New Year's Eve 2002, in California's Central Valley, a 27-year-old massage th...
is at a party with her friends when her phone rings. She has been dating the man on the other end of the line.
“They met on a blind date six weeks ago at a bar in Fresno. He told her he was single. He told her”
he lived alone in a big house in Sacramento built in the 1940s. He told her he is a fertilizer salesman and that his job takes him all over the world from Boston to Cairo to Paris. He said he really wishes he could have pets, but because of his frequent travels, it wouldn't be fair to them. He has met her two-year-old daughter and picked the little girl up from preschool. He has taken the two of them out to choose a Christmas tree. Amber Frye saved the cork from a bottle of wine they
drink together. She wrote their names on it and the date. "Ever, you're there, I can't hear you right now about
all you want your name." "Okay, I'll have some of you then." "Ever, never make your feet down."
"He is not near the Ival Tower. He is standing in the grass of East La Loma Park in Medesto, California,
“three blocks from his own front door. More than 1,000 people are standing there with him in the dark,”
holding candles and photographs of a woman who has been missing for a week. They are singing, they are praying, some of them are crying. The woman is eight months pregnant with his first child, a boy they have already named Connor. Her name is Lacey Peterson, and she is his wife. And as he tells her of the crowd in Paris, Amber Frye already knows he's speaking lies. The day before she told the Modesto Police Department everything she knows. Right now in her hand,
there is a tape recorder, two of their detectives gave her. She is recording every word. I'm Megan Kelly, and this is MK Confidential. AI can clone your voice, forge your signature, even create fake documents that fool experts,
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then 30 at a pest control convention in Anaheim, and thinks he would be just perfect for her best friend. Sean thinks he's funny and good looking, and Scott tells her he's single and looking for his life partner. The best friend is Amber Fry, a 27-year-old single mother with a two-year-old daughter named Ayana. She lives in Madera, California, near Fresno, and is looking and praying for a life partner of her own. Amber asks Sean if he's cute and nice. Her best friend says very to both.
On November 20th, 2002, Amber arrives early at the elephant bar in Fresno for her date with Scott Peterson. A few minutes past seven, he walks into the bar, wearing a well-cut suit. He is just over six feet tall, clearly fit, and he lights up when he sees her waiting. She had hoped it was him. He kisses her lightly on the cheek and says, "Am I late? I'm sorry. I'm late." He's four minutes late. The elephant bar is the meeting spot before they had to dinner.
Scott asks her if they can first run to his hotel so he can check in, shower, and change out of the
suit he's been wearing all day. Amber agrees and follows him up to his room. Before jumping in the shower, Scott pulls a bottle of champagne out of a duffel bag,
Opens it and pours a glass for each of them.
something, grabs a box of strawberries out of the same duffel bag. He drops one into each glass of
“champagne. Clearly, Amber thinks this is a man who plans ahead. They leave the hotel and go to a”
private room at the Japanese restaurant, Edoja, where Scott tells her all about his life. Amber is taken with him, and hopes they will see each other more, and they do. Scott meets Amber's little girl, Ayanna, who likes him right away. He and Amber pick her up from school together. He even takes them to pick out a Christmas tree. Amber saves the cork from a
bottle of wine they share, and wishes she had grabbed it from that first bottle of champagne.
She writes their names and the date on the wine cork. December 2, 2002, thinking this is the first of many. On December 6, Sean Simbly finds out that Scott Peterson is married. She calls Scott and confronts him. He denies it saying it must be a different Scott Peterson. Only when Sean searches county records online and finds Scott is married to Lacey Peterson does his story change. He is quiet for a long moment. Then he starts crying. Scott, she says, "Are you still there? What's
going on?" I'm sorry he says. I'm sorry I lied to you. It's just, I lost my wife. It's been
very hard for me. I haven't fully dealt with it yet. Oh my God, Sean says, I'm so sorry Scott.
I had no idea. He begs her not to tell Amber. I really care for Amber he says and I don't want to screw this up. Let me tell her myself. I want to tell her in person. Sean agrees. At this point, Lacey Peterson is very much alive and living in Modesto, pregnant with their son. She is nine weeks away from her due date. Two days later, on December 8, Scott Peterson
“starts shopping for a boat. Something he keeps a secret. He calls about a lightly used fishing boat”
from an online classified ad in the Modesto B and talks the seller down to $1,400. The next day, he pays cash for the 14-foot aluminum boat and its trailer hooks it to his pickup and toes it away. After his boat purchase, he visits a sport fishing website to find out what fish are currently in season. And then Scott drives south to Amber Fry's house near Fresno to keep the promise he made to Sean sibling and tell Amber his story about losing his wife. Later, with the tape recorder running,
Amber Fry tells Modesto detectives about that conversation. Scott arrives at Amber's house in Modera in a sharp blue suit with a rotary pin on the lapel. He is clearly agitated and says he needs to speak with her. He pulls two chairs around so they face each other and sits. Amber remembers hearing his stomach churn and that Scott was having trouble swallowing. He looked upset. Almost scared. We're holding hands at the table. Like, I'm listening, you know, what is it? And he said that
he had lied about being married. And at this point, he's crying and having a hard time talking. And said he had lost his wife and it'd be the first holidays without her. She remembers comforting him, understanding how hard it must have been. I didn't know maybe she'd die in a car accident. Like, there was already thoughts on what it asked, but at the same time with his emotions, I thought I don't want to pry. He'll share with what he feels comfortable with. Scott goes on to say,
"When I meet new people, I act like my marriage never even happened." Amber believes him.
As he stammeres, she interrupts. She's Scott for a moment there. I thought you were going to tell me you were married. No, he says, "No, no." So she asks, "Are you ready for a relationship with me?" He responds immediately. God, yes. On December 13th, Amber learns from Sean that Scott only told her about his supposed dead wife after Sean discovered he was married. The next evening December 14th before they leave for a party, Amber confronts Scott. Can I trust you with my heart?
“She asks him? You already know the answer to that Scott says. "No, I don't," she says. That's why I'm asking.”
She asks him again. And again, he gives her the same answer. The party is a formal fundraiser at the world sports cafe in Fresno. She is in a red, strapless gown and looks stunning. He is in a tuxedo. He rented that week. Before they go, she asks him how she should introduce him.
There's going to be a lot of people I know at this fundraiser.
I'm not seeing anyone else." He tells her. "You're the only one I call sweetheart. I'm completely
“monogamous." So would I be safe to call you my boyfriend? She asks, "I think that would be totally”
appropriate. Don't you?" Amber smiles. Yes. Amber says they have a lovely time. All night, she introduces him as her boyfriend and someone takes their picture. December 24th 2002, Lacy Peterson's stepfather, Ron Gransky reports her missing to police. It is one of the few days Scott does not call Amber Fry. He's told her that he will be traveling to Maine then Boston then to Paris by way of New York until the end of January. He gives her a post-off
box in Modesto to stay in touch. But Scott is still in Modesto. And Amber has no idea. He calls Amber twice on Christmas Day and she hears a woman's voice in the background. Scott says it's his mother. Amber wants to believe him, but has her doubts. Scott's behavior was starting to
“change little things like giving her a time he would call her, which she'd never done before.”
On December 28th, Amber's curiosity turns into action. She asks a friend Denise Lane to help her look up Scott Peterson on the internet. This was before the concept of Googling someone was
second nature to America. There are several Scott Peterson's in Sacramento as it turns out,
but nothing that seems to match. Frustrated she calls Richard Bird, a friend and officer with the Fresno police. She leaves a vague voice message asking him to return her call. The next day, Amber writes a prayer on a little slip of paper and drops it into the request box at her church. She asks Scott to open her eyes and ears so she can see what she needs to see and hear what she needs to hear. After church, she goes to see her police officer friend Richard Bird.
“She trusts him and paints the picture of life with Scott. Whenever he calls me sweetie, she says,”
"I just melt." You know why he calls you sweetie? It's because he doesn't want to get your name wrong. He doesn't want to confuse you with all of his other sweeties. Bird promises to look into Scott and soon. He says he'll make some calls and knows around. That night, Bird calls. He has found a story about a Scott Peterson in Modesto whose wife is missing. I'm not sure it's your Scott Peterson. He says, "Keep looking, Amber tells him. If you find out anything for sure or call me,
I don't care how late it is." Later that night, at 140 in the morning, Bird calls again. This time, his voice has changed. Amber, he says, "You're not going to like this." It sounds like the same Scott Peterson from Modesto. His wife is pregnant. She's missing. And there has been a huge search underway for her since the week before. At 143 AM, Amber calls the Modesto Police
Department. She tells police, she may have information about Scott Peterson, but she first wants
to make sure it's the right man. She asks them to confirm Scott's date of birth and they do. Amber can hardly breathe. She tells the dispatcher everything. She has been dating this man. He is supposed to be on his way to Europe. Instead, she found out he is in Modesto and that is pregnant wife is missing. She gives the dispatcher her name and number hangs up and walks back out to her friends, sobbing. It's him. She says, "Everyone's talking about weight loss injections
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The next morning, December 30th, Amber sees footage of Lacey's family on TV.
One of her friends shows her the website about Lacey's disappearance.
At 11am that morning, six days after Lacey Peterson was reported missing, detectives,
“Al Brokini and John Bueller arrived at Amber's home. Amber and her friend Sean Sibli,”
who started it all, are waiting out front. Inside Amber tells the detectives that 24 hours ago, she had asked God to open her eyes and ears. We get down to Amber's house and her interview lasted more than an hour, it verified my suspicions earlier that he wasn't the person that he reported to be, especially on that Christmas Eve interview. Do you guys have any problems with your marriage problems? I mentioned to her, you were somebody that we were praying for,
we were hoping to God that somebody like you would come forward so we would help us with this case.
Bueller starts a tape recorder and Amber walks them through her relationship with Scott.
“She has brought photographs, gifts and things he left behind.”
Her interview lasts more than an hour. Over lunch, Amber asks what she can do to help find Lacey. You're doing it, says Bueller. Amber presses. She later writes that she felt Lacey Peterson was counting on her to bring her and her baby home. The detective gives Amber a long look. How would you feel about taping your calls, Bueller asks her? Amber agrees to play along with Scott as if she knows nothing about Lacey, and to record every conversation for the police.
Bueller described the next steps for him, Amber Keene, when he spoke to me in 2021. And so we retriever a recorder out of my trunk along with like 10 tapes and some batteries, and then we went to radio shack, which was nearby in Brock, bought the connecting unit that would go to her phone and the recorder itself showed her how to use him. He's shown her how to use the phone rings and Brock. He goes, "Cash it, Scott's number right there." Amber puts in the earpiece
from radio shack. Her hands shakes so badly that she misses the first call from Scott.
Bueller tells her relax, and that while she knows the call is being recorded, Scott has no idea. Amber then packs a bag and leaves her house to stay with friends. She does not want to be there alone with her daughter. Hours later, her cell phone rings again. It's Scott. Amber clears the room and tries not to panic. She reminds herself that Scott is in Europe, and she has to sound like she
“believes it. She starts the tape. Her palms are damp with sweat. Hello? Amber, hey, are you there?”
I can barely hear you. The line is full of static, but she hears him say he's catching a plane out of Normandy, and will be in Paris for New Year's. She knows this isn't true. I miss you. He says, "If you can hear me, bye." Scott is not in Europe. He makes that call from his own Modesto neighborhood. The moment Amber hangs up, she calls Bueller. Her hands are shaking so badly, she drops the phone. I spoke to him. She says, "And I got it on tape." The next night is New Year's Eve.
At East LaLoma Park, Lacy's family is holding a candlelight vigil. They call Scott up to speak from the stage, and he declines, saying he'll watch from the crowd with his friends. As the candles burn around him, with people praying for his wife, Scott steps away and calls Amber. Over the next seven weeks, Amber secretly records more than 140 calls with Scott. She does her best to keep him talking.
Ben Scott returns home from Europe. On January 6th, Bueller brings Amber to Modesto, and puts her in a motel under an alias. At the station, she joins Bueller, a criminal profiler on loan from the Department of Justice named Sharon Hagen, and Detective Craig Grogan. Lacy Peterson has been missing for two weeks. On the next call, they want Amber to coax some information out of Scott to push him to talk about his wife. Instead, he's got a bombshell for her.
The conversation goes on for a while.
Bueller, Hagen, and Rogan write questions for Amber to ask Scott. Did you have a gun?
“Did you shoot her? Where's her body? And they listen, and silently cheer her on.”
Eventually, the conversation fizzles and drops out. While they wait, Hagen, the profiler tells Amber what she's hearing. He lies even when he doesn't have to lie. He's lying about little things. Every time he says the phrase "my God," he's lying. He's even lying about lying.
Scott calls back, and the conversation goes in circles. When it finally ends, the officers
commend Amber for her performance, but they are no closer to finding Lacy. Amber Fry starts reading everything. She pages through old issues of the Medesto B, the local newspaper. She visits the website set up for Lacy Peterson every day, sometimes multiple times a
“day, and reads the outpouring of support from around the country for Lacy and her family.”
And through that reading, she finds Lacy Peterson's due date. It's February 10th.
Amber's birthday. At this point, Bueller is telling her she is done enough.
Every time Scott calls, Amber feels herself coming unglude. Bueller talks her down, but he's becoming worried about her. He suggests stopping the recordings and the ruse. But we haven't found Lacy, she says. I want to keep trying. On January 16th, Amber Fry's private life evaporates. The National Enquirer publishes photos of her and Scott Peterson together. Having gotten word of the story about to break the day before, Medesto police break the news
“to Lacy's family who had been supporting Scott up until this point. Eight days later,”
exactly one month after Lacy Peterson went missing. Amber's name is broadcast out on the radio, and reporters are at her door within the hour. Police decide her best move is to make a statement and ask the world to leave her alone. As Amber heads to the press conference, Scott calls again. She does not answer. She enters a room packed with reporters standing shoulder to shoulder and speaks into a bank of microphones. I met Scott Peterson in November 20th, 2002. I was introduced to him.
I was told he was unmarried. Scott told me he was not married. We did have a romantic relationship. When I discovered he was involved in the disappear, the Lacy Peterson disappearance in case I immediately contacted the Medesto Police Department. I am very sorry for Lacy's family. And the pain that this is caused them and I pray for her savory turn and slow. Thank you. Lacy's family also addresses the press on January 24th. Lacy's brother, Brent Rocha,
says Scott has admitted to the affair exposed by the national inquirer and that the family is no longer supporting him. While Amber's statement is being broadcast, Lacy's mom, Sharon Rocha, calls the precinct, hoping to catch her. She thanks Amber for stepping forward and says she would like to meet her. The next day, a friend of Lacy's drives Amber Fry to Sharon's home. Sharon says she's hoping to fill in some gaps as far as what happened between Amber and Scott.
She asks a few questions about dates and timing and occasionally glances at a calendar on her desk. Meanwhile, Scott Peterson continues calling Amber. The date after her press conference, he calls to tell her how proud of her he is. I was so proud of you. When you did that,
it was amazing just in the amazing characters. It's all over and through out points,
he cried. I was listening to this video. It was so hard to ask. But it was just so amazing to hear strength. February 10th, Amber Fry's birthday. Amber receives several calls from Scott this day.
That afternoon, he tells her to drive to Valley Children's Hospital in Fresno...
bush beneath a particular street lamp. Hidden in the bush is a paper bag from Trader Joe's. Inside
“is a small silver box decorated with a moon and sun, a silver and amber necklace, a Nora Jones CD”
called "Come Away with Me" and a packet of wild flower seeds. There is a note in his handwriting quote, "These seeds, as your life, are soon to bloom." In the parking lot, Amber Fry sits with all of it in her lap and cries. There is another candlelight vigil that night in East Lalova Park,
96 miles north. It is for Connor Peterson. Scott and Lacy's son, who was due to be born this
very day. A little more than a week later on February 18th, police returned to the Peterson House with a warrant. They pack up several bags of evidence and they impound Scott's pickup truck. Amber Fry is ready to be done with Scott Peterson. Detective Bueller agrees. She
“resolves to tell Scott the next time he calls. It doesn't take long. I think right now, some of you”
Scott, um, I think that'd be the best if you and I didn't talk anywhere until there's resolution in this. Scott. Scott. Scott. Scott. Scott. Scott. What's up? Scott. Scott. Amber sets down the phone and waits to feel relieved, but she doesn't. Amber later writes that she felt talking to him was keeping the line open to finding Lacy. Now to protect herself and her daughter, that connection needs to be severed. She returns the recorder and the tapes to Bueller. Scott keeps calling
and emailing Amber, but the messages become less frequent and eventually stop altogether.
“Two months later, on April 13th, 2003, a couple discovers the body of a baby,”
along the north shore of the San Francisco Bay near Richmond. It's tiny, but it is unmistakably the full-term body of a very small baby boy. The next day, a woman out on a walk reports finding a female body to police. It's a gruesome and bizarre discovery. The body is missing its head, its hands, and its legs below the knees. It is badly decomposed, clothed, only in a bra, and motherhood brand maternity pants, but little of them remains. The press beat the police to
the scene. Here's one Sacramento television station breaking the news. The woman washes up on the rocks directly east of Brux Island, a nature preserve on the east side of the bay. That is near the area where Scott Peterson told police he had taken his fishing boat on Christmas Eve. The baby had come ashore about a mile away the day before. With no head to compare dental records, no hands to compare fingerprints and no feet to check
for an ankle tattoo. It is suspected but not certain that this is Lacey Peterson and her baby Connor. Authorities must wait for DNA to confirm their identities. Amber Fry hears about the washed up bodies in the bay, and sobs. Then she writes a one-line email to Scott. Were those the bodies of Lacey and Connor? He does not reply. I'm Megan Kelly.
Next time on MK confidential, Christmas Eve 2002 through two sets of eyes. First, the husband
whose wife vanishes without a trace, then the police who search for her and soon question his every word.
