Original subtitles

♪♪

I don't care what people think of me.

You know, as I've said, question my moral character

if you want to but look at your heart.

Think of Laci, her picture, the baby,

and make the effort to bring her home.

♪♪

♪♪

Welcome to "How It Really Happened."

I'm Hill Harper.

A charming home town, a beautiful young couple

with a new baby on the way, sounds like the perfect life,

but not in this case, not even close.

Scott and Laci Peterson were surrounded

by family, friends and love.

They seemed to have it all until it all came crashing down,

when Laci, who was 8 months pregnant,

vanished Christmas Eve 2002.

This is how it really happened.

♪♪

Peterson: You always look for someone that completes you,

you know, that harmony.

You've seen her picture on the flyers with the big old smile.

That tells you everything you need to know about her.

Zahn: They seemed like the all-American couple,

happily married,

anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child.

She was girl next door, and he was the adoring husband.

Rowlands: People who knew them both said

that Scott was the perfect husband

and seemed to dote on Laci, and Laci was the bubbly wife.

Scott and Laci were both living in San Luis Obispo.

She was a student. He was working in a restaurant.

Zahn: They met here at the Pacific Cafe in Morro Bay in 1995

where Scott was waiting tables.

She didn't say she fell in love with him at first sight,

but what she did tell me was that she's met the man

that she's going to marry.

Zahn: Two years later, they were married.

It was a gorgeous day in Avila Beach, outdoor wedding, perfect.

Everything was just right and a nice couple.

They were, like, perfect for each other.

Chapman: If you knew Scott and if you knew Laci,

they were the couple everybody wanted to be.

I've never heard either of them say anything against the other.

Zahn: Married and still in college, Laci and Scott

opened this burger joint then called "The Shack."

Man: They sold the business in 2001 when they moved to Modesto.

Reed: They wanted to buy a home and they wanted to go some place

where their family was there to help support them.

Zahn: People here in Modesto describe Scott Peterson

as a warm, likable guy, so did his family.

He's just such a -- such a wonderful young man.

He's -- he's gentle. He's kind.

He's -- he's the kind of guy that's going to pull over

on the freeway if you have a flat tire.

Caudillo: She and Scott were just thrilled

about the coming of their baby boy.

This was a big event for them,

and everything was going wonderfully.

Rowlands: Scott Peterson told investigators

on the morning of 24th, Christmas Eve day,

that he got up, had breakfast with Laci.

She had cereal, and they -- together they watched

a "Martha Stewart" show on -- on TV.

We're going to make a recipe from the book.

Brocchini: He decided he was gonna go take his boat

out into the San Francisco Bay.

He said around 9:30, quarter to 10:00, he left.

Laci was going to walk the dog and do some errands

and prepare for a Christmas Eve dinner at her parents' house.

Zahn: Christmas Eve, Laci took her dog, McKenzie, for a walk.

That was her exercise routine to just stay in shape

and you know, stay healthy throughout the pregnancy.

Zahn: Later that morning, McKenzie was found but Laci wasn't.

A neighbor found the dog at 10:30

and put it in the backyard.

Scott and Laci's neighbor found their dog, McKenzie,

wandering around the neighborhood

with its leash still on,

so she took the dog and put it into the Peterson backyard.

I got this really funky feeling when I went in the backyard,

and I just kind of left.

I left the leash on the dog and abruptly just left.

Christian: As Scott was coming back from the marina that day,

he tried to call Laci,

but he couldn't get a hold of her,

and Scott told police later that that concerned him.

He left a message for her.

He says, "I called her cell phone,

went right to voice mail."

When Scott does get home,

he finds Laci's car is in the driveway.

He finds the dog, McKenzie, in the backyard

with his leash still around his neck,

and he finds that the house door is unlocked.

Reporter: Scott called family members to say

he had just come home from a fishing trip

and couldn't find Laci anywhere.

When he had called me and told my that Laci was missing,

and I remember thinking to myself,

"Missing? What do you mean missing?"

♪♪

Grace: Was it her normal M.O. to take the dog

for a walk in the mornings?

Yes, yes, she always took her dog for a walk.

The initial officers that were called to the scene

became very alarmed and felt like they needed

to elevate or escalate this call.

Fifteen minutes I think after we had

the call, we had eight,

I think eight cars down there looking for her.

Officer: Laci Peterson, last seen wearing black pants

and a white pullover shirt.

On my way down, I contacted the sergeant

that was in charge of the patrolmen,

and I asked him to -- if he could,

just keep the house clean.

Don't let anybody else in the house.

I could hear, you know, helicopters.

I could hear patrolmen in the park.

I knew there was a big search going on.

When I came back, I mean, the whole street was basically

filled with people -- her friends, acquaintances.

I was shocked when I came around the corner.

Police and volunteers are scouring the area around

Modesto, California.

The object of their search, a 27-year-old woman,

8 months pregnant.

Brocchini: When I first got there,

I met with the patrolman and the supervisor.

They briefed me, and they pointed out some things

that they felt were suspicious.

There's not any obvious evidence of foul play,

but they notice a pale and a mop.

Brocchini: And they said the cement all around the mop bucket was wet.

In their mind, it looked like somebody had mopped

before they arrived.

I noted it in my report, and then they introduced me

to Scott Peterson, and he started calling me

Al right away, but he wasn't distraught at all.

Scott consented to a search of the home.

He had consented to a search of his vehicles.

Brocchini: I asked him if he could search Laci's Range Rover

that was outside and his truck.

Inside Scott's truck, there was a big five bag in the back seat.

It had some fishing lures that were unopened.

He had a camo jacket inside the truck that was dry to the touch.

I also found what looked like a boat cover.

I mean, it was all scrunched up.

Karas: On Christmas Eve, detectives take Scott to his warehouse.

He tells them there's no electricity at the warehouse,

so they shine their headlights of the car inside,

so they can have some illumination,

and they observe the boat.

When I'm in there taking pictures of his boat,

he's got one homemade anchor in the boat.

So they see an anchor in the boat with the rebar

but no rope attached.

That was strange to me.

I am noticing things that aren't sitting well with me

and making me do,

just out of instinct, the next thing,

like interview him on video tape.

He had already told me the story, but I asked Scott

if he would come to the department

and just go through it again

and you know, get it on tape, and he -- he agreed.

I asked him questions like,

"Scott, how is your relationship with Laci?"

Then the last thing I asked him to do,

"Would you agree to take a polygraph?"

We have received credible witnesses

stating they saw her in La Loma park.

Zahn: The employee claims he saw her on Christmas Eve

between 10:30 and 2:00.

If anybody knows anything, please let us know.

Please bring our daughter home.

People go missing.

It's up to the family to keep the story out there

and keep it alive to bring them home.

Laci Denise, if you're hearing dad,

we love you very much, and we want you home.

Well, we're just out here double-checking.

Zahn: Police and FBI are combing the city and surrounding farmlands.

They also searched the couple's home and husband Scott's boat.

Laci Peterson's family stands behind her husband,

who has kept a very low profile.

If anybody knows anything, please let us know.

Please bring our daughter home.

The local media in the area picked the story up right away,

looking for this young woman.

Within a week,

it went from a local story to a national story,

and the entire country was now looking for Laci Peterson.

We're continuing with all of the sex offenders,

the people on parole, on probation,

and looking at the family members.

Brocchini: I asked Scott, "would you agree to take a polygraph?"

And he said he would,

and so I arranged for a polygraph for Christmas Day.

A half hour before the polygraph was scheduled,

Scott Peterson called us and said that he,

on the advice of his dad,

had decided he would not take the polygraph.

I realized this case was bigger than me,

and my focus was Scott, and so I knew I needed help.

The first detective I called in was Jon Buehler,

and then later that day, we called in Craig Grogan.

Detective Craig Grogan was actually the lead detective

in our efforts to exclude Scott

and eliminate him from suspicion in this case.

Brocchini: We felt like we wanted to go back in the house

and search for, you know, evidence,

now of if she was abducted or if somebody came in.

Buehler: And we drove back over to Scott's house.

Al introduced me, I shook his hand, I looked at him,

and what's not to like?

Good looking guy, pleasant, he was subdued, he was controlled.

He didn't show any emotion.

The one thing that I did notice is

he didn't really ask me anything,

which was strange to me.

Brocchini: Whether it's stated publicly or not, suspect number one

tends to be the spouse, right?

Typically in a case like this, after a few days,

it become clears what happened,

but in this case because it went on for multiple days,

many people started to shift their attention towards Scott

because he is the husband,

and frankly, he wasn't acting the way a normal husband

in that situation would act.

Why did he leave his wife alone 8 months pregnant

on Christmas Eve to go fishing by himself?

Why?

Jordan: The Rocha family adamantly supported Scott.

He was married to their daughter,

and the idea that he could be a suspect was just unfathomable.

Scott's just as worried as we are.

He is sick at heart about what has happened to Laci.

We're all looking for Laci.

We all want her back.

Today marks 1 week since a central California woman,

8 months pregnant, vanished without a trace.

As time went on, when there was absolutely no sign

of Laci Peterson,

that's when the search area expanded,

and that's when the questions really started.

What could have happened to Laci Peterson?

How could Laci Peterson vanish in thin air?

Where is this beautiful pregnant woman?

♪♪

Ridenour: A week later, that, we're hearing us,

this investigation more concerned

than we were 5 to 6 days ago.

Dornin: There will be a candlelight vigil in about 2 hours

there in Modesto, and a lot of folks

from the community are expected to turn out.

I just pray that you will continue to,

to protect Laci, God.

Ridenour: As we continue to profile Laci's background,

circumstances of her disappearance,

and in view of the timing of the holiday season,

it becomes more apparent that her disappearance

is a result of foul play.

♪ Amazing grace How sweet ♪

Wasden: I remember having the vigil at La Loma park

and that there was a really big turnout.

Laci was always a very upbeat and positive

and outgoing person and a very tough young lady,

and that's why we're not giving up hope.

At Laci's vigil on December 31st,

we know Scott's at the vigil.

He won't get on stage with the rest of the family.

At the vigil, it became apparent that there was a stark contrast

between Sharon Rocha,

who was a grieving, worried mother, and Scott Peterson.

Reporter: Scott Peterson raised eyebrows and got stares of disbelief

as he laughed and joked with friends

and even took a cell phone call

while the rest of the family was in tears.

It did not seem appropriate.

♪♪

Zahn: Eight months pregnant, Laci Peterson disappeared

Christmas Eve without a trace.

Reporter: So far a massive search has come up empty.

Wasden: It's very frustrating.

I guess the frustration is that we don't have anything new.

The last information we had is that she was at home,

possibly in the park,

had a couple possible sightings that day.

Karas: That morning, after Scott left,

there were witnesses who claim to have seen Laci

walking her golden retriever, McKenzie.

We have received credible witnesses

stating they saw her in La Loma park

about 9:30, 10:00.

There was one woman in particular that I remember.

I saw a lady walking her dog.

Her name was Vivian Mitchell.

She lived directly behind the Petersons

on an adjacent street.

She was short, had on a white top

and dark-colored trousers, slacks, and her hair was dark.

She was convinced that she saw Laci Peterson walking

her dog with her black pants the morning of December 24th.

Mitchell: Later when I saw the pictures of Laci Peterson,

I thought that was her for sure.

She was one of several people that came forward

and said they were convinced

that they saw this pregnant woman

with a golden retriever the morning of the 24th.

So that gave the family some hope.

We need your help to find Laci.

We're still looking for Laci.

She's coming home alive.

Karas: Now another, yet unconfirmed lead

is in a sporting goods store in Modesto.

Reporter: An employee from the sporting goods store

went to high school with Laci and recognized her

when she walked in to the store.

Karas: There's still no word on whether she was in that store or not.

Reporter: The employee claims he saw her on Christmas Eve

between 10:30 and 2:00.

There's a burglary that, that occurred, um,

the morning that Laci disappeared.

Laci may have interrupted that burglary.

Someone may have seen Laci being forced into the van.

Reporter: Scott, if you could send a message to your wife now,

what would you say to her? -How are you...

Well, we just all hope she's safe and she'll be back.

What else is there to say?

I mean, and we hope that she's not

going through anything terrible.

Woman: Laci Peterson, missing 10 days now,

and the clock is ticking.

Karas: A lot of eyes were turned towards Scott,

but there were other occurrences in the neighborhood

at the same time that needed to be checked out.

There were several alternate theories

that police did indeed want to investigate.

There's a burglary that we're, that occurred, um,

the morning that Laci disappeared.

We're working very hard to get that burglary solved.

Karas: There was a burglary at a house at 516 Covina Avenue,

which is right across the street from where Laci and Scott lived.

They lived at 523.

The neighbors were gone for a few days,

and when they came home, they found out they had a safe

and some jewelry and some things were missing.

Initially, the thought was is that Laci

may have interrupted that burglary.

Buehler: The close proximity of their house

to the Peterson house told us,

"Well, we can't ignore this because it could be related,

and maybe we're barking up the wrong tree

here by looking at Scott."

Since the investigation started,

we've had two detectives working that constantly.

They went out, and they started hitting up all of their sources.

Brocchini: And it was an all-out, find out who did this burglary.

We had called in some outside help

to bring in a bloodhound team

that can search and track people.

Reporter: From the trail that led investigators to this park,

where she supposedly walked her dog that morning,

seemed uncertain.

A bloodhound did not lead his handler here,

but instead, indicated she got into a car.

Brocchini: We're in Laci's front yard.

The dog immediately puts his nose to the ground.

His tail went straight up in the air,

and the dog takes off,

but the dog runs right to the middle of the street.

The handler says, "Well, you know,

what the dog is telling me is Laci left in a car."

If she left in a vehicle, then whose was it?

One of the reports that came out was that someone had seen

a brown van in the neighborhood that caused a lot of suspicion.

King: CNN, Chris, has spoken to a neighbor of the Petersons

who says he saw a suspicious tan van

with a suspicious-acting man in the neighborhood

the morning of Christmas Eve.

There's even these reports that someone may have seen

Laci being forced into the van.

Detectives tracked the van to a campground

and a man named Donnie.

Brocchini: Donnie and a brown van were seen on Christmas Eve

in the neighborhood,

and so I did become part of that investigation.

Craig Grogan and I found Donnie and the brown van

and his family living in it in a campground in Merced.

Those were checked out. Nothing, again,

that led us to believe that they were connected,

but all those leads are followed through.

We had their van towed to the Department of Justice.

I mean, the van was filthy,

but there was no evidence that Laci was ever in that van.

Christian: Police were able to solve the burglary

across the street pretty quickly.

We found out who did the burglary.

We interviewed 'em.

Christian: The burglars were two men named Steven Todd and Donald Pearce.

They confessed to the burglary and cooperated

almost immediately with Modesto PD.

Buehler: They wanted and did take a polygraph.

There's a kind of an honor code with some criminals,

where a crime like this, a pregnant gal gets abducted,

the guys in jail don't like that very much.

It was bad timing.

I was at a -- I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Brocchini: They took polygraphs.

They passed with flying colors, and those guys had nothing to do

with what happened at Laci's house.

We were hoping that would be connected,

but at this point, we're being told that it's not.

Reporter: There were nagging doubts about Scott Peterson.

Police briefing reporters tonight about their search

for a missing pregnant woman

talked at length about her husband.

Grace: Everyone, you are seeing photos of Scott Peterson's boat,

his 2002 brown-colored pickup truck.

Man: If anybody has seen this truck,

this truck pulling the boat trailer,

we really would like to talk to them,

especially in the time frame of Sunday through

Christmas Eve afternoon,

where they saw that and what they saw.

I found out nobody, I mean nobody, not his best friend,

not his parents, nobody knows he has a boat.

When Ron had told me that the detective had told him

that Scott had launched the boat,

and I asked Ron, "What boat?"

And he said, "I don't know. I guess it's Scott's boat,"

and I said, "Scott doesn't have a boat."

It turns out Scott had other secrets as well.

Buehler: We received word that the "National Enquirer,"

the tabloid publication,

had important information about the Peterson case.

He would naturally want to keep that secret.

My adrenaline went up.

I thought, "Oh, my gosh, I can't believe it."

Woman: Here we go. Here we go.

♪♪

Welcome back to "How It Really Happened."

A week after Laci Peterson vanished,

the Modesto Police Department announced

that they suspect foul play, and soon,

all eyes turn towards the doting husband, Scott.

Investigators questioned his odd behavior,

his changing stories,

and the biggest bombshell of all was about to drop.

Reporter: An expectant mother vanishes.

Questions still surround her husband.

Reporter: Does Scott Peterson know more than

what he's saying about his wife's disappearance?

I can't answer that.

Zahn: Peterson shied away from reporters.

Reporter: Scott, why don't you answer some questions?

Zahn: He said he wanted the investigation

to focus on his missing wife.

Laci's missing, and all of the media time

should be spent towards finding her,

and all of our energy should be spent towards finding her.

I ask people to,

if they have any information, call the tip lines.

Please do what you can to bring her home.

After Laci Peterson's disappearance,

Modesto police did reach out to the public.

They wanted any help they could possibly get.

While they were keeping it under wraps,

police knew that Scott had a secret.

We had a 24-hour-a-day tip line

manned by two, uh, clerks, and they were just,

they were taking hundreds of tips all day long.

And I called the Modesto Police Department, and I said,

"I'm calling about the article I had seen about Scott."

I wanted confirmation that it was the same Scott Peterson.

On this day, I just happen to be standing behind one

of the clerks, and I could see her type...

"Scott Peterson is my boyfriend."

Detective Al Brocchini took the phone.

She told them her name was Amber Frey

and that she'd been dating Scott,

and they're exclusive, and they talk every day.

Said, "Okay, don't tell anybody you talked to me.

Don't tell Scott you talked to me,

and I'll be right there."

Jon Buehler and I drove straight to Madera,

and we met Amber.

I invited them in, and it was very,

I mean, just very emotional.

And she told us about their, their first night.

Frey: Scott and I had made the arrangements to meet.

It was truly a blind date.

Scott had represented that he was single

and that he was looking for a relationship.

I thought he was attractive, good-looking,

nice smile, you know, a lot of potential.

Brocchini: Scott was staying at a hotel down in Fresno,

and being the smooth operator he is, he told Amber,

"I need to, uh, hey, take a shower, you know,

go upstairs, change my clothes, and then we'll go to dinner,"

so she agreed, and they went upstairs.

Reporter: Frey said Peterson surprised her

with champagne and strawberries

and that they were intimate that night.

Buehler: She was able to chronologically detail

a storybook romance of this knight in shining armor

that was good-looking and dressed right,

said all the right things.

Well, we finished up the interview with Amber.

The detectives asked if -- how I'd feel about

tape recording our conversations.

Brocchini: So Amber agreed to, you know, work with us secretly,

record Scott's phone calls.

I bought Amber a tape recorder and a wire for her cell phone,

and I plugged it in.

While Al was with Amber showing her how to work this device,

so she could one-hand it, her phone lights up.

Brocchini: Amber's phone rings, and it's Scott.

And I remember they were both surprised, like, "What?"

Like, they couldn't believe

that they were seeing he was calling me.

And we pushed the button, and she spoke to him.

I'm shaking. I'm nervous. My hands are sweating.

Detectives are stunned that less than a week

after this guy's wife is missing,

he is calling his girlfriend.

Police didn't know it then,

but Amber Frey was the turning point in their case.

♪♪

How long have you been seeing Scott?

On January 24th, Amber called me freaking out

that the media was at her place of employment,

and apparently, somebody had figured out who she was.

Earlier this week, the Modesto Police Department

was made aware of an article

that was to appear in the "National Enquirer,"

revealing new information regarding Laci's case.

Detectives were concerned that certain photos

of Scott and Amber were going to be made public.

When Jon and I were interviewing amber,

she says, "I have pictures of Scott and I.

I took him to the Christmas party."

Buehler: They looked like a couple in love.

Scott was beaming.

Amber was beaming, smiling, having the time of their life.

So we don't want the Rochas or the Petersons to be blindsided

by this photo coming out in the "Enquirer."

The decision was made that we had to tell both

the Peterson family

and the Rocha family about these photos coming out.

At that time, the family members were shown very recent pictures

of Scott and a girlfriend.

Buehler: I just remember Sharon looked at it,

you know, just instantly recognizable

that it was Scott and this other girl.

She just started sobbing and put her head in her hands

and just said, "Why did he have to kill her?"

Today because of extensive efforts

by some members of the media,

Amber Frey was identified and contacted by reporters.

We wanted and decided to bring Amber forward.

We knew that we were going to have to explode

this bomb, if you will.

We were gonna have her in front of the TV cameras.

As you know, across the country,

we are waiting for a press conference

scheduled for this hour.

Ted, what do you expect?

We were told that there was going to be

a press conference, and we figured,

"All right, they're going to talk about this girlfriend,"

but we weren't expecting too much.

Woman: Here we go. Here we go.

And then all of a sudden, there she is.

♪♪

Okay. First of all, I met Scott Peterson, November 20, 2002.

I was introduced to him.

I was told he was unmarried.

Scott told me he was not married.

We did have a romantic relationship.

Amber Frey walks out in this press conference

and takes the podium and starts talking about her relationship

with Scott Peterson.

I am very sorry for Laci's family

and the pain that this has caused them,

and I pray for her safe return, as well.

Frey: After I gave my statement,

there were a few of Laci's friends were there.

They each thanked me for coming forward

and everything that I was doing.

I was also asked if I would meet with Sharon at her home.

I wanted to thank her for coming forward and doing that.

I could tell she was scared to death.

Rowlands: Laci Peterson's family instantly turned on Scott.

They had been behind him 100%.

When everybody else was saying, "Oh, what about Scott?"

They were defending him to the nth degree.

Laci's brother, Brent, picked up the phone and called Scott

to confront him about the affair.

Today was a very emotional day.

The Rocha family spoke for the first time

since they found out that Scott Peterson

had been having an affair.

They said in that press conference

that they've lost contact with him.

You would think that would end the Scott and Amber relationship

now that it's out in the open,

but Scott was eager to keep Amber online.

Even after Amber Frey went public with their relationship,

Scott Peterson continued to call her and attempt to woo her.

What he didn't know was all of his phone calls

were being recorded,

and police had all of them on tape.

Rowlands: Scott Peterson instantly became

public enemy number one...

I really had a lot of compassion for him at first,

but now it just kind of leaves you thinking,

you know, is there more to it?

...so he decided to sit down

and do an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer.

-Did you murder your wife? -Big mistake.

Reporter: An expectant mother vanishes,

a cross-country search,

a half million dollar reward and still nothing.

Where is Laci Peterson?

Reporter: Divers have been searching the Berkeley Marina.

That's in the San Francisco Bay area

where Scott Peterson says that he went fishing the day

his wife, Laci, disappeared.

During this investigation, there was a total of 50 searches

in San Francisco Bay.

Reporter: A team of search dogs is also scouring

the Berkeley Marina some 85 miles away.

Ridenour: We did a search at Berkeley Marina last Saturday,

and there was a blue tarp

that was recovered during that search.

We believed she was gonna be in the Bay.

Scott said he went to the Bay.

There was saltwater in the boat.

Rowlands: They had divers out there on a daily basis.

Even as the search to find Laci intensified,

the media seemed to shift its focus to Scott Peterson

and his relationship with Amber Frey.

After Amber Frey, everything changed in terms

of the way the public perceived the case.

I have bad thoughts about the girlfriend and the husband.

With her coming out, I think he's even more guilty.

I really had a lot of compassion for him at first,

but now it just kind of leaves you thinking,

you know, is there more to it?

Can you tell me about that?

Rowlands: So from the very beginning, Scott Peterson

did not want to have anything to do with the media,

but then after Amber Frey, his family convinced him

that he had to do something, so he decided to sit down

and do an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer.

I think everybody sitting at home

wants the answer to the same question.

Did you murder your wife?

No, no.

I did not, and I had absolutely nothing to do

with her disappearance.

And that did not go well.

He tried to convey that Laci somehow knew

about Amber Frey and was okay with it.

Diane Sawyer jumped on him.

Do you really expect people to believe

that an 8 1/2-month pregnant woman

learns her husband has had an affair

and is saintly and casual about it,

accommodating, makes a peace with it?

Well, I, yeah.

You don't know.

No one knows our relationship but us.

Rowlands: Big mistake.

Whatever credibility he had was completely wiped out

after that interview.

Scott Peterson granted a few more interviews,

and I was able to sit down with him in his house,

and he limited the time we could talk to him.

He limited the equipment we could bring into his house.

He was in total control.

Well, I mean, I'm [indistinct].

I have to preface what we, you know,

talk about in the interview with, um --

I knew within 5 minutes of this 10-minute interview,

he wasn't going to be telling us anything.

So there are some things, and that falls into them that,

simply, I've been asked not to talk about.

He had all of his answers ready to go,

and he was just reciting them.

Rowlands: Have you taken a lie detector test?

Well, the polygraph is another one of those things.

I'm not saying I have. I'm not saying I haven't.

It's within the scope

that the investigators asked me not to speak about.

Rowlands: What's your level of cooperation in this?

It's complete.

I know that Laci's family doesn't feel that,

and that's unfortunate.

Grace: It was earmarked as the happiest day of Laci Peterson's life,

but instead, it's leaving a bitter taste in the mouth

and empty feeling in the heart.

February 10, Laci's due date, and tonight, no mother, no baby.

I do remember Laci's due date

as being significant in covering the story.

As we speak, a vigil is taking place in memory,

in honor, and in the hopes of Laci Peterson coming home.

Rowlands: People were emotional around that time because clearly time

had extended now to the point where it didn't look good.

Karas: On February 10th, reporters were speaking to Scott.

He's in front of the cameras,

pleading for people to help him find Laci.

Print the flyers off of that Website

and get them to any law enforcement in people's area,

any hospitals, any birthing centers,

just keep the word out there

because she will be giving birth real soon.

February 10th was significant for Scott for other reasons.

February 10th is my birthday.

Frey: I lived by Valley Children Hospital,

and he left a package in a bush for me.

We know that he left her a birthday gift

on February 10th under the bushes,

and among those gifts he left was a Norah Jones CD

"Come Away With Me."

He's dropping a gift off on her birthday,

February 10th, in fact,

on the same day that Laci was due to deliver his son.

Reporter: A grisly discovery at a California marina.

Reporter: Could you describe what you did see?

People were screaming and yelling.

Woman: We want the animal responsible to pay.

♪♪

King: It has now been 2 months since Laci Peterson vanished.

Still no suspects named,

no polygraph test for her husband, Scott.

Will investigators ever find Laci

and the baby she was carrying?

Rowlands: There were still searches,

and police were out in the San Francisco Bay.

There were active searches, but there was no body.

Zahn: Meantime, Scott Peterson has not been ruled in

nor ruled out as a suspect.

Buehler: Because of the media attention was so great on this case,

it pretty much essentially drove him out of his house,

and that's why he was finding various places

to live around San Diego on a temporary basis.

He went down to San Diego

and was hanging out with his sister and friends.

His hair had gone from dark Brown to bleached,

almost an orangey blond, and he had grown a goatee.

Laci Peterson's case went off the radar for a few months,

from about mid-February to mid-April 2003.

And then it all changed.

Reporter: A grisly discovery in a California marina.

Is it a key to the mysterious disappearance of Laci Peterson?

On Sunday, a couple walking their dog

found a full-term baby.

That infant washed up on shore about a 1/2 mile from here.

I was in the office when we got a call

that a baby had come up on the beach in Richmond,

right near Brooks Island.

Reporter: Could you describe what you did see?

I just saw what appeared to be a badly

decomposed human, human remains.

The next day, a female body came up.

A woman walking her dog did find a body along this beach,

a female body very badly decomposed.

There is a press conference scheduled to get

under way within the hour, but from what we understand,

it will not be the definitive answer

on whether this body is Laci Peterson

and also that the infant was that of her unborn son.

Wasden: That was just a traumatic time for Sharon and Ron

and all of their family.

Um, it was heartbreaking.

Petersen: These past 3 1/2 months

have been a constant nightmare for us.

If this turns out to be Laci,

we want the animal responsible for this heinous act to pay.

As soon as the bodies came up,

I called the Department of Justice,

and I asked them to find Scott and just keep an eye on him,

you know, keep him under surveillance

until we figure out whose bodies these are.

Once the bodies were discovered,

Modesto police detectives got a warrant,

and they headed down to San Diego,

where Scott was under 24-hour surveillance.

I was able to track him by the wiretap,

and I knew where his phone was,

so we sent the surveillance unit there.

They found him. -He was driving a new Mercedes.

It took a few days for the bodies

to be positively identified.

Buehler: It was decided that we were gonna put together

a precomplaint arrest warrant.

The judge signed the $1 million warrant,

but he asked us, kind of a gentleman's agreement,

would we not serve that warrant until the DNA was confirmed.

Rowlands: They followed him in and around the San Diego area,

and at some point, he noticed that they were tailing him.

It appeared to them as though he was trying

to evade them.

Brocchini: He is driving super erratic.

I mean, he would be going 70, 80,

90 miles an hour on the highway and just put the brakes on

and pull right over to the fast-lane shoulder.

He would do U-turns.

What do we do if somebody gets hurt,

killed while we're following him when we have a signed warrant?

The decision was then made to make the stop on him

because it was just getting too risky.

DOJ followed him into the Torrey Pines Golf Course,

lit him up, and arrested him without incident really.

Christian: Police arrested Scott Peterson at Torrey Pines Golf Course,

where his father and his brother

had actually had plans to play that day.

King: Good evening.

Welcome to a special Edition of "Larry King live."

We have an arrest in the Laci Peterson case.

CNN has confirmed that Scott Peterson,

husband of missing Laci Peterson,

is under arrest tonight,

arrested in San Diego by Modesto police.

Reporter: Authorities said DNA tests confirmed

that the remains discovered earlier this week

near San Francisco are indeed those of Laci

and her unborn child.

Wasden: It's been truly a difficult 4 months.

Scott Peterson is being transferred here

to Stanislaus county.

By the time it was announced

that Scott had been taken into custody in San Diego,

a crowd started to gather outside the jail in Modesto.

There were signs. They were, I mean, happy.

They were applauding and...

People were screaming and yelling, "Murderer,"

and, you know, shaking their fists.

Basically a pitchfork crowd demanding his immediate death.

Reminded me of kind of the Jim Crow South.

I can only hope that the sound of Laci's voice

begging for her life and begging for the life of her unborn child

is heard over and over and over again

in the mind of that person every day for the rest of his life.

Geragos: The coroner could not tell you when this happened,

where it happened, how it happened.

He could be stone-cold innocent.

If there's other evidence, and it proves that it's not him,

bring the evidence forward.

Scott Peterson was held without bail

at the Stanislaus county jail in Modesto

where he would remain until trial.

In the court of public opinion, Peterson,

easily the most hated man in America,

was already guilty as charged.

He did have a few supporters, and to them,

his arrest was nothing more than a rush to judgment

fueled by the media and carried out by the police,

but there was very little physical evidence to prove

Scott murdered his wife, so did he really do it?

There were so many twists and turns to this story,

including the testimony of the star witness at his trial,

next time on Part 2.

Thanks for watching.

I'm Hill Harper.

♪♪