FBI to assist with search for missing Illinois woman

CHICAGO -- The FBI will join the search for Stacy Peterson, the missing wife of a former suburban police sergeant, according to a Chicago-based spokesman for the federal agency.

The FBI's involvement comes at the request of the Illinois State Police, which is leading the investigation of the Bolingbrook mother's disappearance.

FBI spokesman Ross Rice said the agency has no reason to believe federal laws were broken, which would give it jurisdiction. But it has agreed to help, he said, just as it has with the ongoing investigation of another missing suburban woman: Lisa Stebic of Plainfield, who vanished April 30.

Charles Pelkie, a spokesman for the Will County state's attorney, said FBI investigators will be briefed by the state police on Monday. He said the FBI's involvement will add manpower to the investigation and provide technical assistance during water searches.

On Saturday, Illinois State Police also sought the public's help with two vehicles that belong to the Petersons, asking if anyone had seen them around the time Stacy Peterson was reported missing.

State Police said daily searches continue, including searches with an airplane that has a heat-seeking device. Investigators are also monitoring for transmissions from Stacy Peterson's cell phone, according to a statement from Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Luis Gutierrez.

It has been four weeks since the 23-year-old wife of Drew Peterson disappeared. The investigation into her disappearance caused prosecutors to look again at the 2004 death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio. Authorities have said her death may have been a homicide staged to look like an accidental drowning.

Savio's body was exhumed for a new autopsy. The state's attorney's office said it could be a couple weeks before investigators have results from tests on her remains.

Peterson, 53, has not been called a suspect in Savio's death, but authorities have said they suspect him in Stacy Peterson's disappearance. He denies any wrongdoing and has proclaimed his innocence on the "Today" show, "Good Morning America" and in the pages of People magazine.