What happened to Laci Peterson? Did they find her and where is Scott Peterson now?

In a high-profile murder that grabbed national and international headlines, and is now the subject of two new true-crime documentaries, 27-year-old woman Laci Peterson was killed while eight months pregnant in December 2002, having disappeared from her California home on Christmas Eve.

Two years later, Laci’s husband, Scott Peterson, was convicted of her murder and that of their unborn child, who would have been the couple’s first. Scott, now 49, was originally sentenced to death, but in 2021 his punishment was commuted to life in prison, without the possibility of parole.

What happened?

On December 24, 2002, both Scott and Ron Grantski, Laci’s stepfather, reported her missing. Scott told investigators that he had been out fishing, and had returned to the couple’s home in Modesto, California, to find she wasn’t there.

Four months on, in April 2003, the bodies of Laci and her unborn son, who was going to be named Conner, were found in San Francisco Bay.

That same month, detectives arrested Scott, whose unexpectedly cool demeanour during police interviews had raised suspicions. It had also emerged that Scott had been having an affair with Amber Frey, a 27-year-old massage therapist. He was subsequently charged with two counts of murder.

At his 2004 trial in San Mateo, California, Scott was convicted of the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of Conner, with jurors deciding he should receive the death penalty. Seventeen years later, however, Scott’s sentence was downgraded on appeal, in a ruling by the Supreme Court of California.

Speaking at his re-sentencing, Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha, told her former son-in-law, according to CNN: “You didn’t want the responsibility of being a father. You’re a coward.”

Where is Scott Peterson now?

Scott is serving his life sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California. He has maintained his innocence since the day Laci disappeared - and this year succeeded in having his case taken up by the Innocence Project, a non-profit that looks into potential wrongful convictions.

In March, indeed, Innocence Project lawyers asked a San Mateo judge to order new DNA testing on pieces of evidence. In May, the judge largely denied the Innocence Project’s motion for new testing, but did allow fresh examinations to be carried out on one item - duct tape recovered from Laci’s pants during her autopsy.

“The people know the truth - we know that Scott Peterson is guilty of, and has been convicted of, the murder of his wife and unborn son,” David Harris, the prosecutor from Peterson’s 2004 trial, told the court, per ABC.

How to watch new documentaries on Laci Peterson murder

On Wednesday August 14, American Murder: Laci Peterson was released on Netflix. “We revisit this notorious case, with Laci’s mother and friends speaking for the first time,” the streaming giant says of the three-part docuseries.

American Murder will be followed next week by Face to Face with Scott Peterson, a documentary that examines Scott’s conviction, and features his first on-camera interview since he was arrested 21 years ago.

“While many still believe the jury got it right,” reads the show’s synopsis, “Scott’s family and experts close to the case have spent over 20 years committed to uncovering inconsistencies in the evidence as well as finding new information around alternative theories surrounding Laci’s murder.” Face to Face with Scott Peterson is out on Peacock on Tuesday August 20.