A man who has been on the run for more than four years after he was accused of killing his wife in 2012 has been reportedly caught in Mexico and returned to the United States, according to a release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Peter Chadwick, 54, was first arrested and charged in connection with the death of his wife at their Newport Beach home in October 2012. At the time, Chadwick called police, and told investigators that his wife, Quee Choo "Q.C." Chadwick, had been kidnapped and killed by a handyman. He also told authorities he'd been been kidnapped as well, and forced to drive to Mexico in order to dump his wife's body.
Quee's body was later discovered in a San Diego trash bin, according to a release from the U.S. Marshal's office.
At the time of the incident, Chadwick and his wife had been arguing over a possible divorce and financial issues related to that, the release states.
Police first arrested Chadwick about four miles north of the Mexico border after noticing he had scratches on his neck and dried blood on his hands in 2012. At the time, Chadwick allegedly admitted to investigators to making up the story about the handyman being the culprit in his wife's death.
Authorities released Chadwick on a $1.5 million bond after he surrendered his British and American passports and agreed to live at his father's home located in Santa Barbara. But after he missed a January 2015 court hearing, Newport Beach detectives went to the residence and discovered Chadwick had lied to authorities and hadn't been living there. Chadwick's family told investigators he told them he was going to Seattle and left in a cab.
Further investigation revealed the defendant had cleared out his bank accounts and had been reading books like "How to Change Your Identity," and "How to Live on the Run Successfully" and "Surviving in Mexico."
"The U.S. Marshals along with our law enforcement partners will leave no stone unturned until Chadwick is behind bars,” Commander Bert Tapia of the U.S. Marshals Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force said in 2018 after Chadwick went on the run. "It’s not a matter of ifwe catch him, it’s only a matter of when."
Chadwick is back in the hands of U.S. authorities according to the report.
His case was also the focus of a six-part podcast produced by the Newport Police Department last year.
Photo: Newport Beach Police