The Double Life of Scott Peterson: The Other Woman — Ep. 1 | MK Confidential

New Year's Eve, 2002, in California's Central Valley, a 27-year-old massage therapist named Amber Frey 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 Frey saved the cork from a bottle of wine they drink together. She wrote their names on it and the date. He is not near the Eiffel Tower. He is standing in the grass of East Laloma Park in Modesto, California, three blocks from his own front door. More than a thousand 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 Frey 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 and criminals are using these tools right now to potentially steal from you. How? It's called title fraud. 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Scott Peterson meets Amber Fry on a blind date on October 23rd 2002 Sean Sibley meets Scott 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 Ayanna. 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 head 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 duffle bag, opens it and pours a glass for each of them. He returns smartly dressed and as if he had forgotten something grabs a box of strawberries out of the same duffle 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 Ayana 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 Sibley 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 Sibley 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 Madera 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 died in a car accident and like there was all these 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 stammer, she interrupts. "Geez, 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 gonna be a lot of people I know at this fundraiser, Amber says. Are you seeing anyone else? I'm not seeing anyone else. He tells her, "You are 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. Lacey 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 office 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 he'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 God 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 nose 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 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 gonna 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 143am 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 his 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 because the results can be so dramatic. They work by lowering blood sugar and reducing appetite but what if you're looking to lose weight but are not interested in painful weekly injections especially when you hear about some of those intense side effects. This is why doctors created a weight loss supplement called lean and the results could be remarkable. Lean says the studied ingredients in their product have been shown to lower your blood sugar burn fat by converting it into energy and to curb your appetite and cravings so that you are not as hungry. But listen lean is not for the casual diet or with only a few pounds to lose. The doctors at Brickhouse Nutrition created lean for frustrated dieters with 10 or more pounds to lose. You could get started with 20% off and free rush shipping adding lean to your healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit Take Lean dot com and enter Kelly for your discount. That's from a code Kelly at Take Lean dot com. 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 11 a.m. that morning six days after Lacey Peterson was reported missing detectives Al Brachini and John Bueller arrive at Amber's home. Amber and her friend Sean Sibley who started at 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? Al 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 it 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 and Brachini when he spoke to me in 2021. "And so we retrieved a recorder out of my trunk along with like 10 tapes and some batteries and then we went to Radio Shack which was nearby and Brock bought the connecting unit that would go to her phone and the recorder itself showed her how to use it. Is he showing her how to use it the phone rings and Brock and he goes to Scott's number right there." Amber puts in the earpiece from Radio Shack. Her hands shake 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, buy." 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 La Loma Park, Lacey'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. And 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. Lacey 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. Sorry, I'll just tell you. I'm here to be watching the news, I'll just be here. No. I have not been traveling in the last couple of weeks. I have, I've lied to you that I've been traveling. OK. [INAUDIBLE] 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. I said that I'd lost my wife. Yes, you did. I did, and yes. How did you lose her that before she was lost? Explain that. She had different kinds of lost Amber. Then explain your loss. Right, I can't do now. 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 Lacey. Amber Fry starts reading everything. She pages through old issues of the Modesto B, the local newspaper. She visits the website set up for Lacey Peterson every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and reads the outpouring of support from around the country for Lacey and her family. And through that reading, she finds Lacey 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 unglued. Bueller talks her down, but he's becoming worried about her. He suggests stopping the recordings and the ruse. But we haven't found Lacey, she says, I want to keep trying. On January 16th, Amber Fry's private life evaporates. The National Inquirer publishes photos of her and Scott Peterson together, having gotten word of the story about to break the day before, Modesto police break the news to Lacey's family, who had been supporting Scott up until this point. Eight days later, exactly one month after Lacey 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, 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 disappearance, the Lacey Peterson disappearance case, I immediately contacted the Modesto police department. I am very sorry for Lacey's family and the pain that this has caused them. And I pray for her safe return as well. Thank you. Lacey's family also addresses the press on January 24th. Lacey'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, Lacey'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 Lacey'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 day after her press conference, he calls to tell her how proud of her he is. I was so proud of you. And you did that. It was amazing, just an amazing character. It's all over. And throughout when she died, I was listening to the radio. It was so hard to hear. But it was so amazing, your 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 and look at a lavender 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 wildflower 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 La Loma Park, 96 miles north. It is for Connor Peterson, Scott and Lacey's son, who was due to be born this very day. A little more than a week later, on February 18th, police return 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, I think it'd be best if you and I didn't talk anymore until there's resolution in this. Oh, yeah, I'm ready to be done. Good, right? Good. I hope to talk to you future. OK, Scott. Thanks, 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 Lacey. 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 message has become less frequent and eventually stop altogether. Two months later, on April 13, 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. Just this afternoon, a badly decomposed body was found near Point Isabel in Richmond. And last night, the body of a male fetus was found just a few miles away. Gloria Gomez joins us live from the scene with more on this developing story, Gloria. Father's going to be a major break in the Lacey Peterson case. The woman washes up on the rocks directly east of Brooks 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. [MUSIC]