The Drew Dumpster: Stacy Peterson Search Brings Out Volunteers; Drew Peterson Focuses on Media Spotlight for Himself

So far, Drew Peterson has blocked his children from testifying before the grand jury, gotten his guns back, posed for People magazine, invited numerous news shows to come into his home to film "Mr. Mom", said he wants a divorce, wanted to do a "win a date with Drew" radio promotion, and bragged about being a chick magnet. His natural match: attorney Joel Brodsky, who hams it up and laughs it up almost as much as Peterson.

The fact that third wife Kathleen Savio's death was finally ruled a homicide didn't affect Peterson at all in his rush to fame. He was too busy commenting on how women drive by his house, leave mash notes, and in general, want Drew.

Nice to know he's got his head in the game.

Drew Peterson: Sued for Police Brutality

In BizarroLand, former Bolingbrook cop Drew Peterson, suspected in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, and the disappearance of his four wife, Stacy Peterson, is being sued for police brutality.

Timothy Brownlee said that Peterson attacked him and broke his thumb after Brownlee was arrested after a neighborhood dispute. A judge threw the charges out of court.

Brownlee, who said that he was also called "the n-word" is suing Peterson, two other officers, and the scandal-ridden Bolingbrook Police Department. Brownlee, whose troubles began when he decided to barbecue in his backyard, said that he's afraid of Peterson.

Peterson's attorney and fellow bon vivant Joel Brodksy said that he thought the State's Attorney would handle the case properly. Memo to Joel: a civil lawsuit doesn't fall under the province of the State's Attorney, who handles criminal matters.

Brodsky and Peterson have also been in a snit about what they term "leaks" from grand jury proceedings looking into the death of Savio and the disappearance of Stacy Peterson. Brodsky demanded a special prosecutor to investigate those "leaks."

Memo to Brodsky: people who appear before the grand jury may talk about their testimony. Speaking of leaking, is there any bigger media manipulator and hog than Peterson himself?

Drew Peterson: Boy Toys Not Returned in Missing Wife Probe

Note: feel free to use any of the videos on this blog if they will help you with your webpage or blog. Here's how: watch the video, then click "embed." It's easy!

"Pig in Snow": Dr. Phil, Drew Peterson, Stacy Peterson, Kathleen Savio, Kyle Piry & The "Rotten Review"

NOTE: If you have a blog or website, feel free to use any of these videos on your page. It's easy: just view the videos, choose what would help you the most on your own page, and then click the "embed" button on the video(s) you've chosen.

Searching for Truth: The Peterson Follies

After decades of covering many types of news stories, one thing I've learned is that truth is always stranger than fiction. But even given that axiom, the Drew Peterson case has soared into galaxies of previously unexplored weirdness.

As I write this, the Peterson home is again being searched by law enforcement, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. It's the fourth time the house has been searched--including a sweep by cadaver dogs--since Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, went missing in October.

Meanwhile, attorney Joel Brodsky has alleged that the entire Bolingbrook, ILL police department, where Peterson was a career cop, routinely uses police databases to conduct illegal investigations for personal reasons. Brodsky, who once lost his law license for signing a dead man's checks, declared that his client should be excused for using those databases for stalking his wife (or wives), because everybody does it.

It's the first time I've ever seen a defense attorney admit that his client has committed what Police Chief Ray McGury says is a felony-level offense. McGury, who inherited the entire Peterson mess from his predecessor, told Brodsky to provide details about officers routinely commiting these offenses.

Brodsky, whose media performances have become the equivalent of an amateur rhinestone-spangled trapeze act in a very low-rent circus, fired back that he doesn't have to prove his allegations. Question: what happens if McGury launches an investigation and calls Brodsky as a witness? It would be "put up or shut up" time for Brodsky.

Brodsky, upset over his less-than-stellar showing during Fox News' Greta Van Susteren's "On the Record" last night, fired off a rambling, angry email to the veteran lawyer-journalist. In it, he announced "Secondly, as to the chief’s challenge for me to provide him with the names of people that have misused the databases, and the times of the acts of misuse, this makes no sense."

Let me translate this into everyday terms. "Officer, yes I saw someone rob the jewelry store. Yes, I called you to report it. You want a description of the suspect? That makes no sense."

If this were a circus, the number of smear attempts on everyone in pop-gun firing range and the increasingly bizarre comments spewed by Brodsky and Peterson would be like the rickety, never-ending clown car act.. Just when you think you've seen more nutsy things crawl out of the car than is realistically possible, out pops one or two more.

Theme song for this act: "a little song, a little dance,a little seltzer down the pants."

Meanwhile, the real issues include: what happened to Stacy Peterson, now missing for more than a month after asking Peterson for a divorce? And what happened to third wife, Kathleen Savio, who drowned in an empty bath tub? Presiding at the processing of the "accident"--Drew Peterson, then St. Peterson, who inherited more than one and a half million dollars in various assets.

From money to malice, this story has more twists and turns than a stripper working a pole. There's the truckers who say Peterson and a sidekick tried to bribe an off-the-record load outta town, a suicidal step-brother who's afraid he helped lug Stacy's body out of the home at Peterson's behest, and then the decades of women who Peterson was a stalker and abuser.

Plus Savio's pleas for help, including 18 domestic disturbance calls and a head injury after Peterson knocked her into a coffee table during a fight. And women who say that Peterson bragged he could kill them and make it look like an accident.

Massive searches for Stacy by volunteers, 64 Illinois law enforcement investigators, and the FBI have continued for weeks. Peterson's focus, however, has been his love-hate relationship with the media, from People Magazine's cover to his childish filming of the media to strike back at them.

Then there's Peterson's attempt to derail a prayer vigil for Stacy last weekend. As law enforcement announced a new focus on searching a specific nearby canal, Peterson's still doing the "poor me" soft shoe. His story is that he's an abandoned spouse whose nutsy, "spoiled" wife ran off with another man. Just in case we don't buy that, an anonymous message detailing a sighting of Stacy in Peoria was sent to Peterson--rather than to a tip line offering a $25,000 reward. Afterwards, Peterson made sure he was photographed checking his mailbox.

The archives tell the many tales of Drew Peterson. With questions now being raised about other bodies linked to Peterson, this story, at its core, asks: was there a Bluebeard with a badge on the prowl?

No one really knows yet, just as we don't know what really happened to Stacy or Kathleen Savio. But we do know this: there are four children in a house with a man who at least one ex-wife says was abusive to his older children. The most recent two, of course, are dead and missing.

If this were a play, it would be Pirandello's "Six Characters in Search of an Author." As the master crafter of the balance between reality and fiction declared: "Yes, but haven't you perceived that it isn't possible to live in front of a mirror which not only freezes us with the image of ourselves, but throws our likeness back at us with a horrible grimace?

Drew Peterson Tried to Hire Truckers to Transport Package After Stacy Peterson Disappeared

This just in: the Illinois State Police have taken the extraordinary step of issuing an alert saying that former Bolingbrook cop Drew Peterson and another male approached truckers and asked them to transport a package to an undisclosed location.

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS:
December 1, 2007 Trooper Mark T. Dorencz #4848
Safety Education Officer
Illinois State Police - District 5
(815) 726-6377 Ext. 271

JOLIET – On October 29, 2007 at approximately 3:30 am, two truck drivers were approached by two men at a truck stop in Bolingbrook , IL. One of the two men is believed to be Drew Peterson and the other described as a white male, early 50’s, salt-and-pepper hair, with a stocky build. The two men requested the truck drivers to transport a package to an undisclosed location. Upon reaching the location, the men would regain possession of the package and continue transporting it to a location not accessible by semi-trailers.

Anyone having a similar encounter is asked to contact the Illinois State Police at
815-740-0678 or America’s Most Wanted Hotline at 1-800-CRIME TV."

As Peterson tried to block a prayer vigil for missing fourth wife Stacy Peterson in his neighborhood, momentum continues to build in this increasingly bizaare case. His attorney, Joel Brodsky, whose own past includes loss of his law license for forging a check, continues to smear everyone else involved in Peterson's life.

Dr. Michael Baden remains firm that Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, was beaten and her death posed to look like a drowning. Found allegedly drowned in a dry bathtub, Savio had for years pleaded for help, to no avail, in dealing with Peterson's abuse. She, like other women in Peterson's life, had told others that Peterson bragged he could kill her, and as a cop, could make it look like an accident and get away with it.

The list of deaths, disappearances, and tragedies linked to the former Bolingbrook police officer continue to mouth. His step-brother, Thomas Morphey, tried to commit suicide after Peterson got him to help move a large container out of the Peterson home the day Stacy Peterson disappeared. Morphey, shaken, went to a friend and said that he was afraid he had just helped Peterson dispose of Stacy's body.

Here's a list of cases that 64 full-time Illinois investigators, the FBI, the Navy, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--the military brought in to help with searches--are analyzing that are linked to Drew Peterson:

Fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who told clergy that Peterson had killed Savio, and who told family and friends that she was afraid Peterson would kill her and make it look like an accident.

Third wife, Kathleen Savio, whose body was exhumed for new autopsies after Stacy Peterson's death. When her body was found, Peterson had falsely called in a "welfare check," then gave false information to medical techs about a non-existent heart condition, and managed to get the tub cleaned up without adequate investigation. In essence, he labelled it an accident.

During Savio's marriage, Peterson was having an affair with a young woman, whose brother protested. The brother was found dead, and labelled as a suicide. The officer first on the scene? Drew Peterson.

A local man, Jeffrey Archer, dated one of Peterson's ex-wives, angering Peterson. According to police documents, he was found dead in Sanitary Shipping Canal, one mile east of Routes 83 and 171- Cook County. That area has also been searched for any trace of Stacy Peterson's remains.

The lid is only now being slowly pulled back off a very nasty pot of years of alleged Peterson misconduct, on and off the job. Before he rushed to retirement after Stacy's case hit the media spotlight, he had earlier been suspended for misconduct on the job.

Two decades earlier, he'd been fired for a series of actions, including revealing the name of an undercover narcotics officer to a known killer. Peterson, adept at talking his way out of trouble, managed to get his job back.

Peterson has been named as a suspect in Stacy's death. Savio's case is being re-examined.

The archives contain numerous articles with background on this developing story.

Drew Peterson Killed Kathleen Savio, Said Missing Wife Stacy

Before she went missing, Stacy Peterson told clergy and friends that her husband, former Bolingbrook cop, Drew Peterson killed his third wife, Kathleen Savio, according to Michael Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Stacy, Peterson's fourth wife, also warned that if she disappeared Peterson would have killed her. Savio, who supposedly drowned in a dry bathtub, told her family and friends the same thing.

Even though Savio filed a protective order, made 18 abuse complaints,and wrote to an assistant state attorney pleading for help, she was ignored. Following a post-exhumation autopsy, expert Dr. Michael Baden said her death was a homicde.

Peterson, once fired for revealing the identity of an uncover officer to a known killer, has a history of lying, cheating, and abuse. He allegedly threatened three of his wives with death , bragging that because he was a cop he could make a murder look like an accident.

The day she disappeared, Stacy reportedly told Peterson to get out of the house as she began divorce proceedings. Are there multiple motives for Stacy Peterson's disappearance and possible homicide?

Follow the money. When Savio died, Peterson was freed from child support and alimony. He also inherited more than $1.5 million in various assets.

If Stacy Peterson divorced him, she could claim one-half of those assets, as well as child support for their two children and a part of his $72,000 a year pension. If her claims about Savio's death were true, she could also name Peterson as a killer, making her disappearance a double win for Peterson: protecting the money and removing a threat to a murder cover-up.

The Peterson investigation, which now includes the FBI and dozens of Illinois cops, is gaining momentum. Still unknown: the whereabouts of Thomas Morphey, Peterson's step-brother, who reportedly helped Peterson move a large blue bin out of the Peterson's bedroom the day Stacy disappeared.

Morphey, sources say, then became distraught, and said that he was afraid that he had helped Peterson move Stacy's body. He wound up in the hospital with a drug overdose in what is currently being called a suicide attempt.

For more background on this bizarre case, check out the archives here.

How Believable is Drew Peterson? Citizen Panel Says: Not Very

How believable is Drew Peterson? Well below "zero," according to MediaCurve's analysis.

MediaCurves, a highly-specialized communications analysis group, showed clips of Matt Lauer's Today Show Nov. 14 interview with Peterson to a panel of 300 men and women. Using techniques developed by MediaCurves, the panel responded via mouse movements as they watched the clips.

After analysis, MediaCurves overlaid the survey results on the actual interview footage. The results are pretty amazing.

Peterson's believability repeatedly tanked into the minus 60% range. Men and women totally agreed on their perceptions.

However, Peterson did get one vote of confidence. When Lauer asked Peterson if he could present anything that would clear him in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, or or the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, Peterson said "no."

The score on that "no" immediately zoomed well above zero. The panel obviously believed that statement, unlike others.

MediaCurves also provided a "before and after" comparison of beliefs about Peterson's involvement in both cases. The results show that suspicion of Peterson increased dramatically after seeing the interview.

As experts have been saying all along: Peterson's using his own big mouth to dig an equally big hole.

Kathleen Savio, Stacy Peterson & Drew Peterson: The Lost, The Search

Today Stacy Peterson's family, friends, and supporters will launch another search for the missing Bolingbrook mom. Information is available at Find Stacy Peterson.

Reading blogs and forums, it's easy to see that this particular case has not only touched many hearts, but raised a great deal of anger. As Drew Peterson continues to clown around for the cameras and his attorney launches a smear campaign against Stacy, it's important to note two things: 1) Peterson has not yet been charged with any crime and 2) it's ironic that the disappearance of Stacy has proved to be the catalyst that is pulling back the covers of Peterson's true self and his checkered past.

But for the families involved, this story is about endless fear, frustration, and loss. Domestic abuse is like that: it's a cancer that spreads and affects anyone it touches. Perhaps Stacy's disappearance and Kathleen Savio's death--now determined to be a homicide by at least one expert--are shining a light into the decaying mess of the Peterson cellar of infamy.

Between investigations of potential felony-level misconduct in the discharge of his duties as a police officer, his firing for revealing an undercover officer's identity to a known killer, and the glare of publicity, Peterson finds himself in an unlikely position. Instead of the controller, he's now having to tread in a world that he can't control, try as he and attorney Joel Brodsky might.

Among the more blatant and disgusting media tricks: Peterson making sure he's photographed removing mail from his mailbox, late at night (when the camera lights will show up him even clearer) right after the anonymous Peoria letter. That's the letter that Brodsky rushed to the media to hint about, the one claiming the writer had seen Stacy in Peoria. But the writer didn't inform the police, or even go for the reward. No, they dropped a line to Peterson, who read the letter at his leisure, and from there: media blitz.

As is usual in missing persons cases, there will be reported sightings. That's human nature. However, this one is so obviously stage-managed and crafted, right to Drew's appearance onstage taking a long time to remove mail from his box (ample time for pictures) that it fairly shouts: looky here! Drew and team are "messing" with everyone!

Meanwhile, there's four kids involved, two of them Stacy's by birth, two by adoption from Peterson's prior marriage to Kathleen Savio. How are the kids doing? Well, Peterson weighed in on that during one of his media appearances:

"sure their mom's missing and they're upset but there are more important things to worry about."

There are more important things to worry about? Like what? Carrying apparently endless streams of drycleaning in and out of the house? Peterson posing for People Magazine?

Yea, it's about people--but not publicity. It's about Kathleen Savio, Stacy Peterson, their families and friends, the kids, second wife Viki Connolly who says she's still afraid of Peterson, and the rest of Peterson's victims, including other police officers.

As Bolingbrook Police Chief Ray McGury, who's received death threats, struggles to clear his department of Peterson issues that occurred before he took over two years ago, it's clear that the list of those harmed is huge. If Peterson is charged with misconduct, what does that say about the quality of protection given to citizens who encountered Peterson The Cop?

Make no mistake: there are many, many honest, dedicated, caring police officers. In fact, that group is the majority of officers I've encountered. But one Peterson--and the questions about how he got reinstated decades ago, as well as other deaths he "discovered"--can splash mud and grime across badges around the country.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking that Peterson is a typical cop, or that whatever functions in Bolingbrook to have so much covered up for so long is an honest cop's choice. And above all, remember that the cover of People Magazine will soon be used for puppy housebreaking and bird cages, but the real people in Stacy's, Savio's, and Connolly's families, among others, are suffering, still.

Join others in lighting a candle for Stacy at Gratefulness.org And, I've also created a group so that you may also light a candle for Kathleen Savio . Note: at first, you may have to use the "search" function: type in either Stacy or Savio.

It's time for the light of truth to reveal what lies beneath the cover of the jovial clown mugging for the cameras.



And spread the word:

Black Friday, Kathleen Savio, Stacy Peterson & Domestic Abuse

It's called "Black Friday"--the day after Thanksgiving, when retailers hope that the holiday shopping season will put their revenue in the black.

I think it's time for another Black Friday--one that remembers the women and children who are the victims of domestic abuse. After writing about the Drew Peterson saga--and new revelations are forthcoming--I've decided that I've had it with bullies who hurt and terrorize other people.

The bottom line: abusers are cowards. They'll coerce, control, bully, hurt, torture (mentally, spiritually, and physically), and even kill--but only those who are vulnerable to them.

If you know someone who is abusing animals--get away from them. People who abuse animals never stop there.

If you are in an abusive relationship, seek help. Make your escape plan. If you have children at risk, consider this: why do you want their psyches and their very lives to be at risk?

Let's honor the countless victims of domestic abuse on Black Friday. Using the great Ribbon-a-Matic, I've created a special ribbon to remember those who suffer at the hands of abusers.

Feel free to post this on your websites and blogs if you think it has a worthwhile message. All I ask is a link back to this website, as more coverage of the Peterson saga and other relevant issues is planned.

No more excuses. No more letting bullies get away with it. If you know someone who is abusive, don't tolerate it anymore. Don't say "well, it's good ol' Joe's business, but he's a great fishing buddy." Stand up for what's right.

Abusers are cowards, and if enough strong people and strong communities stand against them, they can be outed.

Forensics Casebook II: Kathleen Savio, Stacy Peterson, Dr. Baden, & the Chicago Cop

The questions are falling faster than stacked dominoes now that noted expert pathologist Dr. Michael Baden says that Drew Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, died as a result of a homicide. Baden, who donated his post-exhumation services to the Savio family, described his autopsy findings in a thorough interview with Fox's Greta Van Susteren.

Let's look at some key questions that didn't get answered--or in some cases, even asked--during the original investigation. To do that, we first re-visit the crime scene.

The physical background: Savio was found to be free of drugs or alcohol. She had no prior history of seizures or fainting spells. Yet she wound up drowned in a dry, blood-splotched bathtub with bruises all over her body, and a bloodied head from blunt force trauma.

Original reports said that her fingers were wrinkled from being in water. Here are some things worth questioning:

1. How long does it take for someone's fingers to get wrinkled in a bathtub?
2. Is there a difference in that time for someone who's alive and someone who's deceased?
3. The most important question of all about those fingers: why were the fingers on both hands reportedly wrinkled? Think about it--when someone takes a bath, or shower, they rarely have both hands equally submerged all the time. The dominant hand is used for bathing, washing hair, etc. Why were all the fingers on both of Savio's hands wrinkled?
4. The bathtub was dry of water when Savio's body was found. But her hair was wet. The blood, in some areas, was reportedly wet. There was blood splotched around the tub. If the tub had drained on its own, why were there splotches?
5. How long would it take that tub to drain on its own,if that happened?
6. How long do fingers stay wrinkled, ante and postmortem? There's a time correlation there that never got looked at.
7. Why was Drew Peterson allowed to clean blood out of that tub?

How did this death get classified as an accidental drowning? Even more compelling, how did Kathleen Savio's plight as an abused and terrified woman get ignored by the Bolingbrook Police Department and other authorities? And how did a cop who knew Peterson, and spoke up for him, almost as a "character reference," wind up on the coroner's jury?

Now-retired former Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson threatened more than one wife, according to reports, taunting them that he could kill them and get away with it. Disturbing patterns continue to emerge about Peterson's treatment of his four wives, one of whom died mysteriously, and the fourth, Stacy Peterson, who is missing.

In an interview with the Chicago Sun Times, Dave Brown, husband of Peterson's first wife Carol, says that Peterson cheated on Carol during their brief marriage. This pattern repeated in his marriages to Vicki Connolly, and Savio.

Connolly, the second wife, said that Peterson hit her as well as spying on her, controlling her, and emotionally abusing her. The missing Stacy Peterson and her family said that Peterson was also controlled and her activities tracked by Peterson. Stacy told her family the same thing that Savio did: if something happens to me, it won't be an accident.

Savio filed 18 abuse reports on Peterson. In an ominous foreshadowing, one of Savio's ER visits was for a blow to the head, according to documents obtained by America's Most Wanted.

Dr. Baden detailed bruises on her hands, chest, abdomen, and thighs. In his interview with Van Susteren, Baden described the hand injuries as "defensive" wounds.

""There were indications then of multiple blunt force traumas, of being beaten up," Baden said. "One of the things we were able to look at today, those bruises were still there. And we could see from the naked eye they were fresh."

Even in death, Kathleen Savio is serving as witness to her own tragedy. Her family, having gone through the anguish of her death and a botched investigation and ruling, made sure that this time, they had their own expert, Dr. Baden, to perform a post-exhumation autopsy.

In one of the most poignant documents related to this case, Kathleen Savio pleaded for help. In a letter to Assistant State Attorney Elizabeth Fragales on Nov. 14, 2002 Savio said that police didn't file reports when she'd called for help.

Another foreshadowing: she detailed how Peterson secretly programmed a way to open her garage door and get into her house. She told how Peterson ambushed her, threw around his authority as a police officer, and held a knife to her throat.

This incident is significant because when Savio's body was found, Peterson made sure he told Steve Carcerano that he couldn't get into the house. Carcerano, who found the body, has been called to testify before the grand jury. One question: why did a trained, and reportedly aggressive, cop, send an unarmed civilian into a home where the cop thought something might be wrong?

I've covered crime before. I've covered multiple murders. Savio's suffering as a terrified and abused woman who saw her doom closing in on her is one of the most gut-wrenching storiers I've ever researched.

In the first article in this series, Forensics Casebook I: Kathleen Savio, Stacy Peterson, the Chicago Cop & Fox's Greta Van Susteren, I said that both the Savio and Stacy Peterson cases revolved around water. Officials have repeatedly searched for Stacy in bodies of water near the Peterson home. In Drew's Clues: Wife #2 Said Peterson Bragged He Could Safely Kill Her, Vicki Connolly speaks out and Dr. Phil weighs in.

In the next article, I'll reveal how easy it is to kill someone and make it look like a drowning.

Drew's Clues: Wife #2 Says Peterson Bragged He Could Safely Kill Her

Drew Peterson, who even has Dr. Phil worried, is quite a guy. Peterson hit his second wife, cheated on her (eventually with the woman who became his third, the one who drowned in a dry bathtub), was so controlling that he bugged their house and -- oh yes, told her he could kill her and make it look like an accident.

Funny thing, he said that to wife #3, Kathleen Savio, who wound up dead. He threatened wife #4, Stacy Peterson, with the same thing. Everyone's looking for Stacy, except Peterson, who coldly described her to Matt Lauer as "spoiled".

Where was Drew? Follow the clues; follow the money. Peterson was busy protecting his pension--about $72,000 a year-- while pleading for a free defense attorney, and, in his media work, casting slurs on his third and fourth wives. Peterson proclaimed that he married both of them because they were "beautiful" and "fun," but then later found out that both had serious "emotional problems." (Nothing to do with him, of course, if you believe him.)

According to a solid interview by Chicago Tribune writer Erika Slife, Peterson also bragged about how he could deceive people. In her interview, Slife covers a lot of ground with Vicki Connolly, who says she's still afraid of Peterson.

"... in the first interview granted by one of his ex-wives since Stacy's disappearance, Connolly, 48, said Thursday that during their marriage an increasingly controlling Peterson told her he could kill her and make it look like an accident."

Connolly peels back the covering on Peterson's second marriage. If you think you see patterns, you're right. When he moved on from Connolly, he was already involved with Savio. When he was ready to replace Savio, he was already involved with Stacy, the then 17-year-old teenager who he got pregnant.