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Posted on 03/01/2003 7:57:53 AM PST by runningbear
Cementing A Case?
Police Study Cement Traces On Scott Peterson's Boat
The man who sold Scott Peterson the boat the Modesto, Calif., man says he went fishing in the day his pregnant wife disappeared, said he found traces of cement on the vessel that weren't there when he sold it.
Feb. 27 — Police are looking at whether traces of cement found on Scott Peterson's boat and three containers of cement at his Modesto home could be related to the disappearance of his pregnant wife, Laci.
Investigators carried out a two-day search of the Petersons' home last week in what they said was an effort to "eliminate or connect" him as a suspect in the case.
One of the things they found in that search were containers of cement, which he said were for the people who were working on his pool. When police asked the pool workers, though, they said the cement was not theirs.
Police asked the man who sold Peterson the boat he said he was fishing on the day that his wife disappeared to look it over and see if anything was different about it. He said that he saw traces of cement on the boat that were not there when he turned the boat over to Peterson.
"I know it wasn't that way when I sold it to him," the man, Bruce Peterson, who is not related to Scott Peterson, told ABCNEWS affiliate KGO in San Francisco. "I don't know what he used it for, if he was hauling stuff or anything."
The 14-foot aluminum boat is a 1991 Sears Gamefisher, equipped with a 15-horsepower Gamefisher outboard motor. Police seized the boat, its trailer, and a 2002 Ford F-150 pickup truck shortly after Laci Peterson disappeared.
Peterson bought the boat a few weeks before his wife disappeared on Dec. 24. He said he last saw his wife at 9:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve when he left to go fishing on the boat.
Since Laci Peterson disappeared, police have searched the San Francisco Bay near Berkeley, where Scott Peterson said he was fishing. They have also combed virtually every waterway in Stanislaus County, and portions of Merced, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties, but found nothing in any of the searches.
And to go along with the story line:
Peterson's mother replies to comment
Peterson's mother replies to comment
By PATRICK GIBLIN
BEE STAFF WRITER
Published 12:55 p.m. PST Friday, February 28, 2003 Jackie Peterson said Thursday it's not surprising that a man found concrete dust in the bottom of her son Scott Peterson's boat.
The residue was likely there because of the boat's concrete anchor, she said. "It was mentioned long ago that Scott had a cement anchor."
Scott Peterson's wife, Laci Peterson, was reported missing Dec. 24. Scott Peterson told police he last saw her at 9:30 a.m. as he left with the boat to go fishing in the Bay Area and she prepared to walk their dog in East La Loma Park.
Jackie Peterson was responding to comments made by Bruce Peterson during a television interview. He sold the boat to Scott Peterson in December. They are not related.
Detectives asked Bruce Peterson to look at the boat after police seized it.
Since Laci Peterson's disappearance, hundreds of officers and volunteers have searched from Tuolumne County to the Berkeley Marina for the missing pregnant woman.
On Wednesday, Vivian Mitchell reported that she saw Laci Peterson walking her dog between 10 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Dec. 24. She said she reported that to police but never received a return call.
Lee Peterson, Scott Peterson's father, reacted to that story Thursday.
"How do you follow up on a lead if you don't return someone's calls?" Peterson said by phone Thursday. "It makes me wonder about their competency. Here's an eyewitness account of my daughter-in-law and they don't follow up on it."
Police spokesman Doug Ridenour on Thursday confirmed that the department received the tip and said "it was appropriately handled during our investigation.
"But we have 8,000 tips," he said, "and the majority we haven't called back."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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And one other just to set off on this Saturday of news:
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Nobody Ever Followed Up’
Neighbors Say Police Ignored Sightings of Laci Peterson
M O D E S T O , Calif., Feb. 28 — Neighbors of Laci Peterson say the Modesto Police Department ignored their report of a Laci Peterson sighting the day she went missing.
Vivian Mitchell, 78, says she and her husband, Bill, were the last people to see Laci Peterson, but she says Modesto police haven't talked to her about their Christmas Eve sighting.
"I called and told them that I'd seen whom I thought was her and it would be pretty difficult to have an identical twin and identical dog," Mitchell told ABCNEWS affiliate KGO in San Francisco. "I did think that it was strange they didn't call. I just thought they had some information that over-rode what I had seen and I just thought it was strange that nobody ever followed up," she said.
Mitchell says it took her a week to call the police, because she assumed others in the neighborhood had also seen Peterson walking her dog.
Mitchell says she remembers seeing Peterson, who was eight months pregnant at the time, between 10 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. on Dec. 24. That's about 45 minutes after Scott Peterson told police he said goodbye to his wife and went fishing.
‘It Was Frustrating’
"It was frustrating when the [local] paper went on and on and they kept on reporting that 9:30 a.m. was the last anybody had seen of her," Mitchell said. "I am pretty well convinced it was her because it was just too close circumstance to be not her. What she looked like, the dog, the time element, the whole thing," Mitchell said.
Mitchell's report prompted frustration from the family of Laci's husband Scott Peterson. His sister-in-law, Janey Peterson, says she doesn't understand why Modesto police haven't focused more on reported sightings and tips.
"When this all started, there was many reports of people who had said they seen her walking," Janey Peterson told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. "That's why all the posters say 'Last seen walking her dog' in that area. As time went on, it became, 'well, we cannot confirm that she had been walking her dog.' Then it became, you know, 'we believe she left the area in a vehicle,'" Janey Peterson said.
In the wake of Mitchell's claims, Scott Peterson's father, Lee, on Thursday criticized police for focusing suspicion on his son .
"How do you follow up on a lead if you don't return someone's calls?" Peterson said in a Thursday telephone call to The Associated Press from Solana Beach in San Diego County.
"It makes me wonder about their competency," he said of Modesto Police. "Here's an eyewitness account of my daughter-in-law and they don't follow up on it."
Police: ‘We Have 8,000 Tips’
Modesto Police spokesman Doug Ridenour declined comment on Lee Peterson's remarks to the AP. He confirmed that the department received the tip, and said the tip was appropriately handled. "But we have 8,000 tips," he said, "and the majority we haven't called back."
The Modesto Police Department declined a request to appear on Good Morning America, saying it's an ongoing investigation.
Mitchell said she talked to a woman when she called the Modesto police. She says the woman asked for her name, address and phone number.
The Mitchells live about 10 blocks from the home that Laci Peterson, 27, and her huband shared.
Scott Peterson, 30, told police he last saw his wife at about 9:30 a.m., before he left for the Berkeley Marina. Police still say that Peterson is not a suspect in his wife's disappearance, but he hasn't been ruled out either.
Police Search Turns Up Cement
Police removed 95 items from Scott Peterson's home during a two-day search last week. One of the things they found in that search were containers of cement, which he said were for the people who were working on his pool. When police asked the pool workers, though, they said the cement was not theirs.
Police contacted the man who sold Peterson the boat he said he was fishing on the day his wife disappeared, asking the seller to look it over and see if anything was different about it. He said that he saw traces of cement on the boat that were not there when he turned the boat over to Peterson.
"I know it wasn't that way when I sold it to him," the man, Bruce Peterson, who is not related to Scott Peterson, told ABCNEWS affiliate KGO in San Francisco. "I don't know what he used it for, if he was hauling stuff or anything."
When asked about the cement, Janey Peterson said Scott and Laci spent a lot of time on home improvement. "I know they've done a lot of work on their home," she said.
Janey Peterson says her family is waiting for a call from the Modesto Police Chief on the Mitchell sighting.
ABCNEWS affiliate KGO in San Francisco and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(Excerpt) Read more at abclocal.go.com ...
As to difficulty disposing of a body from the boat: The body would be wrapped in a tarp and 3 lengths of rope would be attached at the feet, torso, and head areas respectively.
At the end of each of the pieces of rope would be one of Scott's homemade anchors. The anchors could be let go one at a time until all three were over the side. At that point, all Scott would have to do would be to roll the body off of the side.
Due to the pull from the anchors, I think he could do this with his feet while using his body to counter balance the boat.
The potential scratches on the side of the boat caused by this might be the marks that the previous owners were asked to look at.
Your thoughts?
I had a conversion with a homeless gal, she had camped over in the dry creek park, but she told me that many left because of too many LE over there. And that they had to leave before dark, park rules. Only find them camping on the embankments. She did have many stories from there, but alcohol was also mixing on her breath, so careful on what I was hearing. But I did make her re state lots of answers, from many different questions I posed to her. Being homeless in Modesto is no cup of tea.
Also, many of the homes in the Buena Vista area, are very large square footage, from outside view. A very unique neighborhood. Very woodsy in some respect, but very older too. Very close to SP's Tradecorps office, and nearer to his Kansas Av/Emerald warehouse. All those locations are close to one another.
SP is a smart cookie, but dumb in some respect. If you didn't see that pic of him talking to MPD during the media blitz back a few weeks ago, he has that stupid sarcastic smile on his face, when it should be sad, or serious.
Enough to make you want to slap him!.... ;o)
Looking at the map that was my concern also. I just figured there were crossing lights there or she would not attempt it. No lights? No way, why would she chance it? There is plenty of area for walking on her side of La Loma.
There was some question regarding the placement of the house. 231 Buena Vista was described as being on the corner. One poster had it pegged, as I did, in the middle of the block using mapquest. Were you able to place it? Thanks for the gumshoe work, didn't bump into Garcia did you?
For me, I just wouldn't even think of looking for homes there, knowing what I know of Modesto. I'd stay N/W closest to Hwy 99 thank you.
Wonder if somebody needs to put a brick patio back together?
She did. He didn't wanted her to think that he would kill her "kid", too. To say you don't want any children and then have an existing step-child die in an accident might look suspicious.
On Mapquest and Yahoo maps, sure they look easy enough to and from, but when you actually go and drive around, I went from 11th street to D street, to Santa Rose, to Buena Vista, (which the address is closest to Buena Vista and La Loma(Mitchell's), I crossed over La Loma, a 2 way stop, then cruised to Covena to SP's home. From those streets, mostly yields and stop signs. Signals are on the major portions of the heavier traffic patterns. The driving wasn't much. Not much traffic out there, only on La Loma, or other type streets. Some neighbors were doing some yard work, planting plants, but not much going on out there. Took notice of many contractor type neighborhood, meaning many signs posted. Yosemite was as usual, busy. It is nearer to Gallo Research Plant, Yosemite, and D street area, where Morton...bridge... park is. That area, as I view it, is full of tweakers, dopers, and other undesireables. But with that in mind, it can also be a nice area. Just depends on how you want to live. A home closest to SP had a 'sold' sign, and people moving out. The route I took, was from looking for the Mitchell's address(by memory) to Laci's home, and then to Edgebrook to Buena Vista. A very long walk indeed, and with dog. Not sure for someone being pregnant though, let alone, if reports are true, she left her cell phone at home? Very risky and taking chances.
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