Laci Peterson

On December 24, 2002, Laci Denise Peterson, 27 and eight months pregnant, was reported missing by her husband Scott from their home in Modesto, California. Scott claimed he had gone fishing at the Berkeley Marina that morning and returned to find Laci gone.

The investigation quickly focused on Scott Peterson. He had been having an affair with massage therapist Amber Frey, who cooperated with police and secretly recorded their phone calls. Scott displayed behavior that investigators found suspicious, including selling Laci's car and exploring options for selling their home.

In April 2003, the bodies of Laci and her unborn son Conner washed ashore in San Francisco Bay, near where Scott said he had been fishing. Scott was arrested while apparently attempting to flee to Mexico.

Scott Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder of Laci and second-degree murder of Conner in 2004, and sentenced to death. His death sentence was overturned in 2020 on procedural grounds and he was resentenced to life without parole in 2021.