Identification of the Bodies

This report details how and when the items used to identify the bodies were collected and tested.

Items removed from the bodies

Right Tibia (Laci), Skeletal muscle from within right thigh (Laci), Thigh Bones containing Marrow (Conner), Skeletal Muscle (Conner)

  1. These items were taken from the bodies during autopsy by Dr. Brian Peterson at the Contra Costa County Coroner's Office.

  2. At 8:00 p.m. on April 14, the samples collected by Dr. Brian Peterson were delivered to Gary Alan Sims at the DNA Laboratory in Richmond by Deputy Coroner Leo Martin from the Contra Costa County Coroner's Office.

  3. Sims took the items, secured them and put them in the freezer so that they would be available for Angelynn Moore to work on the next day.

  4. Angelynn Moore, the criminalist assigned to do the DNA testing for these samples, was the only person in the Missing Persons Department of the DOJ Lab at Richmond.

  5. Moore extracted DNA from the samples. The samples were designated DNA –1 (Baby Doe bone), DNA-2(Baby Doe muscle), DNA- 3(Jane Doe bone), DNA-4 (Jane Doe muscle). The case number assigned was BK-03-000203.

Reference Samples

Scott's Blood Sample

  1. On January 3, Detective Buehler and Detective Grogan took Scott Peterson to Doctor's Medical Center where a blood sample was taken.

  2. Pin Kyo, a criminalist with the California DOJ Central Valley DNA Lab at Ripon was provided with a blood sample envelope containing 2 vials of Scott Peterson's blood.

  3. Pin Kyo preserved the blood and made 2 bloodstain cards on January 22, 2003.

  4. Bill Hudlow, senior criminalist at the California DOJ Central Valley Crime Laboratory in Ripon, works in the Serology/DNA section and specializes in DNA analysis. Ripon is a small town just north of Modesto.

  5. Bill Hudlow photographed 2 bloodstain cards, one with EDTA and one with ACD. The one with EDTA is generally used for DNA analysis

  6. Bill Hudlow analyzed Scott's blood sample on January 30, 2003.

  7. Hudlow compared the stains from the pickup truck and the comforter with the bloodstain from Scott Peterson. He found markers to indicate that the presumptive blood stain from truck and comforter came from Scott.

  8. At some point Hudlow received a request from the Richmond DNA lab or the Modesto Police Department to take his DNA material or known samples over to Richmond for identification purposes. He was given the task of gathering up the reference samples he had in the Ripon laboratory to be taken to the Richmond DNA laboratory. (Date unknown)

  9. The items that Hudlow had at the Ripon Lab that were transferred to Richmond were:

Cheek Swabs from Sharon Rocha (SR2) and Dennis Rocha (DR2)

  1. It is not known when the cheek swabs were collected. Sharon testified that it was probably January or the first of February.

  2. The cheek swabs were examined and photographed by Bill Hudlow at the Ripon Lab on January 30, 2002.

  3. Bill Hudlow took the cheek swabs to the Richmond Lab where they were used in the identification of the bodies of Laci and Conner by Angelynn Moore.

  4. The cheek swabs were retrieved by Bill Hudlow and given to Terry Scott of the FBI.

  5. Terry Scott transported these samples to Dr. Constance Fisher at the FBI Lab in Quantico, Virginia. She received them on June 6, 2003.

  6. The cheek swabs were used by Dr. Constance Fisher in the Mitochondrial DNA Analysis of the hair from the pliers on June 9, 2003.

Pap Smear from Laci Peterson

  1. Laci's most recent Pap Smear was taken at the Hera Medical Group on July 16, 2002.

  2. On January 3, 2003, Detective Grogan, at the time Scott gave blood samples at Doctor's Medical Center, asked Scott to sign a release for any medical information that related to Laci and her Ob-Gyn.

  3. Laci's medical records were obtained from Dr. Yip's office by MPD. (Date unknown)

  4. Detective Phil Owen recovered the Pap Smear from Unilabs. (Date unknown)

  5. Phil Owen took the Pap Smear to the MPD property room where it was labeled as P6. (Date unknown) He noted that it should be sent to DOJ as soon as possible.

  6. The Pap Smear was sent to the DOJ. (date unknown) Bill Hudlow does not mention having the Pap Smear at Ripon.

  7. Angelynn Moore, the criminalist at the DOJ Lab in Richmond, mentions having the Pap Smear but did not use it to identify the bodies of Laci and Conner Peterson.

  8. The hairs from the blue-black hairbrush did not have roots and were not used in the DNA comparison by Moore.

  9. The Pap Smear was not sent to the FBI.

Identification of the bodies

Angelynn Moore, the criminalist assigned to do the DNA testing at the Richmond DNA Laboratory compared the samples from Jane Doe and Baby Doe to the reference samples I8A, SR2, and DR2. Based on her comparisons she identified the bodies as Laci Peterson and Conner Peterson. MPD claimed that this identification was made on April 18, a few hours after Scott was arrested. Moore. did not use the hairs from Laci's blue-black hairbrush or Laci's Pap Smear to make the identification. Her work was not confirmed. She was the only person working in the Missing Person's Unit at the Richmond DNA Lab at the time.

Retrieval of the Items, sent to the FBI

  1. After Angelynn Moore completed her analysis, she contacted Bill Hudlow to retrieve the items.

  2. After some time, Hudlow was asked to prepare the items from Richmond and other items to take to the FBI. He personally gave the items to Terry Scott of the FBI who took them to Dr. Constance Fisher at the FBI Lab in Quantico. The envelopes containing the following items were dated 6/4/03 and initialed by Bill Hudlow. Dr. Fisher initialed the envelopes with her lab intials (ME) but did not date them.