.m., Scott Peterson knocks on the door of neighbors Amie Krigbaum and Terra Venable as they are preparing Christmas Eve dinner in anticipation of Krigbaum's father coming over. According to her, Scott Peterson looks distraught and is asking if she has seen his wife. She replies that she has not, and that she presumed that the two of them were out of town because their blinds were down and she had not seen any activity at the home. He tells Krigbaum he had been golfing and had tried to reach Laci Peterson "all day." Krigbaum asks Venable what she should do. Later, Krigbaum and Venable will help search for Laci Peterson, and Krigbaum will provide a flashlight to Sharon Rocha. Both of them will walk with Scott Peterson for a short distance as they return to their home. Scott Peterson leaves a note on the door of Karen Servas' home. Sharon Rocha begins to change her clothes in preparation to go to Scott and Laci Peterson's home. At 5:32 p.m., Sharon Rocha calls Sandy Rickard and makes arrangements for Rickard to drive her to East La Loma Park since Grantski is waiting on a police officer. At 5:44 p.m., Scott Peterson makes a call to an undetermined number. Immediately after this call, he calls Amy Rocha. He then calls Sharon Rocha a third time to tell her that Laci Peterson is not with neighbors, at which point Sharon Rocha asks Grantski to call the Modesto Police Department. The Modesto Police Department records the call as having come in at 5:48 p.m. (according to Laci: Inside the Laci Peterson Murder, this call is made at about 6:30 p.m.). According to Sharon Rocha's preliminary hearing testimony, she calls Scott Peterson at about 5:49 p.m. as she and Rickard are driving across the bridge at Scenic Drive and Oakdale Road, telling him that she is heading to East La Loma Park, and asking him to meet her there. She arrives at the park entrance near the tennis courts, gets out of the car and searches the area toward the river and along the path, screaming her daughter's name. She looks in trash cans with a flashlight. At 5:57 p.m., Scott Peterson receives an incoming call. At 5:59 p.m., Scott Peterson calls Sharon Rocha again. Immediately after this call, Scott Peterson receives a call from an undetermined number. He also calls the Reeds again, leaving a voice mail message that Kristen Reed later describes as "frantic." Scott Peterson calls Guy Miligi. Other Rocha family members head toward Scott and Laci Peterson's home and East La Loma Park. Scott Peterson runs down Covena Avenue, past the sign where the street dead-ends into a footpath, then down the steep hill into the park. Sharon Rocha sees Scott Peterson with McKenzie walking along the Dry Creek. She calls to him, but he does not answer her. At this point, "Zach" (sometimes identified as "Sharon Rocha's nephew") runs up to Scott Peterson. Det. Jon Evers, receiving the dispatch, arrives at the park and speaks to Scott Peterson and other family members in the parking lot of the park closest to the covered park bench areas. Evers notes that Sharon Rocha is crying and appears to be "very, very, very upset," Scott Peterson appears to be "very upset" and other family members appear to be "concerned." Amy Rocha goes house to house carrying a photograph of Laci Peterson. Scott Peterson states to Evers that he last saw his wife at about 9:30 a.m. when he left to go fishing in the Bay Area, and could not locate her upon her return, but did find McKenzie. According to Scott Peterson, he calls Amber Frey at an unspecified time to tell her that his wife is missing—a story he later modifies to happening on a later date.

6:00–7:00 p.m. The 6:00 p.m. time for what was supposed to have been a joyous Christmas Eve celebration at Sharon Rocha's home passes. At 6:03 p.m., Scott Peterson receives two unidentified incoming calls. Det. Jon Evers is told by Scott Peterson that he went to get his boat from the Tradecorp Warehouse. Evers notes the time of the missing-person report as 6:04 p.m. and requests two more units and a supervisor to meet him. Scott Peterson calls 911 at 6:10 p.m. Sgt. Byron Duerfeldt, Derrick Letsinger, and Matt Spurlock arrive at East La Loma Park. Evers goes with Scott Peterson to Scott and Laci Peterson's home and arrives at about 6:25 p.m. At this time, he notes, "Covena is the CP," meaning "command post." Evers conducts a formal interview of Scott Peterson. Evers, Letsinger and Spurlock search Scott and Laci Peterson's home. Evers points out to Scott Peterson that a rug in the breezeway appears "scrunched up" by the door, to which he offers an explanation that "the cat and dog must have been playing." Scott Peterson then takes a couple of steps forward and uses his toe to pull the rug out from under the door. Evers finds Laci Peterson's purse hanging on a hook in a closet. As Evers and Scott Peterson are standing in the front yard, Ron Grantski asks him why he did not go golfing, to which Scott Peterson replies that it was too cold. Grantski also confronts him about his fishing trip, saying, "Boy, that's late, 9:30, to go fishing." Scott Peterson does not respond. Grantski tells him, "I think your...fishing trip is a fishy story. Did you do something else? Do you have a girlfriend?" Scott Peterson replies, "No," then turns and walks away. Spurlock asks Scott Peterson what he was fishing for, but Scott Peterson is unable to say.

7:00–9:00 p.m. At 7:07 p.m., Modesto Police Department officers end their walk-through of Scott and Laci Peterson's home, according to the radio dispatch log. Det. Jon Evers tells Modesto Police Department dispatchers that Laci Peterson cannot be located at her home. Police officers begin second walk-through with Scott Peterson. At 7:22 p.m., Scott Peterson and the police officers go outside and wait for a search helicopter. Sometime between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m., Scott Peterson and another man (probably Brent Rocha) knock on the door of Leslie Streeter, who later reports Scott Peterson as being "stressed-out" and quiet and letting the other man do the talking. Lee and Jackie Peterson attend Christmas Eve services in San Diego.

9:00–11:00 p.m. At 9:54 p.m., Det. Al Brocchini arrives, confers with the other police officers on the scene and asks Scott Peterson if he has anything to prove he was fishing in the Bay Area. Scott Peterson replies that he has a receipt from the Berkeley Marina. Brocchini walks through the home with Det. Jon Evers for about 10 minutes. Evers points out Laci Peterson's purse. Brocchini then goes back through the house with Evers and Scott Peterson for about 45 minutes, taking special note of what appears to him to be a raincoat. Brocchini, with Evers and Scott Peterson, comes in the front door, which leads into the dining room, then goes to the right into the dining nook. Brocchini goes out the French doors to the backyard and introduces himself to McKenzie, who comes up to him. Scott Peterson remarks that it is unusual, presumably because McKenzie is usually protective. Brocchini questions Scott Peterson about the McKenzie's protectiveness of Laci Peterson. Brocchini comes back in and goes into the sitting room area and to the laundry room, where he looks in the washing machine and removes the damp clothes that had been through the spin cycle. He goes down the hallway into the master bedroom, the spare bedroom and the nursery, then back to the sitting room. In the sitting room, he looks at Scott Peterson's phone, and documents all the calls, both incoming and outgoing. Then Brocchini goes back outside. He asks Scott Peterson if he is having an affair, to which he replies in the negative. Brocchini asks to search Scott Peterson's truck. He first looks in the bed, where he finds some umbrellas wrapped in blue tarp, and the cover for the boat, which he will later describe as being "kind of bunched up" and "against the back of the green toolbox." Brocchini asks Scott Peterson why the umbrellas are still in the bed of the truck, and he replies that he forgot to drop them off at the warehouse. In the unlocked toolbox, Brocchini finds shotgun shells and a nylon rope. Scott Peterson unlocks the truck's cab using his remote entry key. As Brocchini opens the cab door, it hits Laci Peterson's Land Rover parked beside the pickup truck. Brocchini states that he will be more careful, then searches the cab of Scott Peterson's truck. In the cab, he finds shopping bags with lures and a receipt, and several items of clothing that are later taken in as evidence. He also finds a handgun that he takes into evidence immediately. After searching the truck, Brocchini realizes he has misplaced his keys and asks Scott Peterson to unlock the truck again before locating the keys on the truck's wheel well. Brocchini also searches Laci Peterson's Land Rover and finds her cell phone with dead batteries. Doug Ridenour Jr. brings a Minolta 35mm flash camera to Brocchini. Modesto Police Department officials determine Laci Peterson is not someone who would have simply "run off," and they launch an immediate search of the neighborhood and East La Loma Park. Lt. Bruce Able and a half-dozen officers go into the park. Officers are held over past their regular shifts to aid in the search. The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department provides two pilots and its helicopter to fly up and down Dry Creek, using a giant searchlight. A heat-sensing device is also used. Within hours, the search expands to surrounding areas. At approximately 10:15 p.m., Karen Servas returns home.

11:00 p.m–Midnight Det. Al Brocchini tells Derrick Letsinger to stand in front of the door to Scott and Laci Peterson's home and to relay to Doug Lovell to collect three things he has noted of interest: a mop, a bucket and towels. Brocchini also tells Letsinger to ask Lovell to look for any other potential evidence in the home. According to Det. Jon Evers, at about 11:00 p.m., he gets information from Scott Peterson for the missing person report. At 11:08 p.m., the Modesto Police Department issues a "be on the lookout" report for Laci Peterson. At 11:13 p.m., Scott Peterson, Brocchini and Evers leave for the Tradecorp Warehouse. Scott Peterson rides with Brocchini in his unmarked car. The warehouse is dark because, according to what Scott Peterson tells Brocchini, there is no electricity—although Brocchini later states that he found out that the power was never off. Brocchini uses his Streamlight flashlight to examine a fax that was sent earlier in the day. Scott Peterson states that he had already read the fax. Brocchini notes the time on the fax as being "1428" or 2:28 p.m. Scott Peterson explains that it could have actually been received 3 hours earlier than the stated time because it was sent from New Jersey, on Eastern Standard Time. Brocchini notes that, even accounting for the time difference, 11:30 a.m. is late to be leaving for the Bay Area. Scott Peterson replies that he could have read the fax upon his return. Brocchini shines the lights of his vehicle through the rollup bay door of the warehouse to illuminate the area so that Scott Peterson's boat may be examined. Brocchini and Evers also use their flashlights to look at the boat. Brocchini notes the boat on a trailer, a flatbed trailer next to it, a forklift behind the flatbed trailer, and pallets stacked with fertilizer stacked "too high" throughout the warehouse. Brocchini takes some flash pictures of the boat, and Scott Peterson asks that photos of the boat in the warehouse not be shown to his boss. Brocchini notes a concrete anchor and other items in the boat. At 11:35 p.m., Lovell arrives at Scott and Laci Peterson's home to take photographs. Scott Peterson gets in Brocchini's vehicle and they head toward Modesto Police Department headquarters. On the way, Scott Peterson gets a call from family members and friends making missing-person fliers at Dittos, asking for him to answer a question about what phone number to use on the fliers. Brocchini takes Scott Peterson over to Dittos, then the two continue on to Modesto Police Department headquarters. Brocchini parks his vehicle on K Street, but after he and Scott Peterson exit the vehicle, Brocchini realizes he has forgotten his notebook, so the two reenter the vehicle and return to the Tradecorp Warehouse to retrieve it. Once inside, Scott Peterson locates the notebook on the boat and returns it to Brocchini. The two return to Modesto Police Department headquarters, arriving around midnight by some accounts, although Brocchini also states that observations in the warehouse were conducted at least partially past midnight. According to some reports of police officials, Scott Peterson refuses to let investigators search the house, and instead asks them to get a search warrant—a contention not supported by preliminary hearing testimony.

December 25 At 12:01, Det. Jon Evers returns to Scott and Laci Peterson's home, where Doug Lovell is still taking photographs. At the same time, Det. Al Brocchini interviews Scott Peterson for about one hour. The interview is videotaped and audiotaped. Brocchini asks Scott Peterson if he had fired a gun recently. Scott Peterson replies that he last shot a gun about a month before when pheasant hunting at Lone Pine. Brocchini then asks him if it would be alright to check his hands for gunpowder residue. Scott Peterson asks if the outboard motor exhaust could result in him registering a false positive on the test, and Brocchini tells him that it could not. Brocchini is told by Scott Peterson that he plans to meet with family members at about 8:00 a.m. to continue to search for Laci Peterson. At 12:12 a.m., Evers leaves Scott and Laci Peterson's home. After the interview, or roughly around 1:00 a.m., Brocchini drives Scott Peterson to his home and lets him out in the driveway of an apparently empty home. At about 2:00 a.m., Brocchini is called by Scott Peterson, who asks if his handgun had been taken. Brocchini answers in the positive, saying that it is illegal to have a loaded gun in the glove box of the truck. Scott Peterson says he wishes he had been told that the gun was going to be taken. At daybreak, local authorities launch a massive search along Modesto's Dry Creek. Water Rescue Units from local fire departments join in the search. According to Lt. Bruce Able, about thirty officers are involved in the search, including six Modesto firefighters who navigate Dry Creek in an inflatable raft and using water-rescue gear. Three police officers on horseback, two on bicycles and some canine units are also involved. According to Amber Frey's phone records, she and Scott Peterson speak at least four times by phone; according to Steve Jacobson's preliminary hearing testimony, Scott Peterson and Amber Frey speak seven times by phone. According to some accounts, Scott Peterson calls Amber Frey at 8:23 a.m.; according to the National Enquirer, she calls him at this same time. to wish him a Merry Christmas, with his behavior later being described in this fashion: "He romanced Amber during the call as if he hadn't a care in the world." Scott Peterson calls his mother to inform her that Laci Peterson is missing. According to Laci: Inside the Laci Peterson Murder, he is "crying, blubbering, incomprehensible, save for a single word: 'Laci.'" Modesto Police Department officers follow up their morning search with an even more thorough search during the early afternoon, with officers walking side by side through the park. They search the Dry Creek area from the El Vista bridge downstream to Beard Brook Park, south of Yosemite Boulevard. They also check homeless encampments along the creek, although noting that many of the homeless persons had fled—probably because of all the activity. Other officers and volunteers fan out through the La Loma neighborhood, checking alleys and yards, and volunteers begin putting up missing-person flyers and asking passersby if they had seen Laci Peterson. Her family postpones the opening of Christmas presents, and establishes a $25,000 reward for information leading to her safe return. In the morning, Connie Fleeman sees the truck and the boat she believes to be Scott Peterson's again at the Crescent Food Market. Scott Peterson meets Janet Kenworthy and gives her a flier as both walk their dogs in the park; she gives him a hug and later states, "He about broke down in front of me—I did see tears, retain-your-composure efforts." Scott Peterson calls Brocchini at about 6:30 p.m. and asks him if the authorities were using cadaver dogs in Dry Creek Park to look for Laci Peterson, a remark that Brocchini finds surprising. He replies that the searchers were not yet acting on the assumption that she was dead, and that cadaver dogs had not been used. The Rocha family visits Scott and Laci Peterson's home. Karen Servas tells Det. Jon Buehler that she put McKenzie in Scott and Laci Peterson's back yard at about 10:30 a.m. on December 24, 2002. The Modesto Police Department holds a news conference. "We have organized volunteers for a systematic search and it is our hope to find Laci and bring her home," says Roy Wasden. Det. Al Brocchini states investigators do not believe Laci Peterson left without notifying anyone in her family. "That is completely out of character for her," he says. The official tip line is established at the Modesto Police Department. According to an account in the March 1, 2004, issue of the Globe, Scott Peterson hosts Lee and Jackie Peterson and Karen Servas for Christmas dinner of turkey and tortellini. According to this story, Scott Peterson opens a bottle of wine as he cooks the tortellini and, at dinner, tells his parents that investigators advised him to not take a polygraph examination because he was "too emotional"—behavior that Servas finds so disconcerting that she later departs her home and stays with friends. Also according to the same Globe account, Stacey Boyers also visits with Scott Peterson, noting that he spends "an unusual amount of time vacuuming, especially around the couch, armchairs, and washer and dryer."

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