Following up on a "credible lead," police spent the day Saturday digging at a farm near Peoria, Illinois, looking for the remains of the missing Stacy Peterson.
After a full day's search turned up nothing, authorities said they would return later in the week with "more sophisticated equipment."
The development comes as Drew Peterson, Stacy's husband and a former Bolingbrook police officer, prepares to stand trial for the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Savio was found drowned in a bathtub in 2004, a death that was initially ruled an accident. But when Stacy Peterson went missing, the Savio investigation was re-opened and ruled a murder.
Prosecutors have long alleged that Peterson murdered Stacy because of what she knew about his previous wife's death. But without a body, the ex-cop can't be charged in that case.
This latest flurry of activity in the search for Stacy Peterson comes just a month before the Savio trial is set to begin, a fact which angers the defense. From the Chicago Tribune:
"They're trying to dirty up the defendant with an irrelevant search," attorney Joel Brodsky said. "It's a despicable tactic."
Brodsky, who spoke to Peterson on Saturday, described his client as "upbeat, confident and looking forward to trial."
But police say the lead they're pursuing is credible. TMZ.com reported that Peterson told a fellow inmate where he buried Stacy's body, but both the authorities and the Peterson defense team deny that story, pointing out that Peterson has been held in isolation.
Glory be! Not one, but TWO scumbags possibly facing long awaited justice! Joran VanderSLUT and now Drew Peterson, who is one of the most obvious psychopaths since his namesake, Scott Peterson.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Kathleen Savio drowned alright...IN A DRY BATHTUB!!! The Illinois coroners must be just as bad as the idiots in Aruba who let Van der Sloot slip through their fingers.