Man called before grand jury investigating death of former police officer's third wife

JOLIET, Ill. -- Authorities searching for a former police officer's wife plan to question a man who says he was there when the officer first saw the body of his previous wife, the man said Friday.

Steve Carcerano, a friend of Kathleen Savio's ex-husband Drew Peterson, said he was called by a grand jury looking into Savio's death and is to testify next week. Illinois State Police have said Peterson's brother, Paul, also was subpoenaed by a grand jury.

Investigators initially said Savio's death was an accidental drowning when she was found in the bathtub three years ago. But now, with Peterson's fourth wife missing for more than two weeks, authorities are re-examining the circumstances of Savio's death.

Her body was exhumed this week at the request of Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, who has said after examining evidence he believes her death was a homicide staged to look like an accident.

When Peterson first saw Savio's body, he was obviously surprised and distraught, Carcerano said.

"He checked her pulse right away to see if she was dead or alive. Then he was, 'Oh my god, what am I gonna tell my kids? What am I gonna tell my kids?"' Carcerano said.

Peterson, 53, who resigned this week as a Bolingbrook police sergeant, has not been named a suspect in Savio's death. But he is a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth and current wife, Stacy, who was last seen Oct. 28 and whose case authorities have called a possible homicide.

Drew Peterson has an unlisted number. He has denied any involvement in either case and said he believes his 23-year-old wife left him for another man and is alive.

Vicki Connolly, Peterson's second wife, told the Chicago Tribune that during their marriage an increasingly controlling Peterson hit her and told her he could kill her and make it look like an accident.

Connolly told the Tribune she did not believe Peterson would ever kill her, but confided in Bolingbrook police officers whom she considered friends.

"So they would know he said these things to me," Connolly told the Tribune.

The husband of Peterson's first wife told WGN-TV on Wednesday his wife hasn't talked to Peterson in more than 10 years. But he said his wife never has mentioned Peterson being violent or threatening.

"She didn't have any of that kind of problem with him that long ago," said Dave Brown.

Documents released by Savio's family show she had accused Peterson of once stealing her car while she was in church with one of her children. According to one letter the family said was sent to Will County prosecutors in November 2002, she also accused Peterson of beating her a number of times so severely she "ended up in the emergency room."

She also described in the letter one time she believed he would kill her: "He pulled out his knife that he kept around his leg and brought it to my neck."

Charles Pelkie, a spokesman for the Will County State's Attorney's Office, said it remains unclear if that letter ever came to the office. He said it was not in the files Glasgow read when he began reinvestigating Savio's drowning.

But many allegations in the letter are consistent with those Savio made in an order of protection filed against Drew Peterson in 2002, as well as accounts given by her family members.

Carcerano said he never once saw Peterson strike or shout at his wife in anger, though he said he saw Savio attack Peterson.

"I've seen her slap him in the face right in front of me, seen her spit in his face and chasing him around with an extension cord, hitting him with it," Carcerano said.

Attorney Fred Morelli, who once represented Peterson, said he never heard the knife claims about his former client.

"That's the first I've heard of that," Morelli said. "That's crazy. ... [Peterson] was a very pleasant, personable fellow. Other than that, I don't know."