A Mother's Pain: Jackie Peterson Weighs In

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN: Joining us here "On the Record" for the first time since Laci Peterson vanished is Scott Peterson's mother, Laci's mother-in-law, Jackie Peterson. Jackie joins us on the phone from San Diego. Welcome, Jackie

JACKIE PETERSON, SCOTT PETERSON'S MOTHER: Hi, Greta. Thank you for having me.

VAN SUSTEREN: Jackie, how are you doing tonight?

J. PETERSON: Oh, OK. It's miserable.

VAN SUSTEREN: Yes, I know. I know it is. Have you had a chance to talk to Scott today?

J. PETERSON: I have talked with him today. I think he got his car back. He's supposed to by now.

VAN SUSTEREN: How is he enduring the pressure of this? I mean, this has been going on since December 24.

J. PETERSON: Well, we just put that all aside and try to look for Laci, try to do something every day to help find her, and we're just so concerned that nobody's looking for her anymore, that this has been the total focus, and people have decided she's not worth looking for. She's still pregnant. She's still out there. There's still a reward. And yet everything's involved in this thing with Scott, and it started from the second day. This is the third time they've searched his home. He opened his home to them the first day she was gone -- his home, his office, his cars -- let them go through anything they wanted. They came back the next day with a warrant.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you understand why it is that he is, you know, the focus of the investigation? I mean, there are the problems with, of course, that he had the relationship with Amber Frey, for instance, and there are some questions out there. Do you understand why he's the focus?

J. PETERSON: Well, the only thing is the affair, and the police said that Amber had no involvement in Laci's missing at all, and he knew that girl for a month. Two of those weeks he spent with us. So I don't know how much of involvement you could get in two weeks, when you were gone every other week for a full week.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you have any doubt about whether or not your son is involved in the disappearance of Laci?

J. PETERSON: I have no doubt that he is not involved. Absolutely not. It's not even in his nature. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body.

VAN SUSTEREN: Have you asked him straight up do you know anything about Laci's disappearance?

J. PETERSON: No. I don't have a need to ask him that.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you feel that the investigation is unfairly -- I read one quote that said that you thought that he was being harassed.

J. PETERSON: Well, I do at this point you know, they took his car, and, you know, I know they have a job to do. But they took his car. They took his computer. He had to go by a new computer. He had to get a new car. He couldn't work. Now they come and take his new car and his new computer and his work-related papers.

He has a job. That's all he has to keep himself going. And it's interfering with his earning a living. And they had total access to his house already. They still have his other car. What could you look for in a new car? It just doesn't make any sense at all.

VAN SUSTEREN: Early on, you know, there were all sorts of things that are being floated in the press. One thing, for instance, that some blood might have been found in his truck that they seized early on. Do you know anything about that?

J. PETERSON: It's total press. It's total speculation. The police have never mentioned anything like that. The two statements they have made is that he's not a suspect and that he's cooperated.

And, in the beginning, there was the dog found with his leash and their hound dogs found that she had gotten into a car in the middle of the street, and they followed the scent out to a rural area, out of town, and people have lost sight of that total picture.

VAN SUSTEREN: Jackie, what do you think happened?

J. PETERSON: I think someone just took her. I think maybe they knew her, maybe they watched her. They knew when the baby was due. I really believe somebody took her for the baby because I don't know of any other crimes that are committed on pregnant women. And there have been several pregnant women abducted in that area.

VAN SUSTEREN: Until Laci's disappearance, I assume you had a pretty good relationship with Sharon Rocha and Laci's family?

J. PETERSON: Well, I don't feel like our relationship is bad. Both of us want Laci home. They're mad at Scott because he had an affair. That's basically the problem.

VAN SUSTEREN: And in terms of Laci, since we don't know Laci. What's she like?

J. PETERSON: She's wonderful. She's like the sparkle in the family. We all just couldn't wait for her to come and be around us, and we visited her as often as we could. She's just delight, and everybody loved her. The grandkids are nuts about her. The siblings adore her. She just makes everything wonderful for people. She's just the nicest person you'd ever want to meet.

VAN SUSTEREN: Any hope left for you that this story is going to turn out good and not bad?

J. PETERSON: If people will continue to look, there's a pregnant lady out there. I know she won't be out walking the street, but someone could see her somewhere, if they would look at every pregnant lady that -- she's five foot with brown hair -- and call their local police if they think they see her.

There's still a chance. Her actual due date was Monday, and usually the first baby doesn't come when you're due. I talked to a woman yesterday. Hers was three weeks late.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, Jackie. Thank you very much. We appreciate you joining us this evening.

J. PETERSON: Thanks, Greta. Thank you.