The Truth About Laci Peterson's Parents

It was the case that shocked the world. On Christmas Eve 2002, Laci Peterson — 8 months pregnant with her son Conner — went missing. Months later, in April 2003, her and Conner's remains were discovered in the San Francisco Bay, ABC News reported. 

According to Rolling Stone, on December 23, 2002, Laci stopped by the salon where her half-sister Amy worked at so her husband Scott Peterson could get his routine hair cut. Later the same evening, Laci also spoke to her mom Sharon Rocha on the phone. The two had plans to get together the following day for a Christmas Eve dinner — tragically, Amy and Shonda had no idea that would be the very last time they would hear Laci's voice. The next day, on the eve of Christmas, CBS News reported that the 27-year-old completely vanished from her home in Modesto, California without warning. 

According to the New York Post, Scott told police he last saw his wife in the house preparing to take their dog McKenzie for a walk before he left to go fishing at Berkeley Marina, 90 miles away from their home. However, it wasn't until around 5 p.m. that he decided to call his in-laws to alert them that Laci had yet to return home. Her stepfather Ron Grantski immediately reported her missing and the story quickly gained nationwide attention. 

After a community-wide search that attracted the masses, four months later, on April 13, 2003, Laci and Conner's remains washed up on the shore of San Francisco Bay. Laci's family members continue to endure the pain almost two decades later.

Sharon and Dennis Rocha were high school sweethearts. They welcomed their first-born, Brent, in 1971, and four years later, welcomed to daughter Laci on May 4, 1975. 

Per The Cinemaholic, when Laci was just 2 years old, her parents separated and she moved to Modesto with her mom. Despite the breakup, Dennis (pictured above) and his daughter continued to have a great relationship. Laci also developed a tight bond with her stepfather Ron Grantski — her mother's new husband — who also helped raise her. The trio all had a common love for their daughter, which is why her disappearance and murder turned their worlds upside down.

"You wake up from most nightmares, and they're over. Mine was different. I was awake when it started, and I've barely slept since," Sharon told ABC News in September 2017. Laci's parents — Sharon, Dennis, and Ron — all endured an emotional trial, and  in 2005, a jury convicted Scott Peterson of the murders of his wife and unborn son. He was sentenced to death. 

In April 2018, Ron — Laci's beloved stepfather — died in his sleep at the age of 71, according to the Modesto Bee. In December of the same year, Dennis — Laci's biological father — also passed away in his sleep at the age of 72, per Legacy.com. And now, particularly in the wake of the latest update on the Peterson case, Laci's mother and siblings are keeping her memory alive.

For almost two decades, Laci Peterson's family has suffered such grave loss, especially with the passing of both Ron Grantski and Dennis Rocha after Laci's death. And, now, the family feels that the justice for the murder of Laci and Conner has been ripped to shreds. According to People, Scott Peterson — who was originally sentenced to death by lethal injection — had his death sentence reversed in 2020, due to problems with jury selection. He's served 15 years on death row so far, and was just re-sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife Laci and his unborn son Conner.

Sharon Rocha, Brent Rocha, and Amy Rocha all appeared before court and had a lot to unpack. "Nineteen years, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about my sister," said Amy (via The Blast). Laci's mother Sharon didn't hold back, either, telling Scott directly: "Two things will never change: Laci and Conner will always be dead and you will always be their murderer." Brent also shared a few words. "There are no words able to express the pain associated with not being able to experience life together," he declared.