Laci Peterson Body ID'd, Husband Arrested

ByABC News
April 17, 2003, 7:17 PM

April 18 -- Authorities tonight identified remains that washed ashore earlier this week as the bodies of Laci Peterson and her unborn child, and her husband Scott was arrested and will be charged with capital murder in their deaths.

Scott Peterson's arrest came days after a woman's decomposing torso and the remains of a full-term male fetus were found on a San Francisco Bay beach. He was arrested in San Diego this morning and was being transferred to Modesto, Stanislaus County District Attorney James Brazelton said.

"He'll be charged with capital murder," Brazelton said. "There are no other suspects in this case."

Peterson, 30, would face two charges of homicide "with special circumstances" for the deaths of his wife and their unborn child, Brazelton said. He could be arraigned either Monday or Tuesday in Stanislaus County Superior Court. Brazelton said no decision had been made on whether to seek the death penalty.

Laci's family was devastated, a spokeswoman said. Laci was reported missing on Christmas Eve, and her body was identified two days before Easter.

"It was not a total surprise, but it is not what we hoped for," said family spokeswoman Kim Petersen, who is not related to Scott or Laci. "Christmas is a time for families as well as Easter is a time for families. Please respect our need for privacy during this time."

No Question in Our Mind

Laci Peterson's remains were found Monday about 90 miles from the couple's Modesto home, at the Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Richmond. Investigators have refused to comment about the specific condition of the remains, but there were reports that only a decaying torso was found, and it was not possible to get fingerprints. A full-term, decaying male fetus with the umbilical cord still attached was found Sunday, about a mile away.

Because of the condition of the remains, authorities have not been able to determine how Laci, 27, was killed. When she disappeared, she was nearly eight months pregnant with a son she had already named Connor.