Tidal Expert Testifies in Peterson Trial

The bodies of Laci Peterson and her fetus were probably dumped in the San Francisco Bay near where her husband said he went fishing the day she disappeared.

That´s according to expert testimony today in the Scott Peterson murder trial.

But Ralph Cheng of the U-S Geological Survey said he couldn´t be absolutely certain about where the bodies went into the water, saying his theory was based on, quote, “highest probability.”

Cheng also said he couldn´t trace the path Laci´s body took once it went into the water.

But he said the tidal currents suggested the fetus´ body had probably been left somewhere between Brooks Island and the Berkeley Marina, where Scott Peterson launched his boat on December 24, 2002.

Prosecutors believe the fetus was expelled from Laci´s body as it lay on the bay floor. Defense attorneys say the baby was born alive after Laci disappeared.

Defense lawyers later attacked Cheng´s findings as, quote, “assumptions.”