Stacy Peterson's stop. I suppose I can assume everyone has heard her story, but we all know where assumptions get us. Another thing, I don't know if anyone has noticed but I purposely try not to name perpetrators here, this is a forum for victims and their families. If anyone needs more information than I'm giving feel free to look it up. Now back to Stacy.
Stacy was a 23 year old mother when she went missing in 2007. Her husband says he last saw her leaving to meet friends but she never arrived. Her husband also states he spoke to her that night but that is unconfirmed. Stacy's car was found abandoned at a nearby airport with her husband stating that she told him she left it there, he also says he believes that she left him for another man. Stacy's loved ones maintain that she would never abandon her young children, that Stacy had said that her husband was abusive and controlling and that she planned to divorce him. One of Stacy's neighbors reported seeing her husband with another man carrying a large container (that was found missing from their home) around the time Stacy went missing. Stacy's husband's stepbrother has come forward to say he helped move this container and now believes Stacy may have been inside. Stacy's husband was eventually named a suspect in her disappearance and now presumed homicide. After Stacy went missing an investigation ensued over the death of her husband's third wife (Stacy being his fourth). It was originally ruled an accident and after exhuming her body the cause of death was changed to murder. Stacy's husband was arrested for his third wife's death in 2009 and he was convicted in 2012.
Let's now pause for a second and remember that Stacy is still missing. That her family suffers daily, that her children are growing up without a mother. When a conviction occurs people tend to feel justice has been served but there can be no moving forward without locating the missing person.
There are positives that have come out of this case. Positives... Positives yet she is still missing. The positives point to the perseverance of her family and to the law and possibly the corrections of flaws within it. A law was passed in Illinois in 2008 that allows hearsay evidence if prosecutors believe that the victim was killed to prevent his or her testimony. This law allowed witnesses to recount Stacy's statements about her husband's involvement in his third wife's murder, and her concerns that this same fate may be hers. In addition to this important piece of legislation we now have the Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit (EAA), or the Evidentiary Affidavit of Abuse, which I learned at this rally stop was created in response to the disappearance of Stacy Peterson.
I first heard Susan Milano Murphy speak about the EAA a few years ago, and I have to say that I didn't really understand it at the time. I got the premise but I guess I never understood the importance till now. The goal, I believe, is to eliminate hearsay by giving victims of domestic abuse a way to ensure that their words about what has happened in the past or their fears of what may happen in the future will not disappear if they do, or if something happens to them. By creating an EAA you can document your history, injuries, scars, and threats made towards you. It can also be used in place of a will to ensure what should happen to children in the event of death, disappearance and or injury.
It was only an 8 minute ride from the park so we went for dinner, since we had another long driving night ahead of us. The rally stop was inside the Aquatic Center and and was hosted by Stacy Peterson's family. Some of the families from the park came along to this vigil as well. Stacy's family was well represented including some of its newest members that Stacy never got to meet. Along with speeches from family and Monica there was a speaker on domestic violence. A poem was out which said in part...I know you are missing, but I refuse to consider you gone, you are out there somewhere and your memory lives on... I suppose at this point you are at peace, if I could only find you my pain could cease... May your spirit be strong, long enough to succeed in punishing the people that caused your life to end because of greed.
Elisa
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