With Stacy Peterson Still Missing 14 Years Later, Her Sister-In-Law Is Standing Up For Abuse Victims
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The search is not over for missing Bolingbrook mother Stacy Peterson, nearly 14 years after her disappearance.
In the years since, her husband Drew Peterson went to prison, her children grew up without their mother, and the Peterson family is fractured.
His sister-in-law believes Drew is the reason Stacy is missing, and she sat down with CBS 2's Marie Saavedra to share how she's channeling that grief.
The family dynamics here are delicate. But for this part of the Peterson family, the hope that Stacy will be found is strong as ever – as is their dedication to helping other women caught in abuse.
"We loved Stacy and we miss her, and we want her home," said Norma Peterson.
In eight days, Norma Peterson will mark another anniversary in the case. Stacy Peterson was 23 when she vanished on Oct. 28, 2007.
"We are coming up to 14 years, and still don't feel like we have much more in terms of answers than we did quite a few years ago," Norma Peterson said.
Norma married into a family that would find themselves at the center of a high-profile murder mystery. Her husband is the brother of Drew Peterson, who sits in prison for killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio.
Drew Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant, is still a person of interest in fourth wife Stacy's disappearance. And it is with those women's families that Norma and her husband's loyalties lie.
"Drew, I believe, is where he belongs," said Norma Peterson.
Yet still more than a decade later, her heart jumps on days like Tuesday, when authorities searched for Stacy in Lockport.
"As soon as we heard that there was a search, right away you go through a lot of emotions - like maybe this time," Norma said. "Maybe this time she gets to come home."
Authorities found nothing Tuesday. But in the agonizing wait, Norma has found new purpose.
She is the executive director of Document the Abuse, an organization that created the Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit. It provides a single digital place for things like letters or medical records noting abuse, that can be notarized.
Such an action keeps them from being ruled as hearsay in court, which was an issue in Savio's case.
"Kathleen Would have had this in an affidavit form, her family would've been able to come forward when this happened - and Stacy might still be here," Norma said.
It is too late for both of those women, whom Norma loved. So she works for women just like them, now, with the hope of creating a different ending.
"It's a way for me to honor them, and in a way that I couldn't help them then while they were here," Norma said. "Then at least their children will have the legacy of knowing their mother's made a difference."
It was while authorities were investigating Stacy's case that they also reopened the investigation into Savio's death.
Savio's body was found in a dry bathtub in 2004. Her death was originally ruled an accidental drowning, but was reclassified as a homicide following a new autopsy when Stacy Peterson disappeared three years later.
In 2013, Peterson was sentenced to 38 years in prison for Savio's murder. While in prison for that crime, he was convicted of trying to hire a fellow inmate to kill Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, and was sentenced to an additional 40 years in prison.
The Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit from Document the Abuse can be found here.
In the meantime, Norma Peterson is hopeful there will be more searches for Stacy like the one Tuesday - and soon.
