Introducing: Clues with Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore
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Hi, Rammies. It's Claire. And if you're enjoying Right Answers Mostly, I've got something you need to check out. It's the brand new Crime House original series, Clues, hosted by Morgan Absher and Kaylin Moore. And if their names sound familiar to you, that's because Morgan hosts the podcast, Two Hot Takes, and Kaylin hosts the podcast, Heart Starts Pounding. And they're coming together to host the new series, Clues.

Every Wednesday, Morgan and Kaylin take you deep into the world of the most notorious crimes ever, where a single clue can crack a case wide open. From shocking murders to high-stake trials, Clues unpacks the forensic evidence and obsessive sleuthing behind the investigations that still have people talking to this very day.

Caitlin is your true crime expert, breaking down the cold, hard facts of these cases. And Morgan is your internet detective, going into full Reddit mode to uncover the theories and weird details you definitely haven't heard. So whether you're obsessed with the details, deep into internet theories, or love a good forensic twist, you have to check out Clues. Check out this clip from their very first episode.

- Hi, welcome to Clues, where we sneak past the crime scene tape to explore the key evidence behind some of the most gripping true crime cases. And these aren't just ordinary cases. They're complex puzzles where forensic science, investigative techniques, and sheer grit collide to uncover the truth and deliver justice.

I'm Kaelin Moore and I'll be piecing together the timelines and bringing the history to break down the hard facts of these cases. And I'm your internet sleuth, Morgan Absher. I'll be diving into the theories and pulling out the threads of these cases that seemingly add up or don't. So you've probably heard of the Lacey Peterson case. It's one of the most infamous criminal trials in recent history.

A pregnant Lacey vanished without a trace in 2002. But what you might not know is how a few key pieces of evidence shifted the investigation and ultimately led to a conviction, one that some people think they got wrong. Stay with us because we're about to break down the details that had the entire country captivated back in 2002 and still have people actively debating to this day.

Okay, here we go. Our very first episode of Clues. Our very first episode. I'm so excited. It's been a long time coming. It has been a long time coming, and I'm sitting here. I'm very nervous, you guys. I'm sweating, and I don't know if that's because it's our first episode. Well, this is a little outside of your domain, because two hot takes is so different from this kind of show. We cover a lot of stuff like this on Hearts, Hearts, Pounding. This isn't your first rodeo. But I think both of our audiences are probably...

very interested in true crime. Oh, I think this is going to be a have your cake and eat it too. Absolutely. And so first of all, just thank you to everyone from our shows, Two Hot Takes and Heart Sides Pounding that is here listening to us right now. Everyone that came over from our shows to listen to this new one. Thank you so much for your support. It does not go unnoticed. We see you guys. We love you guys. Very, very appreciated.

And I was actually thinking because a new show like this, ratings and reviews really help these shows grow. So if you're listening and you can comment wherever you're listening, leave a little THT or HSP in the comments so that we know where you're coming from. I know. What are we going to end up calling this family? Our little blended unit over here. I don't know. We'll have to come up. Maybe you guys will come up with a title.

- Please do because I have not come up with anything for my two Hot Takes people. I'm like, I go back and forth. I'm like the Hot Takians? Like what are we over there you guys? - Yeah, what would that be? Hot Takes Army. - Yeah, so what are we gonna be here? Detectives, investigators? - We'll think of something. We'll definitely have something by the end. But what's new in your life?

I went wedding dress shopping recently. Oh my gosh. It was a lot. Yeah. I was very overwhelmed. You went to like a really nice place, right? Yeah, I went to Kleinfeld's. I was like a fan of Say Yes to the Dress, but like I didn't know how intense it was going to be. And it was still an enjoyable experience, but like you definitely feel the pressure there. Yeah. Did you feel pressured to pick something while you were there? I've been peer pressured into a dress. Yeah.

oh are you are you happy like in hindsight are you happy with the one that you got i'm looking for a second dress oh yeah honestly some of the prettiest dresses i've seen come from like lulus and like 60 dresses from online honestly i went to like anthropology after and their dresses are like just beautiful and affordable and yeah it's fine it'll be a journey you guys will see it when the day does come but uh what's going on in your world

Packing up my house to move back to LA full time. Everything's in boxes. It will be my second cross country move in

in a year in 12 months 365 days two moves no thank you yeah it's a lot it's like right when we unpacked the last box in the house we packed it all back up and we're coming back but don't don't feel bad if you have some boxes sitting there after a year of living in your place like me are you speaking from experience it's fine that's fine you know we're starting a new podcast I don't have time to unpack after a year no I

I know it's hard. It really is. The packing is stressful. The unpacking. Oh, I'll pack all day. Will just take forever. I will pack all day. Yeah. I need someone to help me unpack. I'd rather put it in the box than out of the box. I don't know mentally why we do that, but it is a thing. It's so odd. But do you think we should jump into our very first case? Let's do it. Today we are opening up the case file for the murder of Lacey Peterson. But before we get into this case, let's talk a little bit about who Lacey was.

Lacey Rocha was born on May 4th, 1975 in Modesto, California. During all of my research for this episode, it was clear that Lacey was just a spark of light. I actually found a really great article from SFGate where some of her friends were interviewed and I love this quote from them. Quote, she didn't care what you thought of her. She was just happy to be where she is and who she is. Just so sure of herself. I love that. Just happy-go-lucky gal.

In 1994, Lacey met a fellow student named Scott Peterson at a party in San Luis Obispo, California. But nothing came of that initial meeting until she ran into him again at a restaurant where he worked as a waiter. She was so smitten with him, and in a bold move, Lacey actually gave Scott her phone number. Brave woman.

There's actually an article I found where Lacey's mom, Sharon, recalled her calling her after this meeting and saying she's met the man she's going to marry. And her mom asked if they had even gone out yet. And Lacey replied, not yet, but we will. Like she just she knew she had a feeling she wanted what she wanted and she was going to make it happen. For their first date, Scott took Lacey on a deep sea fishing trip.

But apparently things didn't go as planned because Lacey ended up getting seasick. Eventually, Scott proposed in December of 1996 and they got married in 1997. Lacey was an absolutely gorgeous bride. In 2000, they moved 200 miles north to Modesto, California, so that they could be closer to Lacey's family and really start building their life together.

Lacey loved being a wife. She loved watching Martha Stewart, cooking, and everything that really went into being a homemaker. But what she really wanted was to be a mother. By some accounts, Scott did not want to be a father, or at the very least, it seemed like he couldn't really make up his mind and went back and forth quite a bit. But in May 2002, Lacey got pregnant, and by that point, Scott was seemingly getting on board.

He was attending Lamaze classes with her, going to doctor's appointments, all of the things you would expect a loving, supportive partner to do. But in late 2002, when Lacey was around eight months pregnant, things took a dark turn.

Yeah. And before we dig into the timeline of this case, I just want to make a note that if you're watching on YouTube, you will see some photos pop up that'll help you visualize a few different elements of this case. And if you're listening, don't worry. We want you to feel included as well. You can find those same photos on our social media, which is at Clues Podcast on Instagram. But OK, so now we know a little bit more about who Lacey was. Let's talk about what was going on in her life in December of 2002.

So on December 14th, Lacey and Scott were invited to a Christmas party. Lacey attended. Scott did not. Scott allegedly had told Lacey that he couldn't make it because he was on a business trip.

On December 23rd, Lacey spent that day running errands. She and Scott went to a doctor's appointment and she also visited her sister, Amy Rocha, so Scott could go get his haircut. And that evening, she called her mom, Sharon Rocha, to talk about their plans for the next day, which was Christmas Eve. And that's when Lacey confirmed that she would be having dinner with her.

At some point on December 24th, 2002, Lacey disappeared. According to Scott, this is how the day went down. He left the house at 930 a.m. And when he left, he said that Lacey was watching Martha Stewart, a special on TV. And he said that there was something about Lemon Meringue on the TV. He remembered like that specific detail about what she was watching. And initially he said that he had gone and played golf that day when he left.

Yeah, and it wasn't like he just told one person he went and played golf. He actually told four different people that he played golf that day, but his alibi quickly shifted. Yeah. So while even Scott's family thought that he was going and playing golf that day, it turned out that he had actually gone to take a boat out on the marina. And there's a few reasons why this is suspicious to me off the bat. Yeah.

So Scott wasn't going to just take any boat out on the marina. He was going to take his boat out on the marina. And according to Scott, his family, including Lacey, didn't even know that he had this boat. So it's safe to assume that none of them had ever been on this boat. Right. Right. And that's something that I want us to remember as we keep digging into this.

So Scott left his home at 930, he said, and he went to his warehouse to pick up his boat and to check some emails. He left that warehouse at 11 a.m. and he headed to the marina. Now we know that Scott purchased a boat launch ticket at Berkeley Marina at 1254 p.m.,

and we're not really sure how long he spent on the water, but later he left a voicemail for Lacey, and that said, quote, Hey beautiful, I just left you a message at home. It's 2.15. I'm leaving for Berkeley. I won't be able to get to Vela Farms to get the basket for Papa. I was hoping you would get this message and go out there. I'll see you in a bit, sweetie. Love you. Bye. End quote.

And just so everyone is aware, and again, look at social media if you're more of a visual person or YouTube for the picture. Berkeley is over 80 miles away from Modesto.

And traffic patterns may have changed, maybe highways, roadways even changed. But when I plugged the two locations into Google Maps and searched what traffic would look like on Christmas Eve of this year, it shows that the drive is around two and a half hours. We're talking about a five hour round trip. And given that he pulled the parking ticket at 1254 p.m. and then left a voicemail for Lacey at 215 saying he was headed back,

doesn't give you a lot of time to fish. And we also have to consider he was pulling his boat behind his vehicle.

And from my experience hauling, you know, with a trailer, you do even have to drive a little more cautious, a little slower. Yeah. So it could have been longer. And he pulled the ticket for parking at 1254, but it takes a minute to get into the water. It takes some time to do that. And then he called her at 215. So in theory, he pulled his boat out of the water. So it seems like he was in the water for, what, 30 to 45 minutes? Not long, especially considering Scott's

Yeah, right. Like it usually is so much nicer if you're working with another person as you're the one backing the boat down the launch and someone then catches it. But he was doing all of this by himself too, which really adds to the complexity of this. Right, adds to the time it takes. So he made a five hour round trip journey to be on the water for about 30 minutes. Yeah. On Christmas Eve.

Thank you for listening. To check out the rest of the episode and so much more, make sure to follow Clues with Morgan Absher and Kayla Moore. Just search Clues wherever you get your podcast. New episode drops every Wednesday.