Missing
Peter Lewis Theriault
Theriault, approximately 1998
Date and time person was reported missing : 12/02/1998
Missing location (approx) :
Irvine, California
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 07/07/1947 (74)
Age at the time of disappearance: 51 years old
Height / Weight : 5'11, 170 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Gray hair, blue eyes.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Theriault was last seen in Irvine, California on December 2, 1998. He has never been heard from again. He left his money, credit cards and vehicle behind when he vanished.
His live-in girlfriend, Judy Valot, was convicted of second-degree murder in his case in August 2000, nearly two years after Theriault disappeared. His remains and the murder weapon have never been located.
Authorities presented several drops of blood found in Theriault's garAge at the time of disappearance: as the key pieces of physical evidence during Valot's trial. They argued that Valot killed Theriault because she believed he was having affairs with younger women.
Valot was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. In 2002, her conviction was overturned. She was tried again but the jury could not reach a verdict in the case. In June 2005, Valot was tried a third time and convicted of second-degree murder again.
Investigators believe that Theriault's body is buried in the Mojave Desert between Irvine in Orange County, California and Blythe in Riverside County, California. Searches of the locations have not produced evidence as to Theriault's whereabouts. He was employed as a maintenance worker at a Ford warehouse in 1998.
Other information and links : ncy
Irvine Police Department
949-724-7200
September 2021 updates and sources
California Attorney General's Office
The Long Beach Press-Telegram
The Orange County Register
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune
The Irvine World News
October 12, 2004. December 13, 2018; picture added.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
