Rewind Episode – Peter Chadwick

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Peter Chadwick was eventually captured in Puebla, near Mexico City

An international manhunt, cross-dressing, and the Asian sex trade.  What do all of these things have in common…..Peter Chadwick.  Listen to one of our original episodes only released through our Facebook page.

Puebla Collage - Microstar / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
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Puebla Collage Microstar / CC BY-SA

Welfare Check

On October 10, 2012, neither Peter Chadwick nor his wife, Quee Choo Lim Chadwick, who goes by QC show up to pick up their two younger sons at the bus stop. This has never happened before. The police were contacted and they conducted a welfare check. They discover some disturbing evidence.

Broken glass is found around the bathtub in the master bathroom. Blood is at the bottom of the bathtub. The downstairs safe is left ajar. Police don’t know what happened to the Chadwick’s. Were they the victims of a home invasion or a kidnapping?

Background

Both Peter and QC came from affluent families overseas. They met in college. After marriage, they started a family and had 3 sons together. In October 2012, the older child is away at boarding school.

Both became US citizens in 1991 with Peter holding dual citizenship in the US and the UK. The family settles into Newport Beach, California which is a gated community. Peter is a multi-millionaire real estate investor while QC is a stay at home mom. QC is described by neighbors and friends as being a devoted mom and very personable. When they settle in the U.S. she seems to rely more on Peter.

Peter is described as quiet and painfully shy.

The Crime

Police are trying to track down the Chadwicks when a 911 operator receives a phone call at 5:30 am Saturday from Peter. He claims that a guy named “Juan” murdered QC and forced him to put her body in his SUV. Then they drove to the Mexican border. Once they reach the border another guy met them named “Chee.” Both of them took off in a dark green Chevy van with QC’s body. They planned to cut her up and bury her in Mexico.

The 911 operator asks him if he was on any medications.  Peter made the 911 call from a convenience store about 4 miles from the border. Shockingly the police don’t believe him. Especially when they talk to him and see the scratch marks on his neck. On October 11, 2012, just 6 hours after he called 911, Peter is arrested for the murder of his wife.

The Investigation

Police are able to pull surveillance video from the convenience store. They do not see any males in the parking lot during the time Peter said they took off in a pickup truck but left him in his car. Along with the scratches in Peter’s neck and arms he also has a bite mark on his forearm. Peter claims he struggled with Juan but doesn’t give the police any specifics. A packed suitcase is found in the back of Peter’s car that holds men’s clothing. It looks to be packed in a haphazard manner.

Peter’s Story

Peter’s story to the police is delivered in a disjointed manner and his emotions ranged from quiet and calm to crying, but there are no tears. Peter tells the police that he picked up Juan and brought him to his house to have him look over some painting he wanted him to do. When Peter went into his office, Juan went upstairs and seconds later he hears QC screaming. When Peter arrives in the bathroom Juan is strangling QC. He holds Peter at bay with a 2-inch pocket knife. He makes Peter get a blanket, help him wrap his wife up in it, and take it down to his SUV.

Peter tells the 911 operator that QC died at 11 am the previous morning. Peter is seen on surveillance footage leaving his gated community at 1:30 pm but there is no sign of anyone else in the car with him. When he passes through a toll booth there is also no sign of anyone else sitting in the car except for Peter.

The whole time he is with the police before being charged he never asks about his sons. This indicates to investigators that he is only concerned about himself and the alibi he is trying to establish. Once Peter is formally arrested he requests a lawyer and stops talking to the police.

The Motive

Friends of QC believe that she is becoming more independent and not relying on Peter as much. He obviously didn’t like that. Police believe that QC discovered some secrets that Peter was keeping. They find a piece of paper in QC’s handwriting that lists the searches on Peter’s computer:

  • How to torture
  • Chinese sex massage
  • Abortion costs in Orange County

Arrested

Seven days after the police arrest Peter they receive a tip. It leads them about 100 miles away into the mountains of southern San Diego County. On a small mountainside road in Lakeside, the police find a dumpster on the side of the road. The dumpster not only contains QC’s body wrapped in a green blanket but also some handbags, her id, her permanent residency card, and $10,000. These are the items that Peter told police Juan had taken with him when he left him at the convenience store.

Police got lucky because the dumpster was scheduled to have been emptied the next morning. They believe Peter dumped QC and her belongings there but a billing dispute prevented the dumpster from being emptied. Police have not said where the tip came from.

The medical examiner said that QC died from a violent struggle that culminated in strangulation and possibly drowning. Two months after his arrest in December 2012, Peter is granted bond of $1 million. He had no criminal history, had ties to the community, and surrendered both his US and UK passports.

Peter pleads not guilty and returned to the home he shared with QC and their sons. Both of his two younger sons were living with QC’s brother in Los Angeles. Two years later in 2014, Peter moves in with his father, Michael Chadwick. He is an international real estate developer, in Santa Barbara. By this time all three boys were attending boarding school.

While awaiting trial, Peter appears for all his required hearings and is doing what he is supposed to be doing.

The Take Off

On January 15, 2015, police hear from Peter’s lawyer. Nobody can find him and nobody knows where he is. According to Michael Chadwick, his son has been despondent and suicidal. Apparently, Peter took off about three weeks prior.  When the police searched the Chadwick home they find information on how to disappear.

  • A book on how to live on the run successfully.
  • Information on how to change your identity.
  • A book on how to live in Mexico.

Police discover that Peter took a cab from his father’s home to the Santa Barbara Airport. When the taxi driver is questioned he tells police that he picked up a woman, but surveillance at the airport shows Peter sitting in the waiting area dressed normally.  He sat there for 6 hours and then left and got into another cab.

Police also find out that Peter has slowly been withdrawing small amounts of money from about 7 different bank accounts over time. He took 7 cash advances on his credit cards. Overall he accumulated $1 million to $2 ½ million dollars plus some offshore banking accounts he had access to.

The US Marshals Service became involved. They believe that Peter may have initially gone to Canada before going south to Mexico. It is much easier to get a passport there. The Marshals believe that Peter has been getting help, but will not say from whom. The Marshals report that as of 2017 Peter was in Mexico, but could now be somewhere in Asia. Peter seems to favor Asian countries. Authorities have asked Asian sex workers to contact them with any information as there is a $100,000 reward.

  • $25,000 from the US Marshall Service
  • $75,000 from the city of Newport and private donors.

Description

Peter is a  54-year-old Caucasian male who stands 5’7’’, and weighs approximately 160 pounds.  He has brown hair and blue eyes and may be going by the name Gregory or Pete.

If you have any information please contact the  US Marshall Service at 1-800-336-0102 or through their website at www.usmarshals.gov/tips

Update

Peter Chadwick was captured in Puebla, near Mexico City on August 4, 2019.

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