Discussion of the New Lead in the Search for Stacy Peterson

[Leila]

This is thread 2 in the possible break in the search for Stacy Peterson.

 

[closeobserver]

I read in the following link that you can completely dissolve a body in acid in about 2 days (excluding the teeth which would be easy to remove).

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/717344.html

I've thought for a long time that D.P. may have dissolved Stacy's body (sorry to the family for stating my graphic theory). His 3 day head clearing trip fits this theory well. That gave him enough time to transport the body, dissolve it and bury the dissolved remains and chemicals.

The barrel may or may not even be part of the burial. Plus, it wouldn't require near as much a hole. The earth wouldnt' be disturbed like it would if you dug a grave. Could have just move some top soil, poured the slurry in, let it saturate, and refill the topsoil.

This also could explain the lack of urgency to dig. It is possible that they removed soil samples during the first day and are testing for chemicals and possibly DNA (I have no idea if DNA would survive).

Perhaps this is a whack theory, but it fits what I've felt all along. I sure hope I'm wrong!

 

[closeobserver]

I read in the following link that you can completely dissolve a body in acid in about 2 days (excluding the teeth which would be easy to remove).

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/717344.html

I've thought for a long time that D.P. may have dissolved Stacy's body (sorry to the family for stating my graphic theory). His 3 day head clearing trip fits this theory well. That gave him enough time to transport the body, dissolve it and bury the dissolved remains and chemicals.

The barrel may or may not even be part of the burial. Plus, it wouldn't require near as much a hole. The earth wouldnt' be disturbed like it would if you dug a grave. Could have just move some top soil, poured the slurry in, let it saturate, and refill the topsoil.

This also could explain the lack of urgency to dig. It is possible that they removed soil samples during the first day and are testing for chemicals and possibly DNA (I have no idea if DNA would survive).

Perhaps this is a whack theory, but it fits what I've felt all along. I sure hope I'm wrong!

oh ya, for cya reasons, those are just my opinions.

 

[Leila]

I read in the following link that you can completely dissolve a body in acid in about 2 days (excluding the teeth which would be easy to remove).

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/717344.html

I've thought for a long time that D.P. may have dissolved Stacy's body (sorry to the family for stating my graphic theory). His 3 day head clearing trip fits this theory well. That gave him enough time to transport the body, dissolve it and bury the dissolved remains and chemicals.

The barrel may or may not even be part of the burial. Plus, it wouldn't require near as much a hole. The earth wouldnt' be disturbed like it would if you dug a grave. Could have just move some top soil, poured the slurry in, let it saturate, and refill the topsoil.

This also could explain the lack of urgency to dig. It is possible that they removed soil samples during the first day and are testing for chemicals and possibly DNA (I have no idea if DNA would survive).

Perhaps this is a whack theory, but it fits what I've felt all along. I sure hope I'm wrong!

It all fits...............the 3-day head clearing trip, the metal barrel as opposed to a plastic one, and possibly even why DP wore that bandana when he came back from the trip.

Like you, I have no idea if a person's DNA would survive being dissolved in acid.

If the informant was able to lead LE to the grave site, that suggests the informant was with DP when he disposed of Stacy. I suspect that LE knows more from the informant about how Stacy was killed and disposed of. It could explain why they removed only the surface soil. Perhaps they're going to analyze that for chemical. It could also explain the delay in getting back to the area to search............maybe they're waiting for test results?

 

[passionflower]

IIRC Tom M (half brother) said container was 'warm' to touch.............
and that barrel IIRC SP sister said it had pool chemicals in it then disappeared.

 

[carbuff]

I don't know about DNA, but some pieces remain:

"LONDON — Dr. Keith Simpson, 78, a pathologist who once proved a murder on the basis of two gallstones, died Sunday. His evidence led to the 1949 conviction and execution of John Haigh, ''the acid bath murderer,'' when he found two gallstones, all that remained of a wealthy widow whose body Haigh had dissolved in sulfuric acid. Simpson's autobiography Forty Years of Murder was a best seller."

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1985-07-24/news/0310420139_1_john-haigh-gallstones-sulfuric-acid

 

[closeobserver]

I don't know about DNA, but some pieces remain:

"LONDON — Dr. Keith Simpson, 78, a pathologist who once proved a murder on the basis of two gallstones, died Sunday. His evidence led to the 1949 conviction and execution of John Haigh, ''the acid bath murderer,'' when he found two gallstones, all that remained of a wealthy widow whose body Haigh had dissolved in sulfuric acid. Simpson's autobiography Forty Years of Murder was a best seller."

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1985-07-24/news/0310420139_1_john-haigh-gallstones-sulfuric-acid

Unfortunately at Stacy's young age, not likely to have gallstones, though.

 

[PorcineGranny]

I'm not positive, but didn't pieces remain of bodies that Jeffrey Dahmer was trying to dissolve?

I hate to think of this but it may be why he is so smug now, he thinks no one will find anything and that maybe true, but we all know there is one that does know and he will face him one day.

 

[carbuff]

Gallstones and kidney stones begin to form many years before they become a problem -- so even quite young people can have tiny stones. Anything ceramic, plastic, or some metals might survive -- fillings, caps, that kind of thing. If she was wearing something like fake fingernails, those might come through.

It partly depends on what kind of acid was used. And how much stirring he did. (oh, ick.)

 

[closeobserver]

Gallstones and kidney stones begin to form many years before they become a problem -- so even quite young people can have tiny stones. Anything ceramic, plastic, or some metals might survive -- fillings, caps, that kind of thing. If she was wearing something like fake fingernails, those might come through.

It partly depends on what kind of acid was used. And how much stirring he did. (oh, ick.)

The cynical side of me says he was working on his contingency plan for years. As psychopaths go, I'm pretty sure he would have thought of everything, including teeth, etc.

But what he didn't plan on is being in prison while his accompliss grew a conscience. In prison, he can't "control" or "make to disappear" another potential threat to his freedom.

I believe that with evidence of "a" body, or chemicals used to get rid of a body, plus eye witness testimony from an accompliss, plus all the other circumstantial evidence, it would be enough to convict.

Let's hope there is something found here at this site.

JMO

 

[passionflower]

Gallstones and kidney stones begin to form many years before they become a problem -- so even quite young people can have tiny stones. Anything ceramic, plastic, or some metals might survive -- fillings, caps, that kind of thing. If she was wearing something like fake fingernails, those might come through.

It partly depends on what kind of acid was used. And how much stirring he did. (oh, ick.)

so maybe dental fillings, a piece of jewery, breast implants??
Let's hope he did a lousy job and something shows up!!!

 

[closeobserver]

so maybe dental fillings, a piece of jewery, breast implants??
Let's hope he did a lousy job and something shows up!!!

Not sure what happened to all the areal views, but I believe the "burial" site was near a creek or river.

If the theory is correct about dissolving the body and pouring the remains in a shallow area just inches below the surface, any floods over the past three years could have washed away all the evidence. I just don't like the way this guy thinks.

jmo

 

[carbuff]

He seems to be a very thorough psychopath, for sure, but he's also arrogant and overconfident. Technology has improved greatly, too. Modern DNA replication techniques might be able to identify her from very tiny amounts left in the ground. *crosses fingers* At least I hope so. raying:

 

[Leila]

IIRC Tom M (half brother) said container was 'warm' to touch.............
and that barrel IIRC SP sister said it had pool chemicals in it then disappeared.

I remember that LE or someone traced the barrel of pool chemicals to a particular store, who had record (I think) of selling the barrel of chemicals to DP, or the clerk remembered him buying the chemicals. I remember someone being interviewed about this.

Pool chemicals are muriatic acid, which is actually hydrochloric acid. It's used in keeping pool water clean, but is also used for cleaning masonry, metals, etc. I've done a brief search, but don't know if pool chemicals would dissolve a body.

 

[Peculiar Petunia]

I remember that LE or someone traced the barrel of pool chemicals to a particular store, who had record (I think) of selling the barrel of chemicals to DP, or the clerk remembered him buying the chemicals. I remember someone being interviewed about this.

Pool chemicals are muriatic acid, which is actually hydrochloric acid. It's used in keeping pool water clean, but is also used for cleaning masonry, metals, etc. I've done a brief search, but don't know if pool chemicals would dissolve a body.

Muriatic acid is very dilute compared to lab grade hydrochloric acid. Wouldn't do much to a body, but would dissolve a metal barrel. Sodium hydroxide, in contrast, would work better, and the barrel would be warm. It would corrode a metal barrel. Sodium hypochlorite would dissolve a body, and a metal barrel, but the fumes would be pretty toxic. Calcium hypochlorite--don't know for sure, except it would corrode metal.

I don't think a metal barrel is compatible with using acids or alkali to dissolve poor Stacy. Burial, yes.

Ick.

 

[carbuff]

What Wikipedia has to say about dissolving (not for the faint of heart or stomach) with sodium hydroxide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide#Tissue_digestion

It doesn't sound like it would be hard to get hold of.

 

[closeobserver]

Muriatic acid is very dilute compared to lab grade hydrochloric acid. Wouldn't do much to a body, but would dissolve a metal barrel. Sodium hydroxide, in contrast, would work better, and the barrel would be warm. It would corrode a metal barrel. Sodium hypochlorite would dissolve a body, and a metal barrel, but the fumes would be pretty toxic. Calcium hypochlorite--don't know for sure, except it would corrode metal.

I don't think a metal barrel is compatible with using acids or alkali to dissolve poor Stacy. Burial, yes.

Ick.

bbm.....To be clear, I don't think any chemicals would have been added to the barrel before it was moved from D.P.'s house. It would make the barrel too heavy and the fumes would have been over-powering. The barrel being warm to the touch would be the case just from having a "just deceased" body inside.

jmo

 

[Peculiar Petunia]

What Wikipedia has to say about dissolving (not for the faint of heart or stomach) with sodium hydroxide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide#Tissue_digestion

It doesn't sound like it would be hard to get hold of.

It's not hard at all, which is very scary considering how difficult it is to handle safely. People are terrified of acids (rightfully so, for most), but sodium hydroxide is the gift that keeps on giving. It can burn you to the bone.
A nice handy box of baking soda can help neutralize an acid spill, but vinegar doesn't help much for sodium hydroxide.

 

[Carolina Girl]

Oh my.

 

[Leila]

Muriatic acid is very dilute compared to lab grade hydrochloric acid. Wouldn't do much to a body, but would dissolve a metal barrel. Sodium hydroxide, in contrast, would work better, and the barrel would be warm. It would corrode a metal barrel. Sodium hypochlorite would dissolve a body, and a metal barrel, but the fumes would be pretty toxic. Calcium hypochlorite--don't know for sure, except it would corrode metal.

I don't think a metal barrel is compatible with using acids or alkali to dissolve poor Stacy. Burial, yes.

Ick.

Thanks Peculiar Petunia! Tom Morphey stated that he helped DP carry a plastic container or barrel from the upstairs master bedroom to DP's vehicle. He described the plastic container as being warm to the touch. Would any of the chemicals you've mentioned be used in a plastic container? Would they melt/dissolve plastic?

I'm trying to figure out what would make a plastic container warm to the touch. Was it a chemical of some sort? Or was Stacy still alive but unconscious?