Body of [One] Missing Woman Found

By Laura Oppenheimer in News on Oct 31, 2007 3:00PM

We were hoping this story would have a happy ending but weren't too surprised to wake up this morning to find out it didn't. Alma Mendez had been missing since Sunday afternoon; her body was found yesterday at 2 p.m. in the river next to her jogging path; her throat was slashed. Mendez, a mother of three, had recently separated from her husband. He, along with other with other family members, was interviewed about the case on Monday, but hasn't been named a suspect.

Unfortunately, there isn't much updated news about Chicagoland's other missing woman in a jogging suit, 23-year-old Stacy Ann Peterson, although her disappearance has prompted authorities to take a second look at the death of her husband's third wife, Kathleen Savio (Stacy Ann is the fourth). You will remember that Savio was found dead in a bathtub, with investigators calling it an accidental drowning, even though there wasn't any water in the tub. Courtesy of the Sun-Times and their very tasteful headline, we learn that 51-year-old husband Drew Peterson, met Stacy and had an affair with her when he was still married to Savio. And, as it turns out, also used to beat Savio and once held a knife to her throat. We are loathe to jump to conclusions, but today, we're inclined to give the Sun-Times a pass on their sensationalist style: This guy sounds like bad news.

Peterson is described as a 5-foot-2-inches, 100 pound, white female with brown hair and eyes. She was last seen wearing a red jogging suit. Anyone with information should call Illinois State Police (Joliet District) at (815) 726-6377.