Police say remains not Peterson, Stebic

JOLIET, Ill., May 28 (UPI) -- Illinois state police say the human remains found along the Des Plaines River were not those of missing persons Stacy Peterson or Lisa Stebic.

State police said Wednesday forensic testing determined the remains found in Channahon Township, Ill., belonged to an unidentified male, the Joliet (Ill.) Herald-News reported Thursday.

The mother of Stebic, who has been missing since April 2007, said the discovery of the remains last week dredged up the family's fears for Stebic.

"It's putting us through, again, all of the additional agony and the yearning to find her. It's excruciating, and it intensifies it," said Judy Ruttenberg, whose daughter lived in Plainfield, Ill. "The anticipation is just heart-wrenching. Not knowing is worse than knowing."

A spokeswoman for the family of Stacy Peterson, who went missing in October 2007, said the DNA results on the remains were disheartening for family members.

"We still need the closure -- and we' re not getting it," spokeswoman Pamela Bosco told the Herald-News.