POSSIBLE BREAK IN THE LACI PETERSON CASE

POSTED: 6:33 p.m. PST February 25, 2003
UPDATED: 11:43 p.m. PST February 25, 2003

MODESTO, Calif. -- Visibly tired and emotionally drained, the family of missing Modesto schoolteacher Laci Peterson told a national television audience Tuesday that they were taking time to regroup and would stop organizing volunteer searches for the foreseeable future.

Appearing on CNN's Larry King Live, Ron Grantski -- Laci's stepfather -- said the constant searching since his stepdaughter disappeared without a trace on Christmas Eve day had taken a toll on his family.

"We never lose hope," he said "We want to have a chance to regroup as a family and decide what we are going to do later."

"Not a minute goes by that I don't think of Laci," she said. "There is nothing normal about our lives now or will there ever be. Our lives have been changed forever...Each day is minute to minute."

Brent Rocha, Laci's brother, said he has tried unsuccessfully to return to work.

"I tried to go back to work," he said. "But I wasn't able to do that...I organized the searches the last three weeks."

After a short lull in formal searches, the Rocha family has spent the last three Saturdays directing volunteer efforts in wilderness areas across Northern California. Those three searches failed to turn up any clues about Laci's whereabouts.

Noticeably absent from those efforts has been Scott Peterson, Laci's husband. Modesto police have yet to clear him as a suspect in the case.

Peterson has told investigators that he was fishing at the Berkeley Marina in the San Francisco Bay Area on Christmas Eve day when his wife disappeared.

Since her disappearance, Scott's extramarital affair has become public knowledge, he has traded in his wife's SUV for a new pickup truck, apparently tried to arrange the sale of the couple's home and gone to Mexico on a business trip.

However, Brent Rocha would not say that Scott was involved in his sister's disappearance.

"I won't comment or make that kind of statement," Brent said. "It's premature...There are a lot of questions we need answered from him, but I wouldn't go that far (to say he's involved)...It's (Scott's actions over the last few weeks) very disturbing...It makes us question why he is doing certain things...It leaves us to wonder."

The Rochas' appearance on Larry King came after their final search at the New Melones Reservoir area on Saturday came up empty.

FROM KPIX: THIS IS ALL I CAN FIND IN MEDIA PRINT VERSION SO FAR AS NEWS TRANSCRIPT:

GOOD EVENING, I'M DANA KING. AND I'M KEN BASTIDA. TONIGHT, A POSSIBLE BREAK IN THE LACI PETERSON CASE. MODESTO POLICE HAVE REPORTEDLY FOUND SOME UNUSUAL RESIDUE IN HUSBAND SCOTT'S BOAT. JULIETTE GOODRICH IS IN MODESTO, WITH THE LATEST IN THE INVESTIGATION. JULIETTE?

SYNOPSIS: MODESTO POLICE SAY THEY'VE FOUND CEMENT RESIDUE IN SCOTT PETERSON'S BOAT, AS INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR 27-YEAR-OLD LACI NOTE TO EDITOR: FILL HOLE WITH SCOTT WALKING AROUND OUTSIDE HOUSE.

Sorry for the large jpeg file:

Also here is the following on Kristine from Santa Monica:

WANTED FOR QUESTIONING

Sketch of suspect

The subject in this composite is wanted for questioning in the disappearance of Kristine Johnson. He is described as male White in his 30's, 6' tall, thin-medium build, clean shaven and light complected. Kristine Louise Johnson was last seen on February 15, 2003. She told her roommate that she was meeting a man in Beverly Hills for some type of an audition. The identity of the man and the location of the meeting are not known.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Office of Criminal Investigations Tip Line at (310) 458-8449.

TIP LINE (310) 458-8449

Santa Monica Police Dept Press Release

Kristine Johnson

Kristine's car

MISSING PERSON

KRISTINE LOUISE JOHNSON

Gender: Female
Race: White
Age: 21 years
Height: 5'09"
Weight: 140 pounds
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue

CA - 3RSV484
1996 Mazda Miata Convertible White with a Black Top

Kristine Louise Johnson was last seen on February 15, 2003 in the City of Santa Monica. She was driving the vehicle described above. Johnson was last seen wearing blue jeans and was carrying a matching shirt. The circumstances behind her disappearance are suspicious in nature and a cause for great concern to her family and law enforcement.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Office of Criminal Investigations Tip Line at (310) 458-8449.

For additional information please contact:

Office of Criminal Investigations (310) 458-8491 or Watch Commander (24 hours) (310) 458-8427.

Press Release: KRISTINE LOUISE JOHNSON

MISSING PERSON - UPDATE

February 25, 2003

DR# 03-014084

KRISTINE LOUISE JOHNSON

Female White, 21-Years, 5’09”, 140 lbs., Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes

THE Santa Monica Police Department IS SEEKING THE ASSISTANCE OF THE PUBLIC TO IDENTIFY AND LOCATE THE INDIVIDUAL DEPICTED IN THIS COMPOSITE DRAWING. IT IS OUR BELIEF THAT THIS PERSON IS INVOLVED IN OR HAS INFORMATION REGARDING THE DISAPPEARANCE OF KRISTINE JOHNSON, AGE 21, WHO DISAPPEARED AFTER LEAVING HER RESIDENCE IN SANTA MONICA ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON, FEBRUARY 15, 2003. THE SUBJECT IS DESCRIBED AS MALE, WHITE, IN HIS 30’s, 6’0 TALL, THIN TO MEDIUM BUILD, CLEAN SHAVEN, LIGHT COMPLEXION. HE WAS LAST SEEN WEARING A DARK SUIT.

ON FEBRUARY 15, 2003, AFTER RETURNING HOME FROM THE CENTURY CITY MALL, MS. JOHNSON INFORMED HER ROOMMATE THAT SHE WAS GOING TO MEET A PHOTOGRAPHER LATER THAT AFTERNOON IN BEVERLY HILLS FOR AN AUDITION. THIS AUDITION WAS TO BE A PHOTO SHOOT RELATED TO A SPECIFIC MOVIE PRODUCTION.

MS. JOHNSON’S ROOMMATE RELATED THAT AFTER LEAVING FOR THAT MEETING, KRISTINE NEVER RETURNED. ON FEBRUARY 17, 2003, THE ROOMMATE CONTACTED THE SANTA MONICA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND WE INITIATED A MISSING PERSON’S INVESTIGATION. MS. JOHNSON’S VEHICLE DESCRIPTION AND LICENSE PLATE WERE ENTERED INTO THE NATIONAL MISSING AND UNIDENTIFIED PERSON’S DATABASE.

ON FEBRUARY 18, 19, AND 20TH, THE SMPD NOTIFIED THE MEDIA SEEKING ASSISTANCE FROM THE PUBLIC IN LOCATING MS. JOHNSON. POLICE DETECTIVES CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS WITH THE JOHNSON FAMILY, HER ROOMMATES, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. A TIP LINE INTO THE SANTA MONICA POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS ESTABLISHED. DETECTIVES ALSO OBTAINED SURVEILLANCE VIDEO FROM THE VARIOUS LOCATIONS VISITED BY KRISTINE PRIOR TO HER DISAPPEARANCE (CENTURY CITY/WEST LOS ANGELES).

ON FEBRUARY 20TH, DETECTIVES RECEIVED A TIP ON OUR HOT LINE FROM A FEMALE WHO MET A PERSON (DEPICTED IN THE COMPOSITE) AT THE CENTURY CITY MALL WHO IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS A PHOTOGRAPHER IN LATE JANUARY OF 2003. THIS WITNESS SAID THAT THE SUBJECT IN THIS COMPOSITE STATED THAT HE WISHED TO PHOTOGRAPH HER IN A PHOTO SHOOT RELATED TO A SPECIFIC MOVIE PRODUCTION. THIS WAS THE SAME MOVIE PRODUCTION THAT MS. JOHNSON STATED SHE WAS GOING TO AUDITION FOR.

THIS WITNESS WAS INSTRUCTED TO MEET THE PURPORTED PHOTOGRAPHER ON A STREET CORNER IN WEST HOLLYWOOD. THE WITNESS HAD HER BOYFRIEND (A FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER) DRIVE HER TO THE LOCATION AND WAIT IN THE CAR WHILE SHE CONTACTED THE MAN.

WHEN THE WITNESS WALKED TO THE LOCATION, THIS SUBJECT APPROACHED HER AND INSISTED, IN A VERY AGGRESSIVE MANNER, THAT SHE COME WITH HIM IMMEDIATELY. THE WITNESS THEN SIGNALED HER BOYFRIEND, WHO CONFRONTED THE SUBJECT AND DEMANDED THAT HE IDENTIFY HIMSELF. THE SUBJECT THEN RAN AWAY AND WAS CHASED DOWN BY THE WITNESS’ BOYFRIEND, WHO FRISKED HIM FOR IDENTIFICATION. NO IDENTIFICATION WAS FOUND, AND THE SUBJECT BROKE FREE AND FLED, NOT TO BE SEEN AGAIN. THE WITNESS AND HER BOYFRIEND PARTICIPATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS COMPOSITE SKETCH, WHICH WAS PREPARED BY A COMPOSITE SKETCH ARTIST FROM THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT.

ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2003, SANTA MONICA POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVES WERE NOTIFIED BY THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT HOTEL SECURITY FROM THE ST. REGIS HOTEL IN CENTURY CITY REPORTED THAT A WHITE 1996 MAZDA MIATA WAS PARKED IN THEIR PARKING STRUCTURE AND HAD BEEN THERE SEVERAL DAYS. THEY RAN THE PLATE, DISCOVERED OUR HOLD AND CONTACTED THE SANTA MONICA POLICE. WE RESPONDED AND SUMMONED LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S CRIME LAB PERSONNEL, WHO PROCESSED THE CAR FOR EVIDENCE THAT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF KRISTINE JOHNSON.

ADDITIONALLY, SANTA MONICA POLICE DETECTIVES CONDUCTED A BLOODHOUND SEARCH IN CENTURY CITY WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF BLOODHOUND HANDLERS FROM THE VENTURA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, TORRANCE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT.

THE VALET PERSON ON DUTY THE DAY THAT MS. JOHNSON’S CAR WAS LEFT AT THE ST. REGIS HOTEL WAS INTERVIEWED. HE STATED THAT HER CAR WAS PARKED IN THE VALET AREA BY A MALE SUBJECT. WHEN HE APPROACHED THE SUBJECT TO ADMONISH HIM THAT THE PARKING AREA WAS VALET ONLY, THE SUBJECT STATED, “HERE’S THE KEY,” AND TOSSED HIM THE KEYS. THE VALET STATES THAT THE MALE WHO DROPPED OFF THE CAR STRONGLY RESEMBLES THE SUBJECT IN THIS COMPOSITE SKETCH.

WE CONTINUE TO SEARCH FOR MS. JOHNSON HOPING THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO RETURN HER TO HER FAMILY AND LOVED ONES.

For more information, please contact:
Lieutenant Frank Fabrega
(310) 458-8418

This page was last modified on 10/23/00
© 1998 City of Santa Monica. All rights reserved

New Developments In Case Of Missing Santa Monica Woman Suspect Sketch Released, Woman's Car Found

well TK posted this on yesterday's thread.

Found this while lurking on misfitting.com

The local news just showed an interview with the people who SOLD Scott the boat. Coincidently, their names are also Peterson but they are no relationship. He bought it in September 2002 I think they said (I'm a ditz and can't remember what I heard just 5 minutes ago!!!) They said the police asked them to come look at the boat and tell them what is different about what they see.

The differences they noticed were

1 - a life jacket is gone

2 - some wheels for easy loading are gone

3 - there is cement powder in the boat - it was NOT there when they sold it to him.

They were asked if SP asked boating type questions when he came to buy it and they said yes, it was very normal and NO suspicious questions or behaviour was noticed.

He paid CASH - $1600 - and bought it on the spot.

One of seller's name Bruce Peterson, not related. And that SP bought the boat 3 weeks prior to Laci being reported being missing.

JD: There was a gas reciept that SP produced, do you happen to remember seeing it posted, or how much SP paid for the gas? How many gallons, and where did he get gas? Could calculate some mileage here, based on that truck, and times.....

EXCERPTED:LKL Transcripts

CNN LARRY KING LIVE

Laci Peterson's Family Discusses Coping With Difficult Search; Panel discusses Laci Peterson's Disappearance

Aired February 25, 2003 - 21:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Tonight, it's now been two months since Laci Peterson vanished. Still no suspects named, no polygraph tests for her husband, Scott. How's the family holding up?

We'll ask her mother, Sharon Rocha; Laci's stepfather, Ron Grantski; her brother, Brent Rocha; and her sister Amy Rocha, who was inside Laci's house for last week's police search.

Will investigators ever find Laci and the baby she was carrying? The debate heats up with former prosecutor Nancy Grace of Court TV, high profile defense attorney Mark Geragos, renowned chief's crime scene investigator Dr. Henry Lee with the latest, Marc Klaas, whose daughter Polly was abducted and murdered in 1993, and Ted Rowlands of KTVU, who's been on the Laci Peterson story since day one.

They're all next on LARRY KING LIVE.

We begin first with Laci's family. We'll start with her mother, Sharon.

I understand that the search went on last weekend. How long do you intend to keep this up?

SHARON ROCHA, LACI PETERSON'S MOTHER: Right now, last weekend was probably -- will probably be the last one we'll have. At least, that's the last one we have planned right now.

KING: Ron, does that say that hope wanes?

RON GRANTSKI, LACI PETERSON'S STEPFATHER: We never lose hope. It's just that we want to have a chance to regroup as a family and decide what we're going to do later.

KING: Brent, what are your feelings with regards to -- does each day make it worse?

BRENT ROCHA, LACI PETERSON'S BROTHER: Well, each day the longer we go on, it gets a little more tiring. We use those searches to help keep us focused and stay with a positive focus to help find my sister. So we're going to have to think about a different strategy at this point.

KING: Now Laci, you were at the search last week. Police took away 100 items from the home, processed at a police department or the lab. In fact, some of the brown paper bags taken away were labeled phone books and photo albums. Can you tell us what you saw and what happened?

AMY ROCHA, LACI PETERSON'S SISTER: I'm not able to comment on any of that. I was just there to assist detectives. So that's part of Modesto Police Department's investigation, so I'm not able to comment.

KING: Meaning they asked you to show them things or point out things about the house that you knew?

A. ROCHA: Yes, just to assist detectives.

KING: Sharon, does futility set in here? I mean, when it seems to be spinning, you're not going anywhere?

S. ROCHA: Yes.

We get to a point that I want Laci home and I get tired of waiting for her to come home. We keep hope that she'll come home alive. We're hoping that somebody out there knows something, but we know there is someone who knows something and if that person would just come forward and let us know where she is so that we can bring her home. Each day gets -- it gets a lot harder. Every single day is harder.

KING: Ron, are there days you think of her as not being around anymore?

GRANTSKI: Yes. And we don't -- I don't get much -- I try not to think about that too much.

We all miss her and we'll keep on missing her until she's back, and -- we just have to keep having faith that somebody out there will come forward and give us Laci or give us information to find Laci.

KING: Laci's father, Dennis Rocha, is reported to have said that he believes Scott is the person responsible. Brent, do you believe that?

B. ROCHA: I wouldn't comment on that or make that kind of statement. I think it's premature and there's definitely questions that we need to have answered from him, but I wouldn't go that far.

KING: Are you surprised, Brent, that you haven't gotten those answers?

B. ROCHA: Yes, it's very disturbing. It makes us question why he's doing certain things and we're only left to wonder.

KING: Amy, to you, is his behavior unusual?

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