Who was Laci Peterson, the California woman of new Netflix series

Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant when she was reported missing on Christmas Eve in 2002. The disappearance of the Modesto woman and her unborn child captured national attention, and her husband, Scott Peterson, was later convicted of killing Laci Peterson and their child.

The tragic case is the subject of a new Netflix docuseries called “American Murder: Laci Peterson,” and the spotlight on the Petersons continues with “Face to Face with Scott Peterson,” a Peacock docuseries focusing on Scott Peterson’s “side of the story,” premiering on Aug. 20.

Who was Laci Peterson?

Laci Peterson was a substitute teacher described as “bubbly, vivacious and the life of every party,” SF Gate reported in 2003.

Born in 1975, Laci was a high school cheerleader and a softball player who attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, the Associated Press reported in 2004. She majored in horticulture. It was there she met her husband, and the two married in 1997. The couple moved to Modesto to be close to Laci’s family, according to AP.

What happened to Laci Peterson?

On Dec. 23, 2002, Laci Peterson and her husband visited her sister, Amy Rocha. That evening, she spoke on the phone with her mother, Sharon. The following day, Christmas Eve, Scott and her stepfather reported Laci missing.

Scott told police he’d last seen his wife that morning in their Central California home. He’d gone fishing, telling police he’d been at the Berkeley Marina, though Rocha later testified he’d said he was playing golf that day, AP reported. When Scott returned home, Laci’s car was in the driveway, but his wife wasn’t there.

In March 2003, Laci was no longer considered a missing person but instead, a victim of homicide, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

It’d been revealed that Scott had several extramarital affairs, including with Amber Frey. She’d aided authorities when she learned Scott was married and his wife was missing — when they’d begun dating, Scott allegedly told Frey his wife was dead.

More:Murder of Laci Peterson: Timeline as Scott Peterson’s case picked up by Innocence Project

Did they find Laci Peterson?

In April 2003, the body of Laci Peterson’s unborn child was discovered on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. The next day, Laci’s body was found a mile away and near where Scott had told investigators he’d been fishing on Christmas Eve. The body was missing its head and parts of limbs, ABC News reported.

Scott was arrested later that month in La Jolla, the Modesto Bee reported. Police had feared Scott would flee to Mexico, and when police later searched his car, they discovered “a rope, knives, four cell phones, camping supplies, children’s books,” thousands of dollars in cash, his brother’s ID, hiking boots, a shovel, and a fishing pole, ABC News reported.

How old was Laci Peterson?

Laci Peterson was 27 when she died.

What happened to Scott Peterson?

Scott Peterson was charged with first-degree murder of Laci Peterson and second-degree murder of their child. He was found guilty in 2004 of killing his wife and their child and dumping their bodies into San Francisco Bay from his fishing boat.

He was sentenced to death, but that sentence was overturned in 2020 by the California Supreme Court. Still, there was “considerable circumstantial evidence incriminating Peterson” in the murders, AP reported of what the Supreme Court justices said in their decision. That included Scott researching about ocean currents and purchasing a boat without telling anyone, AP reported.

Where is Scott Peterson now?

Scott is serving a life sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, southeast of Sacramento, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He has said he’s not guilty, and his case was picked up by the Los Angeles Innocence Project earlier this year, which works to exonerate incarcerated people.

USA TODAY reporters Erin Jensen and Mary Walrath-Holdridge contributed to this article.

Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.