Stacy Peterson - Police Sergeant's Wife Goes Missing

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Police Sergeant's Wife Goes Missing

Husband's History May Present Clues

chicagotribune.com - October 30, 2007

» Officer's Wife Missing

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. -- State Police are searching for the wife of a southwest suburban Bolingbrook police sergeant.

"Because he's one of our officers, we thought it would be better to have an independent agency investigating," Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar said of the state's involvement in the disappearance of Stacey Peterson.

It was not clear how long Peterson, the 23-year-old wife of Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson, has been missing. Illinois State Police Trooper Mark Dorencz at first declined to comment on the matter, but later said the state is handling the case as a missing persons investigation.

The Bolingbrook police department said Drew Peterson was not scheduled to work Monday. A message left for him at the department went unreturned.

According to an Illinois State Police news release -- which spelled her name Stacy Ann Peterson -- she was last heard from at 10 a.m. Sunday. She was supposed to help a friend do some painting, but never showed up.

Stacy Peterson is described as a white female, 5-feet 2-inches tall, about 100 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. She was last seen wearing a red jogging suit. She has a tattoo of a blue and yellow carnation on the small of her back and a scar across her stomach, the release said.

According to the release, Stacy Peterson frequents Joliet Junior College and her family reported her missing at 4 a.m. Monday.

Drew Peterson's previous wife, 40-year-old Kathleen Savio, was found dead in the dry bathtub of her Pheasant Chase home in March 2004. Drew Peterson and Savio were divorced and he was returning their two sons to their home after a weekend visit, but no one answered the locked door.

Peterson went to a neighbor's to call a locksmith. Once entry was gained, the neighbor went inside and found Savio's body in a waterless bathtub.

The investigation revealed Savio drowned. Her fingertips showed pruning from being submerged in water and her hair was wet when she was found. While there was no water in the bathtub, it may have drained out over time, as the plug was down, investigators speculated.

A coroner's jury ruled the death accidental. State Police investigated that case as well. No charges were filed.

According to one official, Savio was Drew Peterson's third wife, and Stacey Peterson is his fourth. — continued: »

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,1569736.story

Stacy Peterson, the wife of a Bolingbrook
police sergeant, was last seen Sunday morning
in the southwest suburb.
(Photo courtesy of Illinois State Police / October 30, 2007)

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http://www.bolingbrook.com/content/1193786166.pdf

[Zoey]

Anybody else get the feeling things are just not right with this story? I saw this on Nancy Grace tonight, too, and it was just a feeling that they sure are keeping a lot of the details of this case under wraps.

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Video: Officer's Troubled Past
Video: Officer's Wife Missing

http://www.nbc5.com/news/14455029/detail.html

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Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Drew Peterson steps outside his home for a
few seconds before running back inside as police investigators search
Peterson's home on Pheasant Chase Court in Bolingbrook, Thursday.
Peterson's wife, Stacy, 23, has not been seen since Sunday morning.
(Tribune photo by Antonio Perez / November 1, 2007)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...i_tab01_layout

[One2Snoop]

I've been watching this - thanks for the updates Odette. Sheesh why didn't he just give her the divorce? So what if it would cost him 4 years of his pension. Just think, if they find her body and he's tried and convicted, he'll have no pension and no home except prison. Serves him right. I'm also glad LE is looking into his previous wife's death - her accidental drowning sounds really suspicious IMO.

[odette]

Originally Posted by One2Snoop

I've been watching this - thanks for the updates Odette. Sheesh why didn't he just give her the divorce? So what if it would cost him 4 years of his pension. Just think, if they find her body and he's tried and convicted, he'll have no pension and no home except prison. Serves him right. I'm also glad LE is looking into his previous wife's death - her accidental drowning sounds really suspicious IMO.

Hey 02S

It certainly doesn't look good for Stacy from where I'm standing

JMHO

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Stacy Peterson, a mother of two, was reported missing to the Illinois State Police early Monday after she failed to meet her sister Sunday to help paint a house. Her husband, Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Drew Peterson, 53, said he last saw her about 10 a.m. Sunday, and last spoke with her about 9 p.m. Sunday when she called on her cell phone to say she was leaving him. (2001 high school graduation photo)

http://cbs4.com/national/Stacy.Peter....2.481797.html

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Friends and family search for missing police officer's wife

qctimes.com - November 03, 2007

Excerpt: Family and friends have set up a Web site called http://www.findstacypeterson.com.

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2007.../d8smgggo0.txt

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Family, friends search woods for missing Bolingbrook mother

Missing woman, 23, likely dead, they say

chicagotribune.com - Emma Graves Fitzsimmons - November 4, 2007

Giving up hope that missing Bolingbrook mother Stacy Peterson is alive, her family and friends are now focused on finding information to help with the investigation into her disappearance.

Dozens of people combed a forest near her home for several hours on Saturday looking for any traces of the 23-year-old, who disappeared last Sunday. Their search through the wooded Knoch Knolls Park came up empty, but the group planned to return with more people on Sunday morning.

Peterson's sister, Cassandra Cales, said the family no longer believes she is alive. — continued

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,4449848.story

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SUNDAY UPDATE: Search for Clues of Cop's Missing Wife Gets Bigger

wbbm780.com

BOLINGBROOK (WBBM) ― Family and friends of a missing woman from Bolingbrook launched a massive search effort this weekend.

Stacy Peterson, 23, has now been missing for a week. Her husband, Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson, was the last one to see her this past Sunday.

Two new earches for Stacy Peterson were undertaken Saturday. Neighbors were conducting the first search at the Petersons' house, where Drew remains with the children.

Then, they searched the DuPage River Greenway.

Friends and family members of Stacy Peterson started another search this morning -- and they'll use any volunteers -- starting at 9 a.m. at 6 Pheasant Chase Court. — continued: »

http://www.wbbm780.com/SUNDAY-UPDATE...sing-W/1168890

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Tales of missing, slain women stirring up fears

Investigators must make their disappearances a priority too

suntimes.com - MARY MITCHELL - November 4, 2007

The Authentic Diva called me in a panic. "You'd better be careful," she said with urgency. "I walk on the lakefront every day, and I'm going to get me some Mace."

"I'm not worried," I told her. "I've got Smoochie." Smoochie is a trash-barking, mixed-breed malamute who won't let strangers come near me.

But I understood my friend's anxiety after the string of stories we've seen lately about Chicago area women who have gone missing and later were found dead. — continued: »

http://www.suntimes.com/news/mitchel...itch04.article

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Stacy called marriage 'somewhat abusive' in e-mail to family friend

suburbanchicagonews.com - Jennifer Golz - November 4, 2007

Stacy Peterson may have told friends and family she wanted a divorce from her husband, Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson.

But she wrote her own chilling message in e-mails to a friend, who shared them with The Sun.

"I have been arguing quite a bit with my husband," Stacy wrote in an e-mail to family friend Steve Cesare 10 days before she disappeared.

"As I mature with age I am finding that the relationship I am in is controlling, manipulative and somewhat abusive," she wrote in the Oct. 17 e-mail. "Tomorrow is our four-year anniversary and I'm not as excited as the years that have passed.

"If you could keep me in your prayers I could use some wisdom, protection and strength." — continued: »

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/n...SON_S2.article

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A history of failed marriages

suburbanchicagonews.com - Jennifer Golz - November 4, 2007

Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson has a history of marrying quickly and jumping from marriage to marriage.

At least that's been the case with his three most recent wives.

Not much is know about Peterson's first wife, including her name and when they wed.

But by October 1982 that marriage must have dissolved, because that's when Peterson married his second wife, Victoria Rutkiewicz, Will County court records show. — continued: »

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/n...SON_S3.article

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Searching for clues

Police, volunteers scour parks, pond for signs of missing woman

suburbanchicagonews.com - JOE HOSEY - November 4, 2007

Family and friends of Stacy Peterson expanded their search into Naperville Saturday, hoping to find clues about the missing Bolingbrook woman's disappearance.

Organizers are asking volunteers to join when the search resumes today, stepping off at 9 a.m. at 6 Pheasant Chase Court, near Peterson's home. Saturday's search covered parks and the DuPage River Greenway in Bolingbrook and Knoch Knolls Park in Naperville. — continued: »

Stacy Peterson's sister, Cassandra Cales, right, and Kerry Simmons walk down a path in Glyman Woods in Bolingbrook Saturday afternoon during a search for clues about Stacy Peterson's disappearance. The family is asking for volunteers to help continue the search today. (Michael R. Schmidt / The Herald News)

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/n...SON_S1.article

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Family seeks search help

suburbanchicagonews.com - TONY GRAF - November 4, 2007

BOLINGBROOK -- The search for a missing Bolingbrook mother continues this morning, as her loved ones are inviting the public to help.

Stacy Peterson, 23, of Bolingbrook was last seen a week ago today. On Saturday, her sister Cassandra Cales and her fellow searchers looked around many places in the Bolingbrook area between Weber Road and Illinois 53, and Boughton and Royce roads.

The number of people in the search party is growing, Cales said. — continued: »

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/h...ING_S2.article

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Searching for loved ones

Stebic family, national group offer support

suburbanchicagonews.com - Emily McFarlan - November 5, 2007

Families with missing loved ones are reaching out to the family of missing 23-year-old Bolingbrook woman Stacy Peterson. — continued

Excerpt: Past concerns surface
With word of Stacy Peterson's disappearance splashed across national media, the Bolingbrook Police Department has come under criticism on the Internet and cable news programs.

Cales and other members of Stacy Peterson's family have expressed their suspicions that Drew Peterson knows more about Stacy's disappearance than he is telling.

Many critics say the police department has failed to respond to allegations of his abusive behavior against his third wife, Kathleen Savio, who was found dead in a waterless bathtub in 2004.

Prosecutors have started re-examining Savio's case since Stacy Peterson's disappearance, and the department has paperwork from more than 15 different reports detailing alleged abusive behavior between Drew Peterson and Savio.

Bolingbrook police Chief Ray McGury plans to publicly discuss those reports later today.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/n...SON_S1.article

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New search, but still no clues

Peterson stepsister says 'family just needs to know'

chicagotribune.com - Jeff Long - November 5, 2007

With their ranks swollen by increasing media attention, about 90 volunteers combed rural areas near Bolingbrook for a second day Sunday for clues to explain the disappearance of Stacy Peterson, the wife of a Bolingbrook police sergeant who was last seen Oct. 28. — continued

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,3948640.story

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Stacy Peterson's Sister Thinks She's Dead; Previous Wife's Sister Also Had Misgivings

cbsnews.com - BOLINGBROOK, Ill., Nov. 5, 2007

(CBS/AP) The sister of the missing wife of a suburban Chicago police sergeant said she believes Stacy Peterson is dead. — continued

Excerpt: "She told me she was afraid. She told me that he would kill her - it would look like an accident, but it wasn't," Savio's sister, Sue Doman, said on CBS News' The Early Show Monday. "'So make sure you take care of my kids. I'm afraid of him. I'm afraid of him,'" Doman quoted her sister as saying.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n3451947.shtml

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Stacy and Drew Peterson pose on their
wedding day, Oct. 18, 2003.
(Courtesy of Candace Aikin)


http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/n...allery?index=0

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Houston Experts Join Search For Missing Cop's Wife

cbs3.com - Nov 5, 2007

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (CBS) ― Ninety people came out to look for Stacy Peterson Sunday, and a search and rescue group from Houston is scheduled to meet with her family to take over their search efforts. Peterson's loved ones believe they are looking for her body.

As she and other friends plan the next search for 23-year-old Stacy Peterson, friend and neighbor Sharon Bychowski is haunted by what she says were many conversations about Peterson's desire to divorce her husband, Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson.

"She knew that his prior wife had died in the bathtub and in her words, 'if I disappear, it's not an accident…he killed me,'" Bychowski said.

She said that to Bychowski many times. — continued

http://cbs3.com/national/stacy.peter....2.489401.html

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Transcript of The Greta Interview With Dr. Michael Baden

Mysterious Death of Drew Peterson's Third Wife

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record ," November 2, 2007. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,308199,00.html

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New Twist In Stacy Peterson Case

Husband In Another High Profile Missing Woman's Case Offers Support To Drew Peterson

cbs2chicago.com - Kristyn Hartman - Nov 5, 2007

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (CBS) ― As searchers try to find any sign of Stacy Peterson, a missing mother from Bolingbrook, her husband is getting support from an unexpected ally. — continued

Excerpt: Bolingbrook's police chief plans to discuss his department's past dealings with Drew Peterson and his third wife, which included 18 alleged incidents of domestic abuse. In 2004 that third wife, Kathleen Savio, was found dead in a bathtub just down the street from the Petersons' current home.

http://cbs2chicago.com/westsuburbanb....2.489477.html

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Stacy Peterson in the car her husband, Drew Peterson, bought for her.
It is one of two cars impounded by police investigators.
(undated family photo)


Stacy Peterson (right) with her sisters Cassandra Cales (left) and Tina.
(undated family photo)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...ck=1&cset=true

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Police target 7 areas in Peterson search

Texas group poised to assist effort

chicagotribune.com - By Hal Dardick and Erika Slife - November 5, 2007

Police today are searching seven "areas of interest" in their effort to find Stacy Peterson, the wife of a Bolingbrook police sergeant who went missing eight days ago, an Illinois State Police spokesman said. — continued

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...i_tab01_layout

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Peterson’s neighbor committed to finding missing woman

chicagosuburbannews.com - Don Grigas - Nov 05, 2007

Romeoville, IL - Sharon Bychowski, next-door neighbor to Stacy Peterson — the Bolingbrook mother of two who has been missing since Oct. 28 — said she is committed to finding Peterson and bringing her “back home.” — continued

http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/r...ge/x1086968072

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Monday GretaCast

by Greta Van Susteren

Just posted….a new GretaCast:

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/

[Pak31]

I live in Bolingbrook not far from the Peterson's and although I did not know them it is the eeriest thing to go thru. Having something like this happening in your town is too freaky. All I can say is that it is so obvious that something is wrong with this man. Stacy's neighbor, Sharon Bychowski, told the media that Stacy feared her husband for almost all of their marriage and the last year was especially bad. She wanted out. Peterson's 3rd wife's order of protection stated that he literally attacked her and threatened to kill her. This guy is nuts and either the coroner was a complete moron or their was some kind of cover up. To me it's so clear that he did something to Stacy, I would like to know why they can't grill him and find out more. Maybe there is a lot going on we dont know about.
P.S. Odette, this site has by far given me the best info to date on this case. You are doing a wonderful job in keeping up with the news as it comes in. Your work is not being unappreciated.

[odette]

Originally Posted by Pak31

I live in Bolingbrook not far from the Peterson's and although I did not know them it is the eeriest thing to go thru. Having something like this happening in your town is too freaky. All I can say is that it is so obvious that something is wrong with this man. Stacy's neighbor, Sharon Bychowski, told the media that Stacy feared her husband for almost all of their marriage and the last year was especially bad. She wanted out. Peterson's 3rd wife's order of protection stated that he literally attacked her and threatened to kill her. This guy is nuts and either the coroner was a complete moron or their was some kind of cover up. To me it's so clear that he did something to Stacy, I would like to know why they can't grill him and find out more. Maybe there is a lot going on we dont know about.
P.S. Odette, this site has by far given me the best info to date on this case. You are doing a wonderful job in keeping up with the news as it comes in. Your work is not being unappreciated.

Thank you Pak31 .. I appreciate it

Regarding your comment about the Coroner .. I have just been listening to Dr. Michael Baden talking to Greta van Susteren about Coroner's and what he thinks about the death of Drew Peterson's third wife .. interesting .. I hope you have a listen to it. Here's the link http://gretawire.foxnews.com/

I honestly don't think that Stacy left town of her own accord .. I have a really bad feeling about all of this

IMO

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Family frustrated with lack of progress in search for missing woman

suntimes.com - STEFANO ESPOSITO - November 5, 2007

As Stacy Peterson’s family expressed frustration at the lack of progress in the search for the missing Bolingbrook mother today, state investigators said they are targeting “seven areas of interest.”

“Where are the police on this one? What are they doing?” said Suzan Robison, one of Peterson’s aunts. — continued

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/6...110507.article

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Grieving husbands or calculating killers?

The search for Stacy Peterson begins at home

msnbc.msn.com - Clint Van Zandt - Nov. 5, 2007

Drew Peterson, a 53-year-old Bolingbrook, Ill. police sergeant is scheduled to retire in less than two weeks. Retirement is normally a happy time for soon-to-be retirees. But instead, he contemplates a missing wife and the reason she may have gone missing. — continued

Missing wife in Illinois (At below link)
Oct. 31: Police searching for the missing wife of a police sergeant have reopened the case of his former wife’s death. Dan Abrams gets the latest from Lee Cowan and talks with reporter Don Gragias, analyst Clint van Zandt and attorney Monica Lindstrom.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21581811/

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Stacy Peterson Missing: New Damning Evidence Against Husband Emerge

postchronicle.com - Tashi Singh - Nov 5, 2007

Stacey Peterson Missing: After divers desperately searched for clues at an area-pond over the weekend, new information regarding Stacey Peterson's husband have emerged. — continued

Excerpt: The investigation into Stacey's disappearance took a disturbing turn when her husband's suspicious past was revealed and now even more details have emerged.

Drew and Stacey met when he was 49 and she was 17. Stacey is Drew's fourth wife. Drew's third wife was found dead in a dry bath tub. Her death was ruled "accidental". Police have now re-opened the investigation into her death and plan to exhume her body.

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/or...12113272.shtml

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Searchers from across country in Bolingbrook to help find Peterson

Law enforcement brings out crews and cadaver-sniffing dogs for new searches as cops lay out strategies to find the missing mother of two and wife of a Bolingbrook police sergeant

chicagotribune.com - Erika Slife, Matthew Walberg and Hal Dardick - November 6, 2007

Satellite trucks from national and local TV stations sat idling up and down Pheasant Chase Court in Bolingbrook Monday.

Sharon Bychowski fielded phone calls from reporters wanting to know about her close friend and next-door neighbor, Stacy Peterson, 23, who was last seen Oct. 28 by her husband, police Sgt. Drew Peterson, 53.

"She would be in awe that [the media] cares about her so much," Bychowski said. "She thought that her life didn't matter all that much. She was so wrong." — continued


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,7720710.story

Cassandra Cales, sister of Stacy Peterson, along with Tom Miller of
Texas EquuSearch, talk to reporters Monday about plans to conduct a
new search for the Bolingbrook woman.
(Tribune photo by Antonio Perez / November 5, 2007)

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All she knew was abuse, turmoil

suburbanchicagonews.com - Jennifer Golz - November 6, 2007

Abuse, alcoholism and instability were key characteristics of the Cales children's household growing up.

It may explain why Stacy Peterson, 23, found what she thought to be stability and security in the arms of a man 30 years her senior, Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson.

Linda Cales, 54, last saw her stepdaughter five years ago, but has remained in contact with her throughout the years. Cales married Stacy's father, Anthony Cales, in the mid-90s and remained in the family and children's lives until their divorce in 2002. — continued

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/n...SON_S2.article

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Search efforts expand

suburbanchicagonews.com - Stefano Esposito - November 6, 2007

She has not slept in days. She's all but certain her sister is dead.

But Cassandra Cales said Monday evening that the search for Bolingbrook mother Stacy Peterson must go on.

"She is giving me the strength and energy I need to push on," Cales said of her sister. "I haven't really slept in six or seven days. I try to sleep, but I just can't." — continued

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/n...SON_S1.article

Cassandra Cales, sister of missing Bolingbrook woman Stacy
Peterson, talks with reporters about new search tactics
Monday in Bolingbrook.
Photos by Rich Hein / Chicago Sun-Times

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Court filings tell story

suburbanchicagonews.com - STEWART WARREN - November 6, 2007

JOLIET -- Although we don't know much about Stacy Peterson's disappearance, we know other things.

They are found in files at the Will County Courthouse.

Knit together, these facts tell something about Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Drew Peterson, the missing woman's much-older husband. For example, while married to another woman, Drew Peterson, 53, owned several businesses and life insurance policies -- and that third wife later was found drowned in a bathtub without any water. — continued

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/h...ING_S2.article

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Bolingbrook Police Chief Goes 'On the Record'

foxnews.com - Tuesday, November 06, 2007

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record ," November 5, 2007. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Eight days, still on Stacy Peterson. The 23-year-old police sergeant's wife vanished without a trace in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Now the focus is on Sergeant Drew Peterson. His third wife died bizarrely in a bathtub. Tonight, you will see never- before-seen documents that detail Sergeant Peterson's tumultuous marriage to his third wife. You will see a side of Sergeant Peterson that you have never seen before.

But first: Sergeant Peterson has been working for the Bolingbrook Police Department for 29 years. We just spoke to Bolingbrook police chief Raymond McGury. — continued

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,308472,00.html

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Volunteers Join Search For Stacy Peterson

wbbm780.com - Tuesday, 06 November 2007 - Steve Miller Reporting

CHICAGO (WBBM) - The search for Stacy Peterson, the Bolingbrook woman missing for eight days now, is getting some help from a Texas- based group of volunteers. — continued

http://www.wbbm780.com/Volunteers-Jo...terson/1179534

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Find Stacy Peterson.com

Please Help Us Find Stacy!

http://www.findstacypeterson.com/

[oops]

Originally Posted by odette

Find Stacy Peterson.com

Please Help Us Find Stacy!

http://www.findstacypeterson.com/

TY Odette for all your fine reporting on this case as soon as I heard about it I thought of Lisa Stebic, It's like a page out of that saga and Did Peterson take notes from Craig Stebic I live near Plainfield and Plainfield is only about 15 miles or so from Bolingbrook amazing Makes me worry Who will be Next?? I live in this area and have been keeping track of this case like Lisa Stebic case. I don't think Stacy will be coming home unforetunetly SO SAD as is Lisa Stebic case. MOO