they did a grid search, meaning they would ve they would ve been in eye contact and walked this whole area. reporter: brocchini and his partner jon buehler had a feeling from the start, laci peterson missing wasn t going to end well. because she didn t lead an at-risk lifestyle. she didn t hang around at the bars. and she wasn t out two-timing him or doing anything like that. i mean, she was a girl that was just ecstatic, from everything that i learned about her of being a mother. reporter: so she wasn t someone who would just walk away, and yet in the anxiety, hope. an idea formed in the minds of those who loved laci, that somehow this might turn out all right. we know we re going to find laci. we know we re going to bring her home alive and safe. we were gonna find her. like, i thought somebody kidnapped her. that s what i thought, just for the baby or something. reporter: here s lori, renee and stacey along with another friend in january of 2003.