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Jan 25, 2008 5:29 am US/Central
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Grand Jury Probes Peterson Case For Next 4 Months
Former Friend Testifies He Followed Third Wife With Drew Peterson
JOLIET, Ill. (CBS) ―
For the first time, the Will County state's attorney's office has confirmed that a grand jury is investigating the disappearance of Drew Peterson's fourth wife Stacy, and the death of his third wife Kathleen Savio.
As CBS 2's Rafael Romo reports, as the grand jury examines the evidence, a status hearing will be held Friday morning at the Will County Courthouse to make a final determination on whether Drew Peterson may recover items seized from his house as part of the investigation.
It has been almost three months since Stacy Peterson disappeared, and her whereabouts remain a mystery.
Drew Peterson has repeatedly said his wife, who would now be 24, left him for another man, but her family said she would not abandon her children. Illinois State Police have said they believe she is dead in a homicide, and have named Drew Peterson a suspect in her death.
According to the Will County state's attorney's office, authorities have so far investigated more than 1,900 tips and leads since Stacy Peterson disappeared on Oct. 28.
Will County authorities also confirmed that a special grand jury met on Thursday and will continue investigating the case for another four months.
The existence of the grand jury has been widely reported for some time, but officials have previously declined comment, saying the proceedings are secret.
Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow's office released a statement Thursday, saying the grand jury looking into the disappearance of Stacy Peterson and death of Kathleen Savio. He said it first convened in November and is expected to continue for about four months.
Investigators called a former friend of Drew Peterson's to the witness stand on Thursday. Ric Mims, a former friend of Drew Peterson's was called to the witness stand on Thursday.
Back in early November, Mims sided with Drew Peterson.
"I know in my heart there's no foul play," Mims said at the time. "I want to say that one more time – I know in my heart there's no foul play."
But he later started having doubts about the Drew Peterson, who resigned his position as a Bolingbrook police sergeant last year, as more details about his alleged abusive behavior emerged.
"It's getting harder to believe him, because all the evidence is coming out and his peculiar behavior," Mims said later.
Mims has also acknowledged selling his story of the disappearance to the National Enquirer.
On Thursday, he testified that he and Drew Peterson would follow Drew's third wife Kathleen Savio before their divorce was settled. Savio was found dead in a dry bathtub in 2004.
Her death was originally ruled an accident by the Will County coroner's office, but the case was reopened and Savio's body was exhumed after Stacy Peterson went missing. Savio's death is now being reviewed.
Also Friday morning, new questions have arisen about whether Drew Peterson might have forged his third wife's signature. A Chicago Sun-Times investigation indicates that Peterson apparently forged Kathleen Savio's signature in order to buy a house that he shared with his wife Stacy.
In addition, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday that a report by Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky that Stacy had been seen at a homeless shelter in Peoria was erroneous. The homeless shelter called it a case of mistaken identity, the Tribune reported.
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