What happened to Scott Peterson’s former mistress Amber Frey?

In 2002, Amber Frey thought she’d met the love of her life. Unbeknownst to her, her new partner Scott Peterson had been lying to her for the entirety of their short relationship, and he would end up in prison for two counts of murder. When the search for Scott’s pregnant wife Laci gained national attention and Amber realized Scott’s lies, she went to authorities to tell them everything she knew.

Amber met Scott on Nov. 20, 2002. She was a 27-year-old single mother then who had just graduated from massage school when a friend introduced her to Scott. In the Netflix documentary American Murder: Laci Peterson, Amber revealed that she and Scott had a good rapport. They had conversations over the phone and she learned that Scott was looking for “the one.” He said he was from Sacramento but traveled back and forth to Bakersfield for work, which was ideal for the two as Amber lived between the two locations in Rolling Hills.

As they got to know each other, Amber asked Scott whether he had been married or had any children, to which he answered no. He also said he was never interested in having children, but if their relationship progressed, Amber’s daughter was enough for him. Amber started falling in love with Scott, whom she described as funny, nice looking, and most importantly, good to her daughter. Amber had no idea that when they met, Scott had been married to Laci for five years, and they were expecting their first child.

How did Amber Frey discover Scott Peterson’s lies?

At one point, a person who worked for Scott bumped into one of Amber’s good friends and during their conversation, he mentioned that Scott was married. Amber’s friend immediately called Scott and told him to tell Amber, or else she would. On Dec. 9, Scott visited Amber and, while emotional, confessed that he had lied about being married. He said he lost his wife, and it was the first Christmas he would be spending without her. Amber held Scott while he cried and forgave him for lying. As for the details of how he “lost” his wife, Amber didn’t ask questions and figured Scott would tell her about it when he was ready.

A few weeks later, however, Amber was stunned to learn that Scott had lied to her again. A friend showed her a newspaper article about the search for Laci Peterson. “I was in shock. I was crying. I had no idea how long. I was just trembling, and I was like, ‘It is him,’” Amber said. Instead of confronting him, though, she called the Modesto Police Department on Dec. 30 to tell them what she knew and even supplied proof of their relationship. At that time, investigators were zeroing in on Scott as the one responsible for Laci’s disappearance.

The media hounded Amber Frey

Amber agreed to help authorities with their investigation, and she wore a wire during phone conversations with Scott. During one call, Scott told her that he was in Paris ringing in the New Year when in fact, he was at a candlelight vigil for his missing wife. Eventually, Amber was able to confront him about losing Laci, and Scott said, “I said that I lost my wife. I did, yes. There are different kinds of loss, Amber.”

In Jan. 2023, authorities told Laci’s family about Scott’s affair, and the public also learned about the information. Amber was hounded by reporters asking her whether she knew what happened to Laci and how long she had been having an affair with Scott. The public had speculations about Scott and Amber’s relationship, and the latter grew concerned after getting bombarded by reporters everywhere she went. Authorities allowed her to speak at a press conference on Jan. 24 to say her piece. 

Amber, while noticeably shaking, addressed the room and said she met Scott in November and he told her he was not married. “I am very sorry for Laci’s family and the pain that this has caused them. And I pray for her safe return as well,” she said. Amber finished her statement by asking for privacy. Laci’s family, as well as her close friends, were at the press conference, and they thanked Amber for being brave and coming forward. In April, the badly decomposed remains of a baby and a woman were discovered in the San Francisco Bay. They were identified as Laci and her baby, and Scott was arrested just days after.

She testified against Scott Peterson

At Scott’s trial in 2004, Amber served as the prosecution’s star witness. For several days, she told the court about how she met Scott until the time she discovered his wife was missing. Tapes of their recorded conversations were also played. “Amber came across as one of the most credible people you could ever hear testify,” her high-profile lawyer, Gloria Allred, stated. The prosecution argued that Scott killed his pregnant wife because he didn’t want to be a father and wanted to pursue a relationship with Amber. Scott Peterson was convicted of murdering Laci and their unborn son. He was sentenced to life in prison but maintains his innocence to this day.

Amber Frey’s life today

Amber wrote a book about her experience titled Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson, which was published in 2005. A year later, she married a police officer, but the couple divorced after two years. In 2015, she went on the TODAY show and said that some people still recognized her when she went out, but she doesn’t regret coming forward to reveal her relationship with Scott. As a mother, she wanted to do what she could to help a missing pregnant woman.

In 2022, Scott sought a new trial but was denied. Amber said that if it came to it, she would testify in a heartbeat. “If I were called to testify, I would give truthful testimony again, for the truth doesn’t change over time,” she told Fox News. Today, Amber still lives in California, raising her two children. She is an ambassador for Bucked Up, a company that sells supplements and fitness products, and often shares photos on social media about how she spends her time nowadays.