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, sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News.
Peter Chadwick 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 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 Chadwick’s body was found in a San Diego trash bin.
Police arrested Chadwick about four miles north of the Mexico border after noticing he had scratches on his neck and dried blood on his hands. 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 with his parents in Santa Barbara. But when he missed a January 2015 court hearing, Newport Beach detectives went to the residence and discovered Chadwick had lied and wasn’t living there. Chadwick’s family told investigators 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.”
Chadwick is back in the hands of U.S. authorities according to the report.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom with information from: Newport Beach Police