Netflix’s American Murder: Laci Peterson has one major person missing

Detectives and loved ones alike appear in Netflix’s latest true crime saga, American Murder: Laci Peterson – but there’s one rather important person who’s missing. 

Though it’s one of the biggest true crime cases in US history, the murders of Laci Peterson and her unborn son Conner still raises questions to this day. Her husband, Scott Peterson, was convicted of the crime, but he’s maintained his innocence and is currently fighting for a retrial. 

What makes the new docu-series so compelling is the number of interviews with those close to the case, from Modesto PD detectives Al Brocchini and John Buehler to Laci’s mother Sharon Rocha, who describes the impact the incident has had on her family ever since her daughter went missing in 2002. 

Although there were many disturbing details that led to Scott’s conviction, various members of his family also appear in American Murder: Laci Peterson, where they argue that he isn’t to blame. 

One of the most prominent is Scott’s sister-in-law Janey Peterson, who has even obtained a law degree in a bid to fight for his freedom. But her involvement has raised the question: where is Scott’s brother and Janey’s husband, Joe Peterson?

He’s certainly still involved with his sibling, as a recent Daily Mail report showed Scott calling his family – including Joe and Janey – from prison. His absence was raised by viewers at home in a Reddit thread about Scott’s sister Susan Caudillo’s description of Amber Frey. 

For context, Amber was Scott’s girlfriend in the leadup to Laci’s death, and neither Amber nor Laci knew of each other’s existence. When Amber found out in the news, she went to the police and helped with their investigation. 

The Redditor wrote, “Hearing Scott’s sister say, ‘I don’t even like to use the word affair. I think he wanted a sexual relationship with someone who was willing, and I never felt it had anything to do with Laci’s disappearance,’ was so cringe. 

“Several of her comments landed odd for me, and it really made me think about family members who can’t accept the plain truth about their loved ones.”

In response, one said, “Actually, Janey is Scott’s sister-in-law – which begs the question, why do we only hear from her and not Scott’s brother (her husband)?”

Another suggested, “At the end, Laci’s mom says this ruined Scott’s family. I was thinking, well, they were in the documentary supporting him… So this makes sense. Maybe his close relatives don’t actually talk to him.”

It’s currently unknown why Joe Peterson isn’t in American Murder while his wife is. There’s a chance he might appear in Peacock’s upcoming docu-series Face to Face with Scott Peterson, which is set to explore alternative theories about what happened to Laci while speaking with Scott from prison. 

One Redditor also raised a reveal in Episode 3 of the Netflix doc. When detectives were issued a warrant for Scott’s arrest, they intercepted him while he was visiting family in San Diego – around an hour from the Mexico border. 

As well as finding him in a car with $15,000 in cash, weapons, and survival gear, they also discovered he had his brother’s ID card. And when they captured him, he’d dyed his hair a blonde-ish color, similar to that of his brother’s. 

In the thread, the viewer asked, “Do you think her [Janey’s] husband gave Scott one of his IDs, which Scott was found in possession of down in San Diego? I was wondering about that. It feels like maybe she ‘took one for the team’ by speaking out in public.”

However, the driver’s license shown in evidence wasn’t Joe’s – it actually belonged to Scott’s half-brother John Peterson. John’s whereabouts are currently unknown, but he did testify in support of Scott ahead of his sentencing in 2004. 

John described how he grew up with Scott, saying that a death sentence would devastate him and their family. “I can’t even imagine… he’s my little brother. I love him,” he said. 

Although Scott originally received the death penalty, this was later overturned and switched to life in prison without parole in 2021. 

Face to Face with Scott Peterson will be streaming on Peacock from August 20, while American Murder: Laci Peterson is on Netflix now. For more true crime, read about what happened to Lou Pearlman, Melissa Witt, and Phil Spector.