Laci Peterson American woman who disappeared while eight months pregnant in December 2002 Date of Birth: 04.05.1975 Country: USA

Biography of Lacey Peterson

Lacey Denise Rocha was born in Modesto, California. Her parents, Dennis Robert Rocha and Sharon Ruth Anderson, met in high school and got married soon after graduating. Lacey's older brother, Brent Rocha, was born in 1971, and Lacey followed in 1975, after which Dennis and Sharon divorced. Dennis remarried, and he had a daughter named Amy in his second marriage.

In school, Lacey was a cheerleader. After finishing high school, she attended California Polytechnic State University, where she specialized in horticulture. She dreamed of opening her own store after completing her studies. It was at Cal Poly that Lacey met Scott Peterson. They met in a nearby restaurant and started dating. They got engaged in December 1996 and got married on August 9, 1997, a few months after Lacey's graduation.

During the first two years of their marriage, Lacey and Scott did not actively try to have children. However, Lacey later expressed her desire to start a family. In December 2000, Scott agreed, and they began trying to conceive. The process took longer than expected, but in May 2002, Lacey became pregnant. Scott later admitted that he had secretly hoped for infertility. Lacey was due to give birth on February 10, 2003, and they planned to name their son Conner Latham Peterson.

The last known sightings of Lacey were by her stepsister, Amy Rocha, and her mother, Sharon. Amy had cut Scott's hair on December 23, 2002, and gave Lacey some hairstyling advice. Later that evening, Sharon spoke to Lacey on the phone. The following morning, a neighbor found the Petersons' golden retriever, McKenzie, running loose on the street. The neighbor returned the dog to their yard, where Lacey's car was parked, and her purse with keys and cell phone hung in the closet. When Scott returned from a fishing trip later that evening, Lacey was not at home. He did laundry, ate cold pizza, cleaned the kitchen, took a shower, and then called Sharon at around 5:15 p.m. to ask if Lacey was with her. Sharon replied that she was not, and Scott immediately reported Lacey missing. The police were called by Lacey's parents at 6 p.m., and a search of the surrounding area began.

The police suspected foul play from the beginning and launched an extensive search operation involving multiple counties, police patrols, search dogs, helicopters, and equestrian teams. A reward was offered for any information about Lacey's whereabouts, and posters with her description were distributed. Relatives, friends, and volunteers organized a search headquarters in a nearby hotel, and thousands of people joined the search effort. Critics labeled the intense media coverage as the "Missing White Woman Syndrome," as similar cases involving individuals from ethnic minorities did not receive the same level of attention.

On April 13, 2003, a couple walking their dog found the badly decomposed but surprisingly well-preserved remains of a male fetus on the shores of San Francisco Bay in Richmond. The next day, a mile away from the fetus, the waves washed up the body of a woman who appeared to have been recently pregnant. She was only wearing maternity pants and a bra. The cause of death was difficult to determine due to decomposition and missing body parts, including the head, hands, and right foot from the knee down. Later DNA tests confirmed that the bodies belonged to Lacey Peterson and her unborn son.

Scott Peterson initially had limited interaction with the press, with the support of Lacey's family, who believed he had no involvement in her disappearance. However, it was later discovered that Scott had been involved in extramarital affairs and had even told one of his mistresses that he was a widower just days before Lacey vanished. Scott was arrested on April 18, 2003, in the parking lot of a golf club. He was found with $15,000 in cash, four cell phones, camping gear, a weapon, and his brother's driver's license. He had also dyed his hair white.

Scott Peterson was charged with the first-degree murder of Lacey and the second-degree murder of their unborn child. He currently awaits execution on death row at San Quentin State Prison.

The fate of Lacey Peterson became a prominent factor in the ratification of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which recognizes the unborn child as a separate victim in certain cases.