Let me see if I can present a little perspective for you.
If you take a look at FR's Breaking News and Front Page news on any given day, you will likely find that someone has posted an article related to a murder or murders from any given location throughout the country. Whether it draws the attention of follow-up posters, I don't know. Nonetheless, it is reported.
Laci Peterson's disappearance captured the national media for several reasons. 1. She is young, pregnant, and pretty. 2. She disappeared under mysterious circumstances. 3. The Modesto connection... Chandra Levy lived here and her disappearance made the headlines because of the most famous Congressman of the 107th Congress was connected. It just happened that there wasn't a whole lot of news happening that summer of 2001 until Sept. 11th. 4. $500,000.00 Reward for her safe return. 5. Modesto was also a part of the Yosemite National Park killings by Cary Stayner. Carole Sund's wallet was found on one of Modesto's main streets. The Sund-Carrington (surviving family members) Foundation was established in Modesto as a result of those murders. The S-C Foundation receives requests for assistance nationwide.
Perhaps your comments would reach a larger audience if you stated them to the mainstream media. One murder is no less significant than any other. Some just manage to capture the mainstream media more than others. We've had a few murders in the greater Central Valley over the past few weeks, but they haven't captured the national attention. Until there is a body found, it's still just a missing person case.
Here's a little food for thought, a little off topic. All the media are reporting that Laci is 8 months pregnant with the baby due in mid Feb. Notice how it is a "baby" and not a "fetus?" Using the term 'baby' in this case garners the sympathies of the readers. If the media referred to the baby as a fetus as in any abortion related story, would the sympathies still be present or would the story die?