11/28/2007 (gretawire.foxnews.com) GretaWire Blog Update

“Drew Peterson Called In Sick on Night of Wife’s Disappearance”

http://www.acandyrose.com/2007-11-28-GretaWireBlogUpdate.htm

November 28th, 2007 11:09 AM Eastern

by Greta Van Susteren

http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2007/11/28/read-this-article-below/#more-2315

Report: Drew Peterson Called In Sick on Night of Wife’s Disappearance

The husband of Stacy Peterson did not show up to work on the night that the 23-year-old woman disappeared, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday. Stacy Peterson, a mother of two and Drew Peterson’s fourth wife, was reported missing Oct. 29 by her family after she failed to show up to a friend’s house. Drew Peterson, who recently resigned as an officer from the Bolingbrook police department, was scheduled to work at 5 p.m. Oct. 28 but called in to take a personal or sick day, Bolingbrook police Lt. Ken Teppel told the Tribune.

NOTE FROM ME: THE FIRST DAY I WAS IN BOLINGBROOK, I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH SGT. PETERSON WHICH WAS NOT OFF THE RECORD. WHILE SITTING IN HIS HOME, HE TOLD MY PRODUCER AND ME THAT HE HAD CALLED IN SICK THAT SUNDAY NIGHT BECAUSE HE ONLY OWED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT 9 MORE DAYS UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT. HE TOLD US THAT HE HAD SOME DATE IN DECEMBER THAT WAS HIS OFFICIAL RETIREMENT (I HAVE FORGOTTEN IT NOW) AND THAT HE WAS USING UP HIS SICK LEAVE ….THAT HE WAS JUST ESSENTIALLY CALLING IN SICK DAYS ….SO HERE IS THE QUESTION: HAD HE DONE THIS BEFORE AS HE LED UP TO HIS RETIREMENT DAY? IF I WERE THE POLICE, I WOULD CHECK THIS OUT…OF COURSE THIS IS NOT A KEY CLUE BUT MIGHT BE A SMALL PIECE OF INFORMATION…

In addition, the Tribune reported, a key witness has told a friend he might have helped transport the body of Peterson’s wife. That witness — a relative to Drew Peterson — allegedly helped move a barrel that was warm to the touch from Peterson’s bedroom to an SUV. A source close to the investigation says that witness told a friend about his involvement. Two days later, the distressed relative, who has not been identified, was hospitalized after an alleged suicide attempt, the Tribune reported.

Volunteers searching for any signs of Stacy are looking for the barrel. Neighbors say Peterson had a blue barrel in his backyard. Peterson’s neighbor told police last week that he saw Peterson and the man load a barrel “big enough to put someone in” into the former police officer’s SUV, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.

Meanwhile, Will County prosecutors reopened the investigation into the death of Peterson’s third ex -wife, Kathleen Savio. Savio, 40, died in a bathtub in March 2004. Prosecutors say the death appeared to be staged to conceal a homicide and recently exhumed her body for a second autopsy.

Illinois State Police told FOX News on Sunday that “new information” prompted its appeal for more information about possible sightings of the cars that belong to Stacy Peterson or her husband, Drew, around the time that the woman vanished. Police have released photos of the vehicles: A dark Blue 2005 GMC Yukon Denali belonging to Drew and the second a purple 2002 Pontiac Grand Am, belonging to Stacy, and asked the public to call its tip line at 815-740-0678 or “America’s Most Wanted” at 800- 274-6388. Both vehicles were impounded by police on Nov. 1 and are still in police possession.