Chicago Tribune - Drew Peterson: The Tribune Files

In 2007, veteran Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson came under suspicion when his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The Tribune reported as the bizarre details of the case unfolded.

Missing wife stirs interest in old case

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Authorities on Tuesday searched for a young Bolingbrook mother of two who left home Sunday morning to meet with a relative and help rehab a home.

Stacy Peterson, 23, the wife of a Bolingbrook police sergeant, never showed up, police said.

She was last seen dressed in a red jogging suit at about 10 a.m. Sunday by her husband, Drew Peterson, 53, a 29-year veteran of the Bolingbrook department, he told authorities. He said he later heard from her by phone at about 9 p.m.

Her family spent Sunday trying to reach her by phone, said Bolingbrook police Lt. Ken Teppel. When they couldnt, they went to the Illinois State Police at 4 a.m. Monday to report her missing.

Teppel said there were no signs of foul play and that investigators were treating the disappearance as a missing person case.

He said state police are investigating the case because it involves a member of an officers family.

Sgt. Peterson is cooperating fully with the state police, said Teppel, who added that Peterson is taking personal time to be with family. Obviously, hes distraught.

Stacy Peterson is Drew Petersons fourth wife. A previous wife, Kathleen Savio, 40, was found dead in an empty bathtub in her Bolingbrook home on March 1, 2004, officials said.

At the inquest hearing, Will County Coroner Patrick ONeil said Savio drowned. Although the bathtub was dry, her hair was wet when she was discovered and her fingertips were wrinkled from being in water.

Investigators speculated the water must have drained from the tub, and a coroners jury ruled the death accidental. State police also investigated Savios death. No charges were filed.

States Atty. James Glasgow, who was not in office at the time of that case, said Tuesday he wants to review the Savio file.

I was not the states attorney when this case was processed, so for purposes of this investigation, this is being re-looked at, Glasgow said, adding that the jurys ruling at the 2004 inquest was not binding on his office.

He declined to discuss what, if any, connection there might be between the Savio case and the search for Peterson, saying only that there are some unusual circumstances in the 2004 [Savio] case.

A relative of Savio said Tuesday that Savio was nearing a divorce settlement at the time she died.

Glasgow would not say whether authorities had identified persons of interest in Petersons disappearance, noting it is a missing person case, not a criminal investigation.

Right now, were at the very preliminary stages of the investigation, and that kind of comment would be inappropriate, he said.

On Tuesday, Petersons family members gathered at the couples home in Bolingbrook, where Halloween decorations dotted the yard. Peterson answered the door but declined to comment.

Im waiting for my attorney to advise me, he said. If he feels I should make a statement, then I will. If he advises against it, then I wont.

Reached by phone later, his mother, Betty Morphey, said: My son is very upset. Shes just a lovely girl. They get along beautifully. Theyre loving and kind.

Morphey said Peterson is a stay-at-home mother of two children, ages 2 and 4. The couple has been married for a few years, she said, and had no problems of which she was aware.

What can we do, how can we help? We just dont know. Were just hoping they find her. If she went, we dont know why, she said.

Stacy Peterson is a student at Joliet Junior College, where she is majoring in pre-nursing, said Jeff Julian, a campus spokesman. She has been a student on and off since 2001 and was enrolled in one class this semester, Julian said.

She is described as white with brown hair and brown eyes, about 5 foot 2 and 100 pounds.

A diver searches the airport retention pond in Bolingbrook for Stacy Peterson on Nov. 2, 2007.

Peterson believes wife safe

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Drew Peterson told the Tribune he believes Stacy left him for another man, but that she is safe.

Sitting at a desk in his house Wednesday afternoon, unshaven and with bags under his eyes, Drew Peterson said his wife called him about 9 p.m. Sunday and told him she was leaving. That was the last time her cell phone was used, police said.

Sorry, I get choked up about it, Peterson said, his voice cracking. I believe shes with someone else, but I believe shes safe.

As the couples two children scampered around the house, he talked about celebrating the couples fourth wedding anniversary Oct. 18. He bought her a diamond ring a present he said she couldnt wait to have, so she made him give it to her at midnight.

The couple met six years ago, he said. She was 17. He was 47. At the time, she was working at a SpringHill Suites hotel in Bolingbrook.

I had this uncontrollable need to take care of her, he said. We just hit it off, and one thing led to another. It wasnt something I planned. It was a very romantic time it was very exciting.

Because of the age difference when they started dating, he said, his employer, the Bolingbrook Police Department, checked with the Will County states attorneys office to make sure the relationship was legal.

Imagine, approval for my romantic relationship, he said, chuckling softly.

With no laws broken, they continued dating and Stacy became his fourth wife two years after they met.

A friend of Stacys, Jen Kaye, said she and others were surprised by the relationship. Because Stacy Peterson was not close to either of her parents, we chalked it up to Stacy looking for a father figure to fill a void that she had in her own life, Kaye said.