The Staircase: Where is Michael Peterson's family now? Current whereabouts explored

The American miniseries The Staircase features Colin Firth and Toni Collette as the leading stars. Released on HBO Max on May 5, 2022, the show is based on Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's 2004 true crime docuseries of the same name. The eight-episode show chronicles the story of Michael Peterson who was convicted of his then-wife Kathleen Peterson's murder.

For the unversed, Kathleen was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in their home. As the legal battle continued, Michael was eventually found not guilty of killing his wife and released from prison.

As of 2023, Attorney at Law Magazine reported that Michael lives in a two-bedroom condo (without stairs) in Durham, North Carolina. As for his family members, they are all scattered in different parts of the United States.

While Michael's oldest son Clayton Peterson resides in Maryland, his second child Todd Peterson lives in Tennessee. Margaret and Martha Ratliff, Michael's adopted kids, reside in California and Colorado respectively. Caitlin Atwater, Michael's stepdaughter and Kathleen's daughter from a previous marriage, is settled in Virginia.

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Current whereabouts of The Staircase's Michael Peterson's family explored

As explored in HBO Max's The Staircase, Michael Peterson's family is not a conventional one. It is a blended family, comprising children from past relationships as well as adopted kids.

Clayton Peterson and Todd Peterson

Clayton Peterson and Todd Peterson are Michael's children from his first marriage to Patricia Sue Peterson. As portrayed in The Staircase, both Todd and Clayton stood by their father and vouched for his innocence from the beginning.

The News & Observer reported that Clayton currently resides in Maryland with his family, while Todd resides in Tennessee.

Caitlin Atwater

Caitlin Atwater is the late Kathleen Peterson’s daughter from her previous marriage to Fred Atwater. Although supportive of his stepfather Michael at first, Caitlin changed strides and blamed him for murdering her mother.

ABC Chicago reported that she also filed a lawsuit against him in 2002 which was settled at a hefty amount of $25 million. At the time, she claimed that the settlement was an effort on her behalf to stop Michael from benefitting from her mother's death.

According to Newsweek, Caitlin Atwater lives in Virginia with her family.

Margaret Ratliff and Martha Ratliff

Margaret and Martha Ratliff were adopted by Michael when he was still married to Patricia Sue Peterson. Margaret and Martha's father had died in the military and their mother had passed away in a staircase incident similar to Kathleen's.

Michael and Patricia took the two siblings and raised them as their children. During the former's hearing, Martha and Margaret had stood by him the entire time.

According to Esquire, Margaret Ratliff currently resides in California, while Martha Ratliff lives in Colorado.

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Primary characters from the Peterson case explored in The Staircase

Colin Firth as Michael Peterson (Image via Getty)

The Staircase comprises a star-studded cast doing justice to the intricate details of the Peterson case with their performances. The cast of the show is as follows:

• Colin Firth as Michael Peterson
• Toni Collette as Kathleen Peterson
• Michael Stuhlbarg as David Rudolf
• Dane DeHaan as Clayton Peterson
• Patrick Schwarzenegger as Todd Peterson
• Olivia DeJonge as Caitlin Atwater
• Sophie Turner as Margaret Ratliff
• Odessa Young as Martha Ratliff
• Vincent Vermignon as Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
• Juliette Binoche as Sophie Brunet
• Rosemarie DeWitt as Candace Hunt Zamperini
• Tim Guinee as Bill Peterson, and
• Parker Posey as Freda Black

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All episodes of The Staircase are available for viewing on Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, Fandango at Home, YouTube, and YouTube TV.