Drew Peterson Has Unclaimed Money Waiting With State Treasurer

By Joseph Hosey

Drew Peterson killed his third wife before she could get her share in their divorce, and now he's in the clear to collect a check made out to the two of them and waiting to be claimed from the state treasurer's office.

The cashier's check for Peterson and his third wife, Kathleen Savio, is listed on the Illinois State Treasurer's I-Cash program database. The check is from West Suburban Bank and is for between $10 and $100.

Savio is listed as the co-owner of the funds but won't be able to claim any of them as she was found drowned in a dry bathtub in March 2004. She and Peterson were in the midst of a contentious divorce at the time of her death and she was poised to claim her substantial share of their marital assets.

Despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding Savio's passing, the Illinois State Police quickly determined she was the victim of a freak bathtub accident and effectively closed her case. The state police were forced to open it up again when Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, mysteriously vanished in October 2007.

Peterson was charged with Savio's murder in May 2009 and found guilty by a jury in September 2012. He is serving a 38-year prison sentence in Downstate Menard Correctional Center.

Stacy Peterson remains missing. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with her disappearance.

Melissa Hahn, the spokeswoman for Treasurer Dan Rutherford's office, said when two names are listed on unclaimed property and one of the individuals is dead, the other can make a claim. The survivor must provide proof of identity and proof the other owner is deceased, Hahn said.

A statement released by the treasurer's office said one in eight Illionois residents has assets listed in the I-Cash unclaimed property database. These assets "include everything from stocks and CDs, to safe deposit boxes and valuables," according to the treasurer's office.

Money or assets separated from their owner for at least five years are considered unclaimed. The treasurers office listed such examples as unpaid wages or commissions, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, money orders, bill overpayments, paid-up life insurance policies, and safe deposit box contents.

Stacy Peterson does not have any unclaimed assets listed on the treasurer's office database, but her father, Anthony Cales, and missing mother, Christie Cales, have more than $100 in "other amounts due" from American States Insurance Company.

If Drew Peterson does collect his check, it will augment the more than $6,000 per month he receives in pension from his time as a Bolingbrook police officer.

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