Scott Peterson's defense attorney McAllister wrote that the cadaver dog's failure to pick up a scent in the boat "destroys the theory on which the prosecution has based its case."

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Cadaver Dog Indicated Laci Peterson's Body was in Husband's Boat

Prosecutors believe Laci Peterson's body was in her husband's warehouse and boat before it was dumped in San Francisco Bay, according to court documents filed late Friday.

According to a report by the dog's handler, the cadaver dog showed "mild interest" in the boat and displayed some interest in containers in the warehouse during a search.

The defense team for Scott Peterson contends that the dog's failure to "alert" on the boat is proof that the body was never in the craft.

However, prosecutors argue that the dog did not fully alert was because it was distracted by the heavy smell of chemicals in the warehouse.

Scott Peterson used the warehouse located on Emerald Avenue as an office and storage area for his job as a fertilizer salesman.

The debate over the cadaver dog started when Peterson's lawyers sought to have wiretap information thrown out. Defense attorneys argued an investigator "purposely omitted" information from the dog handler's report in affidavits to a judge when seeking warrants for the wiretaps.

Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Al Girolami will decide whether to exclude the wiretaps and information from the dog's search after the preliminary hearing. That hearing was scheduled to begin today but has been postponed to October 28.

Scott Peterson is facing two counts of murder in the killings of his wife and unborn son. A conviction on the charges could result in the death penalty.

Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant when she disappeared on Christmas Eve. Her body and that of her full-term infant son were found in April on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay, near a spot where her husband went fishing on the day of her disappearance.

Story last updated Monday, October 20, 2003 - 1:16 PM

Here is a quote from the information:

"Cadaver search dogs can locate human remains in water or buried under ground or rubble. A cadaver dog can locate human remains that are a few hours old to several years old."

Here is a quote from this site:
"water search -- many SAR dogs are trained to locate human remains underwater, working either from shore or from boats. After the dog alerts on the correct location, the body can be brought up by divers or other means."

Quotes from the site:

"The dogs detect the human scent as it rises through and above the surface. By locating the subjects scent, divers are aided in search and recovery efforts and are subjected to fewer hazards. Water currents, air currents, temperature, and the contour of the bottom all have an effect on the location of scent at the surface."

"Tracking teams can, under certain conditions, follow the path of a subject even though the subject is in a vehicle.

Here is a quote from the site:

Water Cadaver Dogs- are trained to detect the tiny bubbles of gas given off when a body decays underwater.

Here is a quote from the site:

"Water Search - For many search managers, the concept of a water search with dogs sounds like an impossibility. After all, we have always been told that the best way to elude capture by a man tracking team with bloodhounds is to run into the river and hide. But water is not an impenetrable, sterile medium."....... (this part continues...)

http://starbulletin.com/98/11/18/news/story1.html

Here is a quote:

"In August, Coyote was able to find the body of someone who had drowned and was 25 feet underwater, Koenig said. "Coyote was in a boat on a harness and not allowed in the water."

For Nike, Williams said her last successful cadaver find was a 3-week-old body buried under 17 feet of soil in a well in San Diego County."

Defense attorneys are going to have to argue those dogs don't know their job and just detected something else.

Maybe Scott didn't use the boat to dump the body. Maybe he just used his truck and drove it to an area of shoreline not easily visible to others. Maybe the boat was just a McGuffin. Maybe they should search the shorelines for the anchors.

They tested the line and it didn't have salt water on it.

I vote for Scott for "jerk of the year" but that doesn't prove he killed laci.

Yep, it IS absurd, but it just shows the lengths this defense will go to....and the few straws they are grasping at....

I still want to hear the evidence they claim they have that shows who the "REAL" killers are....

The burden of responsibility is on the prosecution to show that Scott did kill Laci, beyond a resonable doubt.

If the defense never says another word about the 'real' killers, it does not mean that Scott did or did not kill Laci.

Of course I don't think they actually WILL- they were just blowing a bunch of smoke....but Mark Geragos really irks me when he makes statements like that and then just thinks people will forget that he said it. Like when he said that Winona had receipts for her "purchases".....

I wish he'd just do what he SAYS he'll do... but I don't think he will simply because he CAN'T.