Butler County father suspected in wife's murder, son's abduction

GREENE - An Amber Alert has been cancelled for an infant boy out of Butler County after authorities say he was abducted by his father following the murder of his mother.

An Iowa man was arrested in South Dakota after his wife was found dead in their home, and their two year-old son went missing for hours.

Law enforcement in South Dakota took Thomas J. Petersen, 39, the boys father, into custody at 8:20 a.m. Sunday. Officers used a Taser to subdue him. He is currently being held at a jail in Jackson County, South Dakota.

Investigators say Petersen is a suspect in his wife's murder, but they're not saying what kind, if any, charges he faces.

An Amber Alert had been issued for the Peterson's son Jacob at 12:40 a.m. this morning. Authorities say that's about the time his mother's body was found.

The missing child, Jacob D. Petersen, 2, was found unharmed and safely recovered.

Neighbors tell SourceMedia Group the couple moved to Greene two years ago.  Neighbor Vickie Holm says the events she watched unfold at the Petersen's home Saturday night seemed surreal.

“Very unbelievable.  I never would have dreamt,” Holm said.  “It's not like a bigger city where you can't even trust your kids to be outside, because you can, or I thought you could.”

Deputies say they discovered Judy Renee Petersen, 36, dead inside the house – her two-year-old son Jacob and husband 39-year-old Thomas Peterson missing.

Butler County authorities say the boys mother, Judy R. Petersen, 36, was murdered Saturday around 9 p.m. at the family home in Greene. Authorities say Thomas Petersen is a suspect in that murder.

An Amber alert for the little boy helped deputies track down the father and toddler in a red pick-up truck, not in Iowa, but 500 miles away in small Philip, South Dakota. South Dakota authorities encountered Thomas Petersen five miles south of Phillips, S.D., on state Highway 73. Investigators there reported tasing Petersen before him into custody.

“I can tell you that it was an investigation that lasted through the night,” Butler County Sheriff Jason Johnson told reporters Sunday.  “All groups worked together and got the suspect stopped who we believe is likely to be the one who committed the crime, and more importantly, we got the two and a half year-old that was missing and he's in fine condition.”

Back in Greene, a sign at the doctor's office where we're told the victim worked says the office will stay closed through Monday.  Neighbor Vickie Holm says she can't believe the young mother is dead.

“When it was nice out her and the baby would walk by with the stroller and we would say hi to each other,” Holm said.  “She seemed like a very nice pleasant lady, it's just really sad.”

People in town say Renee Petersen had at least two other children, a teenage son and young daughter.

Editor's Note: It was a judgment call on the part of the editor to keep comments up on this story yesterday. However, after reviewing them this morning, the current editor has decided to remove all comments based on the number of personal attacks, assumptions made and non-constructive tone of the conversation.