Laci Peterson's house

This is Laci Peterson's former house.

It is situated at 523 Covena Avenue in Modesto, California.

The 27-year-old substitute teacher lived at this house with her husband, Scott Peterson, up until her sudden disappearance on December 24th, 2002.

Before Laci went missing, it seemed as though the couple were in a great place. They had purchased this house near East La Loma Park, Scott had launched a new fertilizer company, and Laci was pregnant with their firstborn child.

Unfortunately, things weren't as rosy as they seemed, as the Petersons were under a severe amount of financial pressure. By the time 2002 rolled around, most of Scott's wages were going towards paying off the couple's mortgage, credit card debt, and insurance premiums. Furthermore, his company was racking up huge losses and struggling to stay afloat.

Sadly, money wasn't even the worst of their issues, as Scott was a pathological liar and a serial adulterer.

In November of 2002, he started an affair with a massage therapist named Amber Frey, whom he had been introduced to by a friend.

Notably, his wife, Laci, was seven months pregnant at the time.

Disappearance

On Christmas Eve in 2002, Scott called Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, and asked her if she had seen her daughter. During the call, he claimed that he had returned home from a fishing trip and found the house empty.

When the police were called to 523 Covena Avenue, they found Laci's wallet, keys, and purse inside the house. They also learned that the couple's dog had been roaming around the neighborhood since earlier that morning.

According to Scott, his wife had been watching a cooking show before he left to go fishing. He also claimed that she was planning on walking the dog at a local park.

However, there was something off about Scott Peterson. He was far too calm and collected for someone who had just lost the love of their life.

The detectives who were working his wife's case quickly noticed that he didn't seem interested in learning about the details of the investigation. Furthermore, he had been somewhat hesitant to talk to Laci's mother in person. When Rocha approached him during an initial search of a nearby park, he pretended not to hear her calling his name. He also reportedly leaned away from her when she hugged him at the house.

Not long after, Scott's mistress saw the news coverage about Laci Peterson's disappearance. At the time, she was shocked to find out that Scott was "happily" married, as he had claimed that he was a widower.

Fearing that something abhorrent was afoot, she decided to contact the police and tell them about the situation.

Scott's affair, his financial issues, and his lack of interest in the investigation quickly made him the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance.

Their suspicions were strengthened even further when the fertilizer salesman changed his story. Initially, he told the police that he had been playing golf. However, he later told investigators that he had spent the day fishing.

Discovery of Laci Peterson's remains

For the next few months, the police kept him under surveillance and wiretapped his phones. However, Scott was aware of their presence and even waved at the undercover units on a number of occasions.

Unfortunately, the authorities had no evidence of foul play, as searches of parks and a nearby creek had failed to turn up anything of note.

To many, it seemed as though he was about to get away with murder.

However, all of that changed on April 13th, 2003, when two dogwalkers happened across the remains of an unborn child in a marsh area near Point Isabel Regional Shoreline in Richmond—a multi-use park that sits on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay.

One day later, Laci Peterson's dismembered remains were discovered washed up on the shoreline, roughly one mile from the site where her baby's body had been found.

Notably, this area was just north of the Berkeley Marina, which Scott had visited on the day of his wife's disappearance.

Scott Peterson's arrest

After positively identifying the remains, the police decided that the time had finally come to arrest Scott on suspicion of murder.

On April 18th, 2003, officers detained him at a local golf course. At the time, his car was packed with camping gear, cash, cellphones, and other items that someone would need to go on the run. He had also dyed his hair blonde.

In June of 2004, Scott went on trial for the murder of his wife and unborn son. Five months later, he was found guilty of the crimes and sentenced to death.

However, his death sentence was later commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a court determined that the original judge had unfairly excluded jurors due to their opposition to capital punishment.

Scott Peterson is currently incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California.

His requests for a new trial have all been denied.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

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