Kriti Mehrotra
It was December 2002 when Laci Peterson disappeared from her Modesto, California, home without a trace left behind, leaving her entire family shaken to the very core. However, as explored in Netflix’s ‘American Murder: Laci Peterson,’ while many wholeheartedly believed she would soon return, things started taking a turn a week into the matter as suspicion about her husband, Scott Peterson, grew. Nevertheless, there were some, like Laci’s loving stepdad, Ronald “Ron” Frank Grantski, who initially believed in his innocence, only for the evidence to gradually come to light to change his mind.
Ron Grantski Was Laci’s Father in Every Sense of the Term
It was in the late 1970s that Ron Grantski came into a 2-and-a-half-year-old Laci’s life as he began dating her mother, Sharon Rocha, only for them to gradually build such a great bond they were like father-daughter. The truth is Laci’s biological father, Dennis Rocha, was still in the picture, but because of how maturely all adults were able to handle their intricate connections and new relationships, Laci and her elder brother, Brent Rocha, had two full-fledged families. On one hand, they had their mother, Ron, and stepbrother, Darrin Grantski, and on the other, they had their father, his new wife, half-sister Amy Rocha Woodard, and stepbrother Nathan Hazard.
More importantly, it’s imperative to note that Laci thought of Ron as her second dad and nothing less. Therefore, of course, when Laci suddenly disappeared, all family members were at the forefront, doing everything in their power to find her, with Ron going as far as to give countless interviews with Sharon by his side. As if that’s not enough when news about his son-in-law Scott Peterson’s affair with Amber Frey came to light, he was with the family’s decision to retract their support of him – he actually stood right behind his wife as she announced their decision to the world via a press conference. From handing out flyers to keeping in touch with officials for updates and then to ultimately testifying against Scott during his trial for the murder of his then 8-month pregnant wife and their unborn child, he did it all.
Ron Grantski Was a Veteran and a Devoted Family Man
Although born in St. Louis, Missouri, Ron grew up in Nebraska during some of his formative years before his family chose to head west to settle down in Sacramento, California, for good. It’s from here that he completed his schooling before enrolling in the US Navy, where he eventually rose to the post of senior intelligence technician. According to reports, in 1967, he was injured during an attack by Israeli warplanes and torpedo boats while his spy vessel was in the Mediterranean Sea. He actually endured napalm-singed hands as well as shrapnel in his backside, for which he was even awarded a Purple Heart.
Some reports claim Ron never came into the limelight at the time despite everything he did for the nation and survived as international politics kept this incident largely at bay. He didn’t seem to mind it, especially as he came across Sharon Rocha and her two kids a short while later, only to then establish a family with them – one that often went on fishing trips as well as horse races as he’d developed an interest in them. That’s just part of the reason he didn’t believe his Scott’s alibi – if Scott did indeed go fishing on the morning Laci disappeared, why had he not told anyone in advance that he’d bought a boat or about his plans when the activity was often a topic of conversation.
Ron Grantski Died in 2018
Since Scott Peterson was found guilty of murdering his wife and unborn child in 2004, for which he was sentenced to death, Ron was frustrated by the time 2016 rolled around and justice still hadn’t been served. “We don’t believe in random killing, but some people deserve to die,” he candidly stated during an interview. “He’ll probably be there long after I’m gone,” and he was right. While Ron sadly passed away in his sleep on April 8, 2018, at the age of 71, Scott’s death penalty was overturned to life in prison without the possibility of parole following an appeal in 2021. As for Ron’s demise, he actually passed after a lengthy spell of ill health, with his last words to his wife the evening before being: “‘I’m so tired; I just want to go to sleep.” We should mention that he is now buried next to Laci Peterson and her son, Conner Peterson.
Read More: Susan Caudillo: Where is Scott Peterson’s Sister Now?
