15 Years After Laci Peterson's Death, Cop Recalls Probe That Led to Scott Peterson’s Arrest

Detective John Buehler worked the case from the beginning.

It's a case that still grips the nation, the disappearance of Laci Peterson 15 years ago and the subsequent arrest and conviction of her husband in her murder.

It all began on Christmas Eve 2002, when Laci Peterson's stepfather called 911 to report her missing. 

In the call, he told the dispatcher that his 26-year-old stepdaughter took her dog for a walk, and while the dog came home, Laci did not. He also said that her husband, Scott, had just arrived at the home. 

Laci had been preparing for the holidays and decorating a nursery for the arrival of their son, who they had already named Connor. As authorities searched for her, it wasn't long before her husband became the prime suspect.

Detective John Buehler worked the case from the beginning.

“This was strand upon strand of circumstantial evidence that was weaved into a big strong cable that led back to Scott,” he told Inside Edition. 

One of those strands came as a woman, Amber Frey, emerged to tell cops she and Scott Peterson had been having an affair.

She agreed to record her phone calls with him.

“My God I wish I could tell you everything, Amber,” he said in one call where she told him to “save your tears.” 

In the call, Frey asked, “Tell me why I should not be afraid of you,” to which he replied that he was not “an evil person,” adding, “I would never hurt anyone.” 

There has been speculation that Peterson was planning to murder Frey before he was arrested. 

He reportedly had a knife, rope, shovel and a map to Frey’s workplace in his possession. 

In 2015, she told Inside Edition that “it is pretty creepy” that he had those items. 

The bodies of Laci Peterson and her unborn child were found four months after that Christmas Eve 911 call in San Francisco Bay where Peterson had been fishing the day she disappeared. 

When the guilty verdict came there were wild celebrations outside the court. 

He remains on death row today, 15 years since the saga began.  

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