stephanie lazarus, p.o., police officer. as if her name had come up but not as a suspect. no notes of any conversation with her? >> no paper trail. >> she seemed to be someone above suspicion. stephanie eileenin southern california, a tomboy of soerths. loved -- of sorts. loved sports. she attended ucla where she played basketball. it was during her college days that she met and dated john ruetten, long before he and sherri got married. after graduating in 1982, lazarus surprised her family by joining the lapd. this when only a handful of women entered the force. >> i don't think i knew that she was applying. >> stephanie's brother, steven -- >> i was very proud of steph. i thought it was a cool thing. >> stephanie lazarus quickly rose through the ranks at the lapd. from patrol officer to detective. she was popular, friendly, and well regarded. her assignments also included project d.a.r.e., a drug prevention program aimed at kids. she was twice named detective of the year. later lazarus worked at internal affairs, investigating other officers accused of wrongdoing or corruption, and was then promoted to the lapd's art theft unit. her personal life was good, too. in 1996, lazarus got marrie