Hi SadieJane, I am so glad that you are interested in this case. Peter is my little brother and we have had no leads for a long time. The leads we did have were weak, and have not produced any answers. There are some inconsistencies in the description of Peter and circumstances of his disappearance that you described- that I'd like to clarify:
His wallet was discovered after his disappearance, but his identification cards were missing.
His ID was not missing. In fact, his driver's license arrived in the mail two weeks after he disappeared.
My Dad and I interviewed the bus driver (the 43 bus) who claimed to have seen Peter. The driver said he saw Peter get on the bus on Solano avenue, where he asked for directions to get to Montclair and, asked the time (so he was not wearing a watch). He said Peter got off the 43 in downtown Berkeley to get on another bus to transfer to Montclair (the 51). The bus driver then said he saw Peter in Montclair later that day, while the bus driver was on a lunch break. He said Peter was with a clean cut, caucasian boy with an English accent, and that Peter approached the bus driver to ask for "change" which he did not give him. The coincidence of this astounds me and I have wondered if the bus driver made that part up, hoping for a reward (especially since my Dad has an Australian accent). The bus driver later met with a police sketch artist to make a sketch of the companion who was supposedly with Peter when he saw him in Montclair. There is absolutely no reason I can think of why Peter would go to Montclair unless there was a pre-arranged meeting. There is nothing of interest there and it is obvious he had not taken the bus there before. He had no friends there or other connections.
The other important detail is that the bus driver said Peter was talking with a girl with red-streaked hair when he was on the 43, just before he got off. The girl was confirmed to be Nichole Zotti, another high school student from Berkeley High, who knew Peter, but not well. She also was missing that day, for a few days, but her parents tracked her down in Southern California. There was no connection made between her disappearance that day and Peter's. However, another odd coincidence.
Besides these sightings the day of his disappearance, we have had very little to go on. No contact from Peter whatsoever.
Peter was a loving brother and son, responsible, smart, strong, mature in many ways. He was not at odds with my parents, and there was no argument or apparent strain between them beyond that of normal teen age independence. The idea that he would run away and NEVER contact us again is inconceivable to me. This has been so painful for the family, and there is never closure.
I WELCOME any and every body's help in taking up this cold case, thinking outside the box, looking at every angle. I'm so glad to have found this forum. I have more details I could provide about his disappearance if you have questions.
Thanks
Rebecca McColl