True Crime Vault: Dial M For Missing - 20/20

Summary6 min read

Podcast Summary: 20/20 – True Crime Vault: Dial M For Missing
Date: March 31, 2026
Host: ABC News

Episode Overview

This gripping episode from the 20/20 True Crime Vault dives deep into the high-profile case of Peter Chadwick, a wealthy real estate investor from Newport Beach, California, who murdered his wife QC Chadwick and sparked an international manhunt after fleeing while on bail. Through firsthand accounts, 911 calls, interviews with law enforcement, friends, and community members, the episode explores the facade of the Chadwick family’s domestic bliss, the unraveling of the crime, the years-long pursuit, and Chadwick’s double life as a fugitive in Mexico.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Chadwick Family: Behind Closed Doors

The Chadwicks appeared to be a model family living in luxury in Newport Beach (04:12).
Peter grew up in England in a privileged setting; QC was Malaysian, successful, and described as bright and energetic (04:53, 05:14).
Beneath the surface, the marriage was troubled, with emotional distance and marital issues surfacing through QC's private emails (08:10).

2. QC’s Disappearance and the Discovery of a Crime Scene

On October 10, 2012, Peter and QC fail to pick up their children after school, prompting concern among neighbors (09:03).
Police discover a pristine but subtly disturbed house: abandoned meal, open safe, missing passports and money, blood, and signs of a struggle in the master bathroom (13:58, 14:44).
QC is missing, her car left behind; mounting evidence points to foul play (15:15, 15:19).

3. Peter Chadwick’s Puzzling 911 Call and Conflicting Story

Peter turns up at a gas station near the Mexican border and calls 911 with a disjointed story about “Juan,” a supposed day laborer who killed his wife and forced him to drive around with the body (17:17, 21:23).
Police are immediately suspicious: the house was freshly painted, no witnesses saw 'Juan,' and footage shows Peter leaving alone (29:40, 30:10, 30:36).
Peter’s demeanor lacks concern for his children and is emotionally flat during questioning (28:29, 28:54).

4. Unearthing the Truth: Marital Strife and Motive

QC’s friends reveal she felt controlled and possibly fearful of Peter; divorce was being considered (31:41, 32:07).
Evidence of Peter’s infidelity, including explicit searches and infections transmitted to QC, come to light (32:36).
A note in QC’s writing details Peter's online searches, including “how to torture” (32:57).

5. The Body is Found and the Arrest

After days of uncertainty, Peter’s lawyer reveals where QC’s body can be found – in a remote dumpster in Wildcat Canyon with evidence of blunt force trauma and strangulation (36:46, 39:24).
Peter is arrested and charged with murder but released on bail due to lack of criminal history and family ties (40:31, 40:49).

6. Chadwick’s Disappearance and the Manhunt

After years of faithfully attending hearings, Peter vanishes before trial, empties a safe deposit box, and becomes a fugitive (41:13, 41:25).
Authorities trace misleading clues implying he fled to Canada, but Peter has actually entered Mexico on foot, blending into expat communities under the alias “Paul Cook” (45:56, 57:42).
U.S. Marshals and Newport Beach PD launch the "Countdown to Capture" podcast, globally publicizing the case and increasing tips (52:55, 53:39).

7. Double Life in Mexico and Eventual Capture

As "Paul Cook," Peter lives quietly, working odd jobs and dating, but is involved in a fatal car accident that arouses local suspicion (59:32, 63:39).
After nearly five years in hiding, a tip leads to his arrest in Cholula, Mexico by local authorities and U.S. Marshals (74:14, 75:09).
Evidence found with him includes detailed budgeting, fake IDs, and notes about his life on the run (78:16, 78:42).

8. Resolution and Reflections

Peter is extradited, pleads guilty to murder, and receives a sentence of 15 years to life in prison (82:27).
Friends and family reflect on the devastating impact on the Chadwick children and QC's legacy, as well as the pain left with another family in Mexico affected by Chadwick’s actions (82:55).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

Jennifer Manzella (Police Podcast Host, on the initial discovery):
“This is now a crime scene.” (00:48; 14:55)
Peter Chadwick on the 911 call:
“They took her. They took her. The guy broke into my house… Might be going to Mexico or somewhere.” (00:52; 17:19)
Prosecutor describing Newport Beach:
“You have this eclectic mix of millionaires with multimillion dollar homes, with multimillion dollar yachts... and it's not unusual to have a Bentley right next to a broke surfer.” (03:45)
Detective, on seeing the crime scene:
“As soon as I saw the blood, you knew there was a story there.” (14:44)
Friend of QC, on the couple’s image vs. reality:
“They were very private people… it sounds like they had a lot of secrets between them.” (07:54)
QC’s email, read by a friend:
“Sometimes I feel lost. Pete isn’t here. Otherwise, I will tell him how I feel and he will laugh at me and say, ‘What’s wrong with you?’” (08:10)
Detective, on Peter’s story:
“The facts as presented by Peter were not only unsubstantiated, but lacked plausibility.” (35:21)
Medical Examiner Dr. Stabley, on QC’s injuries:
“She put up a good fight, was significantly traumatized with blunt force injuries. And then the other ultimate assault was strangulation.” (39:51)
Sergeant Cort Depweg (Newport PD), about the manhunt:
“So much hard work put into the investigation to identify him as the person responsible for killing QC. Peter, we are coming for you. This begins your countdown to capture.” (42:53; 54:57)
Jennifer Manzella, describing the impact of their own podcast:
“Before the podcast, we were not getting calls from the public, and now we are.” (53:58)
Friend of QC, on the emotional fallout:
“How could a father do something like this? Not just to his wife, but to his whole family?” (82:35)
Peter Chadwick (at sentencing):
“I know. I not only killed Qui, who destroyed the family for the... my children took away the mother. I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back. I destroyed everything. So I deserve whatever the court decides.” (81:40, 81:57, 82:13)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[04:12] – Describing Newport Beach and the Chadwick family’s privileged life
[08:10] – QC’s private emails reveal marital strife
[13:21] – Police discover signs of disturbance inside Chadwick home
[17:19] – Peter’s bizarre 911 call from a border gas station
[29:40] – Police debunk Peter’s “Juan” story
[32:36] – Discovery of Peter’s infidelities and QC’s note
[36:46] – QC’s body found in Wildcat Canyon
[40:31] – Peter’s initial arrest, ties to community, and bail
[41:13] – Chadwick disappears ahead of trial
[53:00] – Newport Beach PD launches the "Countdown to Capture" podcast
[74:14] – Tip leads to Chadwick’s capture in Mexico
[81:40] – Peter Chadwick admits guilt and apologizes in court
[82:27] – Sentencing: 15 years to life

Thematic Reflection and Tone

The episode presents a meticulous, dogged investigation and a chilling tale of family tragedy, deception, and international evasion. Jennifer Manzella’s voice brings empathy and urgency, while investigators exude determination and outrage at Chadwick’s manipulation of privilege and process. Friends and family offer poignant reminders of the lasting emotional devastation.

Takeaways

Wealth and status can mask deep family dysfunction and provide tools for escape, but can't prevent justice forever.
Community vigilance and new investigative methods—including the innovative use of podcasts—can breathe life into cold cases.
True crime is not only about the criminal and the chase, but the collateral impact on children, families, and communities left behind.

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Transcript524 lines

[00:01]
Announcer
Hataday presents, in the red corner, the undisputed undefeated weed Whacker Guy. Champion of hurling grass and pollen everywhere. And in the blue corner, the challenger, extra strength Hataday eye drops that work all day to prevent the release of histamines that cause itchy allergy eyes. And the winner by knockout is Patternay. Patternay. Bring it on.
[00:31]
Narrator
Welcome to the 2020 True Crime Vault where heart stopping headlines come to life.
[00:40]
Reporter
It's the picture of domestic bliss. Beautiful house, Newport coast, inside and upstairs.
[00:47]
Prosecutor
There's been violence.
[00:49]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
This is now a crime scene.
[00:50]
Reporter
Where are the Chadwicks?
[00:53]
Peter Chadwick
They took her. They took her.
[00:54]
911 Dispatcher
Who took her?
[00:55]
Peter Chadwick
The guy broke into my house. Might be going to Mexico or somewhere.
[00:59]
Reporter
Now we've got a mystery.
[01:00]
Narrator
They did a bad.
[01:02]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
I looked that microphone up and down and thought, here we go.
[01:07]
Friend of QC
Nobody thought they would ever abandon their children. Their children were their lives.
[01:11]
Peter Chadwick
Oh, God, Peter, I've cried all night.
[01:15]
Narrator
And it's all leading to one international manhunt.
[01:18]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
We're not going away. Let's get this guy.
[01:41]
Expat Expert
El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Arguably, it's the most important holiday of the year for Mexicans. It's more important than Christmas. That festival underlines your connection with your ancestors, family members that you recall that you knew well that are buried there. It's important.
[02:02]
Narrator
And it was in Hot Squirrel where the Day of the Dead celebration started over 500 years ago that a mysterious expat made his home.
[02:11]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
He was very soft spoken, as I say.
[02:14]
Narrator
He hardly spoke at all.
[02:16]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
He didn't seem to tell anybody very much about his past, but he always had the appearance of being a very proper person.
[02:25]
Narrator
Then one night, there's a terrible accident with that man behind the wheel and two local women in the car.
[02:44]
Friend of QC
Claudia died in the accident. When she died.
[02:49]
911 Dispatcher
Very bad.
[02:50]
Narrator
Very, very bad. He knew you and Claudia were very close friends.
[02:54]
911 Dispatcher
Yeah.
[02:54]
Narrator
Did he call you after the crash?
[02:57]
Reporter
No.
[02:57]
Narrator
Almost as if nothing happened.
[02:59]
Friend of QC
Yeah, it was a stretch.
[03:02]
Expat Expert
People who are apt to attempt the expat experience have to be risk takers. But there's something else. When you come down here, you can be as invisible as you wish.
[03:17]
Narrator
As quickly as he came, that driver is gone. But did anyone really know who he was?
[03:23]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Within one day, he packed up everything he owned and just left town. Didn't look back.
[03:30]
Narrator
And is what happened here the key unraveling a murder that happened five years ago and thousands of miles away?
[03:46]
Prosecutor
When people imagine California around the world, the image of the picture is Newport Beach. You have this eclectic mix of millionaires with multimillion dollar homes, with multimillion dollar yachts docked at their house. And it's not unusual to have a Bentley right next to a broke surfer. It' very happy place with palm trees and beautiful people. That's Newport.
[04:12]
Narrator
And here in this picture perfect suburb of wealth and beauty live the Chadwick family, Peter QC and their three sons.
[04:22]
Reporter
So Peter Chadwick, now Peter, he grew up in England to a wealthy family, all the best schools. His father was a very successful real estate investor.
[04:33]
Prosecutor
And when I say very successful, I mean multimillions of dollars of income.
[04:38]
Narrator
Peter's family moved to the US just in time for high school. And he attended the Harridan High School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where he was actually the indoor track captain.
[04:47]
Reporter
Peter went to business school at Arizona State. And while he was in college, he met qc.
[04:54]
Prosecutor
QC is actually a very interesting woman. She's from Malaysia originally.
[04:58]
Neighbor or Family Friend
Yeah, her family's very successful. She has a brother that has the largest latex glove manufacturer in Malaysia.
[05:07]
Reporter
On their first date, Peter brought QC to the apartment for most of the date. So they're all hanging out with the roommates.
[05:14]
Friend of QC
Peter is, I will say, socially awkward. He's extremely reserved and quiet and one of the hardest people to get to know that I've come across. QC was funny. She's sparky, she's lively, she's incredibly bright.
[05:33]
Reporter
You know, opposites, as they say, do attract. Through college, the romance blossoms and finally they tie the knot. They're living in beautiful Southern California, they're raising three gorgeous kids.
[05:46]
Prosecutor
And Peter essentially manages commercial and residential properties for his father, which doesn't actually require that he go to an office. And it's essentially a job Daddy gave him sort of thing.
[05:59]
Narrator
And so he often enjoyed taking meetings and closing deals right there on the tennis court.
[06:06]
Reporter
She and Peter live in a beautiful house, Newport Coast. You look at a collage of the photographs and it's the picture of domestic bliss.
[06:17]
Neighbor
This is where I lived right here. And the Chadwicks lived right across the street there where you see the black car.
[06:24]
Narrator
So you saw them all the time?
[06:25]
Neighbor
I saw them all the time.
[06:26]
Narrator
And they were friends and we were friends.
[06:29]
Neighbor
Yep. And when the parties came out, they were in the streets and everybody came to him.
[06:34]
Friend of QC
We became fast friends.
[06:36]
Narrator
I heard she was a tiger mom.
[06:38]
Friend of QC
Well, you know, around here probably everyone's to some degree a tiger mom, but yes, she, she was on her kids making sure that they were exposed to everything that would improve their lives, whether it was piano lessons, Chinese lessons, athletics, academic competitions, the best Schools, the best tutors.
[06:58]
Neighbor or Family Friend
My son Haakon went to school with Ben, the older son. And through that process of going to school together and Boy Scouts, our families became close.
[07:07]
Child Friend
I mean, they were a very typical Newport beach family. You know, she would always, like, make sure, like, she made fruit for me and of course, her dumplings that she brought to every occasion.
[07:19]
Narrator
She was playing mom to you, too?
[07:20]
Child Friend
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. No, she was. She was really tiny, but she was a bundle of energy.
[07:26]
Narrator
You all traveled to China together?
[07:29]
Child Friend
Yeah, that was a fun trip. Back in 2006, so I would have been around nine years old. She knew the language and kind of took us around to all these different places. The Great Wall of China, Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'.
[07:41]
Peter Chadwick
An.
[07:42]
Child Friend
It was. It was a really fun trip. And to be able to do it with my friends was really awesome.
[07:48]
Reporter
And it seems perfect, at least on the outside.
[07:55]
Neighbor
Well, there again, they were very private people. You know, even QC was pretty private, at least to the neighborhood. So we don't know really what was going on behind closed doors, but it sounds like they had a lot of secrets between them.
[08:08]
Narrator
So you have emails between you and qc?
[08:11]
Friend of QC
Yes, and she titled some of them feeling. My sense was maybe she didn't want to share her thoughts with Peter. Sometimes I feel lost. Pete isn't here. Otherwise, I will tell him how I feel and he will laugh at me and said, what's wrong with you? Yeah. It has been a very tough month, October for me. I can't believe I had to lose both parents in less than two years. It is so painful to lose someone that you love. I learned my lesson. Don't wait. I should have taken my whole family visit Malaysia every single summer. Because we never know when death comes. QC.
[09:04]
Reporter
So October 10th of 2012 happened to be a typical fall day for Southern California. 70 degrees. Bright sunny day in the late afternoon. The kids got on the bus after school, went to the bus stop near mom and dad's home, and one of the parents would be there re religiously read my lips. They didn't miss it. You'd be shocked if they missed it. Until the day they missed it when
[09:34]
Neighbor
the cops showed up and started to set up a tent. Then we knew something serious had happened at the house.
[09:55]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
So I had never really been a big consumer of podcasts in my personal life before, but I threw myself into the podcast world with great abandon when this opportunity came up to develop a podcast for the Newport Beach Police Department to further this ongoing investigation.
[10:13]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Is this mic going?
[10:15]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
And I looked that microphone up and down and thought, here we go.
[10:20]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Okay, stand by.
[10:21]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
I'm Jennifer Manzella, your host for this podcast. Episode 1 Something is Wrong Chapter 1 the Boys at the Bus Stop It's a Wednesday afternoon in October. It's been a typical autumn day for Southern California. In the middle of a residential neighborhood surrounded by homes and spacious yards, there's a small private school.
[10:43]
Reporter
All the kids in the neighborhood went to a private school called Pegasus in Huntington beach that was miles away.
[10:51]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
Today, just like every other day, two brothers board the bus bound for Newport Beach. They are 9 and 12. And just like every day, they get off the bus to wait for their ride home. But today won't be like every other day.
[11:08]
Reporter
Now, later that day, around 4 o', clock, one of the neighbors is driving her children home from the bus stop and they notice that Peter and QC Chadwick's children are just standing there. Right away the antennas go up and
[11:24]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
she immediately thinks something is amiss. The Chadwicks are not the kind of couple who forgets an obligation to their children. So she immediately pulls over, scoops them up and takes them home.
[11:38]
Reporter
They go to Chadwick's house, knock on the door repeatedly. Nobody answers. Peter's car is gone. QC's car is still parked on the property. They notice some unopened packages as if no one's been home for a while.
[11:52]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
QC is a stay at home mom. Her husband Peter works from home and there's nowhere else they should be at this time on a weeknight.
[12:02]
Reporter
They go back to the neighbor's house and they are calling every friend to find out where could they be? Nobody knows, but everyone agrees that it's not like QC and Peter Chadwick. The question is, where are the Chadwicks?
[12:21]
Neighbor or Family Friend
When I heard the news about Peter and QC are missing, officers were called
[12:25]
Prosecutor or Court Official
to the couple's multi million dollar home in a gated community in Newport coast. Wednesday.
[12:30]
Neighbor or Family Friend
Told my wife, this isn't good.
[12:32]
Prosecutor or Court Official
Police say a neighbor saw two of the children at a bus stop waiting later than usual for a ride. The neighbor was worried enough to call.
[12:43]
Neighbor
I think they came at our doors around 9pm Asked if we had seen either one of Peter or qc. And we're like, no, what's going on? We were very taken back on why all of a sudden our neighborhood was flooded with cop cars. Nobody knew anything, nobody saw anything.
[13:01]
Reporter
Did they get in an accident? What could have happened? Now it's time for a welfare check. The Newport beach police then proceed to go to the Chadwick's house.
[13:14]
Detective
When I first arrived, I kind of Took a survey of the house. No signs of a break in.
[13:22]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
And the officers go into the home and it's very neat.
[13:28]
Detective
We were looking for anything abnormal, maybe a note that the boys didn't see or didn't know about. And as I walked around, it looked extremely clean. The vacuum in the carpet. There was a lot of family photos. You can tell that it appeared that this was a normal, happy family.
[13:47]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
But they start seeing a couple things that look a little out of place. There's a meal kind of abandoned in the kitchen, as if someone started prepping lunch and didn't finish it.
[13:59]
Detective
So we proceed upstairs and it was clean. It was perfect. We made our way to the master bedroom, more of the same. And as we made our way to the master bathroom, that's when it looked like something was suspicious. Before I took a step, I realized this did not look like the rest of the house. I can immediately see the bathroom rug was not neat.
[14:27]
Prosecutor
So the way it works in Orange county as a homicide prosecutor is actually met my investigator here. And we went to the crime scene and in the master bathrooms, clearly there had been violence that had taken place.
[14:44]
Detective
I can see that QC had some makeup out. I can see a broken vase along the edge of the bathtub. As soon as I saw the blood, you knew there was a story there.
[14:56]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
This is now a crime scene. Once they realize that there's nobody in the home who needs help, this becomes more of a missing person's investigation. With the blood being a definite concern that something might have gone horribly wrong.
[15:09]
Detective
We took a step back and went back through the house again, trying to find those minute details.
[15:16]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
The family safe is open and it
[15:19]
Detective
wasn't damaged in any way. I couldn't find any passports, no id, no money left over in that safe. So something was taken in a haven.
[15:29]
Reporter
Interestingly, there were two wine glasses on the counter. Isn't it a little weird that she'd be taking a bath right around lunchtime?
[15:40]
Prosecutor
QC and Peter Chadwick are both missing.
[15:44]
Reporter
We've got a safe that appears to have been emptied unprepared. Lunch, broken glass upstairs, blood upstairs, and two wine glasses. Now we've got a Mr.
[15:56]
Detective
We're also calling the coroner's office, the hospitals, friends and family, trying to find out, did somebody see them? Has anybody heard from them? We were also trying to see if their bank accounts were being used. There was nothing that was alarming, nor did we get any information in regards to what our next clue should be or what direction we should take the investigation.
[16:18]
Prosecutor
So the oldest son is away at boarding school and the two youngest were here actually at the police station. And when we came back from the scene in the waiting room of the two boys and I will never forget the youngest boy looking at the door and he had this hopeful expression on his face that I think he thought his mom was coming out of the door. It's one of those moments that broke my heart. It really did.
[16:45]
Detective
So as I went home for a quick sleep, came back early in the morning. I remember arriving at the gate Shack around 5am on the 11th. We went the entire night with nothing. We got no leads.
[16:57]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
100 miles from the Chadwicks home at the San Diego Police Department, the 911 emergency line begins to ring. It's 5:31am on Thursday, October 11, 2012.
[17:11]
Reporter
There's a man on the other end who's speaking almost cryptically. It's strange. And then a bizarre tone.
[17:18]
Peter Chadwick
They took her. They took her.
[17:20]
Detective
My dispatch calls me and goes hey, Peter Chadwick is calling 911 in San Diego right now. I remember kind of just having that jaw dropping moment of why is he in San Diego?
[17:31]
Reporter
Peter says that he's been kidnapped and he has a very strange and convoluted story to tell. The next morning, October 11, still no sign of the Chadwicks. And it's very, very concerning. Around 5:30 in the morning, something very strange happens. 911 dispatchers in San Diego get a very bizarre call. And it's none other than Peter Chadwick.
[18:09]
Detective
South San Diego, just near Tijuana. He walks in, into this arco and he asked the attendants if they can call 911 because somebody has killed his wife. And she directs him to a pay
[18:19]
911 Dispatcher
phone number of an emergency. This is Crystal.
[18:23]
Peter Chadwick
Yeah, my wife, My wife's dead.
[18:25]
911 Dispatcher
Okay, so where exactly is she?
[18:28]
Peter Chadwick
Why?
[18:28]
911 Dispatcher
Where is she?
[18:30]
Peter Chadwick
They took her. They took her.
[18:31]
911 Dispatcher
Who took her?
[18:34]
Peter Chadwick
The guy broke into my house. He drove me here. He had to friend. They just gone. They've gone in a pickup truck.
[18:44]
911 Dispatcher
Okay, so you're what did that?
[18:46]
Peter Chadwick
She's dead.
[18:50]
911 Dispatcher
Took her corpse?
[18:52]
Peter Chadwick
Yeah, they, they killed, killed her yesterday.
[18:58]
911 Dispatcher
They killed her yesterday.
[18:59]
Detective
I'm getting updates in regards to what the dispatcher in San Diego was hearing. All Peter's statements were vague and she was trying to make sense of it. At one point she goes and gets her supervisor to speak to Peter.
[19:13]
911 Dispatcher
Uh, hold on, let me get my
[19:14]
Peter Chadwick
supervisor on the phone.
[19:16]
911 Dispatcher
He sent her?
[19:18]
Expat Expert
Yeah, he.
[19:19]
911 Dispatcher
Okay. What? What?
[19:19]
Peter Chadwick
He drowned her. He I. She drowned. She drowned.
[19:24]
911 Dispatcher
What?
[19:25]
Peter Chadwick
Her body was stiff even. I've been driving with them.
[19:30]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
They.
[19:31]
Peter Chadwick
They said they're going to cut her up.
[19:33]
Reporter
This 911 call, it's nothing short of bizarre. Just listen to it. Listen to the tone of the man calling.
[19:41]
911 Dispatcher
What's your name?
[19:43]
Peter Chadwick
Peter Chadwick.
[19:47]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Mm.
[19:48]
911 Dispatcher
Are you on any kind of medication, sir?
[19:52]
Peter Chadwick
Just Lipitor. Because I think they're going. They might be going to Mexico or somewhere.
[19:56]
911 Dispatcher
Okay, but this happened yesterday at 11. You're now calling us at 5:30 in the morning.
[20:00]
Peter Chadwick
I know. I want you to get him.
[20:02]
Narrator
And Chadwick appears to know a few potentially helpful details about the kidnapper.
[20:09]
Detective
A man named Juan had kidnapped her and him. He keeps rambling on about Juan.
[20:16]
911 Dispatcher
Okay, what? What? Who is he?
[20:20]
Peter Chadwick
Juan. Juan.
[20:21]
911 Dispatcher
Juan. How do you know Juan?
[20:23]
Peter Chadwick
I picked him up to the. To look at some painting work at the house. I brought him to the house.
[20:29]
Detective
After getting the information from my dispatch, I immediately sent a team down to San Diego to interview Peter Chadwick. His story does not match the 911 tape. And now he's given us a more elaborate story.
[20:43]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
And he has a very strange, convoluted story to tell. He's fixated on this figure of Juan, who he claims is a day laborer that he has brought into his house to do some painting.
[20:59]
Detective
Peter tells us he met Juan while he was out looking at one of his apartment complexes. So during this conversation on the 10th, he invites Juan to his house to give him an estimate. They walk into the house. Juan walks upstairs to take a look around, and Peter stays downstairs.
[21:18]
Reporter
He claims that while he's back in his office on the Internet, he hears his wife scream, Pete.
[21:24]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
Pete.
[21:25]
Reporter
And he runs upstairs and he finds
[21:28]
Detective
Juan strangling QC in the bathtub.
[21:31]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
And then Juan allegedly took a small 2 inch dull Swiss army knife blade and threatened Peter with it.
[21:40]
Detective
Juan holds him at bay immediately, while still strangling his wife and holding her
[21:45]
Reporter
underwater, Juan has attacked his wife. And now Peter gets into some sort of an altercation with this killer. But by this time, sadly, QC is dead in the bathtub. According to Peter, she drowned.
[22:01]
Peter Chadwick
She drowned.
[22:03]
Reporter
He says to the officers, I was weak. I could have done more.
[22:09]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
And then Juan allegedly made him wrap his wife's body in the comforter from their marital bed.
[22:16]
Detective
And Peter's story is that he complies and Juan appeared wrap her in her blanket and put her in the back of their Lexus suv.
[22:23]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
And then Juan allegedly sat there in the back seat with QC's body, with the knife to Peter's throat, and made him drive around for more than 12 hours.
[22:34]
Detective
And then he starts alluding to the fact that he met this guy named Chi and they drive around all over Southern California.
[22:41]
911 Dispatcher
Yet who has her body?
[22:42]
Peter Chadwick
Juan and Chi.
[22:44]
911 Dispatcher
Okay, so when she died at 11 o', clock, they took her?
[22:51]
Peter Chadwick
Yeah, yeah, they maybe put her in the car then.
[22:55]
Reporter
Close call. He claims that he pulls over on the side of the road and he gets stopped by the California Highway Patrol. Maybe Peter's thinking, this is going to save me. But the officer let him go.
[23:12]
Narrator
Then, according to Peter, after the officer leaves without asking if he needs anything, Peter, Juan and QC's dead body make it about four miles from the Mexican border near an Arco station, where Juan then meets up with one of his friends.
[23:30]
Detective
He says Chi pulls up and they move QC's body into the van and they drive off.
[23:37]
Peter Chadwick
He just left.
[23:38]
911 Dispatcher
He just left from where?
[23:40]
Peter Chadwick
From the car with me. He told me to sit in the car till 6:00', clock, like, like 15 minutes ago. And I. He said he was watching. I was. I waited like five minutes and then I ran over to here.
[23:53]
Detective
And he believes that Chi and Juan are now leaving and driving south into Tijuana. And at some point they're going to cut up QC's body. And that's the story Peter initially gives us.
[24:04]
Reporter
We are searching for Qui Chadwick. We do, obviously, based on our investigation, believe that she has been the victim of a homicide. And we are searching for her body.
[24:14]
Neighbor
We were all just sickened by it all, you know, I mean, nobody could believe it.
[24:20]
Reporter
And now, as reporters, our antennas are going way up because there is now footage of that silver SUV leaving the driveway of the Chadwick home on 10 October.
[24:37]
Detective
Maybe we can attempt to identify Juan. And sure enough, we do find out, yes, California Highway Patrol did stop Peter that day in that car with that license plate.
[24:47]
Reporter
Did the officer see Juan? You don't earn your stripes as a California Highway Patrolman if you don't take that flashlight and go, hmm, what's back there?
[25:01]
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[27:24]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Peter Chadwick had driven several hours to the Mexican border. He made a phone call from the pay phone right at this gas station, and what he told the 911 operator was pretty shocking. He said, she's dead. She's dead. So this is where the investigation began for the homicide detectives. I think Peter got off the freeway here and saw the first place to park. So he came to this payphone and called 911.
[27:54]
Peter Chadwick
They might be going to Mexico or somewhere. We'll need to get him.
[27:58]
Narrator
How far are we from Mexico?
[27:59]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Right here, the Mexican border. I mean, you can almost see it in the backdrop. It's only a handful of minutes away.
[28:08]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
On Thursday, October 11, investigators arrive at the Arco gas station on Del Sol Boulevard in San Diego. They accompany Peter Chadwick back to the San Diego Police Department. And there the evidence collection begins.
[28:24]
Detective
Peter is already telling the San Diego Police Department that QC is dead.
[28:29]
Reporter
He's talking to them in a very low, very casual, unemotional way. They notice scratches, scratches on his face and neck. Mmm. The plot thickens. And they're starting to wonder, what have we got here?
[28:46]
Prosecutor
He has what appears to be a human bite mark on his forearm.
[28:51]
Detective
Either he's the aggressor or he's the victim.
[28:55]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
One thing was noticeably lacking, and that was any concerns about his children. They had anticipated that he'd want to know what had happened when no one had shown up to pick them up from school. When can I see them? And none of those questions really came.
[29:11]
Narrator
Now, remember that Peter claims that he asked a man named Juan to come to his house for a paint job. Then this man proceeded to kill his
[29:22]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
wife, qc Our investigators had to track down information that would substantiate or negate
[29:30]
Detective
this story while they're still with Peter down in San Diego. I go back in the house and I'm walking around the house, looking at the house, trying to figure out if they even needed painting.
[29:41]
Prosecutor
His house had been freshly painted. The other thing is when Peter Chadwick describes the man that he brought over to do the painting, he said, you know, I drove him in in my Lexus.
[29:51]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
And surely someone would have seen Juan at the demand guard shack at the community where the Chadwicks live.
[30:01]
Detective
We're able to start looking at the surveillance tapes from the gate shack. And Peter originally told San Diego dispatcher that she was killed at 11 o'.
[30:11]
911 Dispatcher
Clock.
[30:11]
Detective
And we have Peter's car on tape leaving by himself at 1:30.
[30:17]
Narrator
That was a big revelation in the case. But detectives still had to track Peter's movements that day. After he left the house, did he stop anywhere?
[30:27]
Detective
Was he stopped? Did he take certain and freeways so that maybe we can get some videotape of Peter and Juan in the car so we can attempt to identify Juan.
[30:36]
Narrator
In fact, investigators were able to track down footage of Peter's vehicle at a toll booth on the 73 Freeway.
[30:46]
Reporter
And judging by an analysis of that surveillance tape, it seems there's only one person in that car, and that's Peter Chadwick.
[30:57]
Detective
We're continuing continuously asking Peter for follow up questions. And one of his answers is that he got stopped by the California Highway Patrol with Juan in the car.
[31:08]
Prosecutor
A California Highway Patrol officer approached his car because you can't stop there and basically said, are you having a problem? And he said, well, I pull over to make a phone call.
[31:16]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
The officer remembered having that interaction with Peter and he was certain that Peter Chadwick had been alone.
[31:24]
Prosecutor
There are murder cases, we're taking you weeks or months to figure out where somebody's lying. This is instantaneous.
[31:33]
Detective
As we continued to look into who Peter was and who QC was, we quickly realized there was some turmoil in the marriage.
[31:41]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
This was not the picture perfect family that everyone kind of thought it was from the outside.
[31:49]
Friend of QC
QC wanted to grow and blossom into the person that she really was. And I think Peter wasn't entirely supportive of that. He teased her a lot, joked, ridiculed at times.
[32:04]
Narrator
Did she give the indication that maybe their marriage was in trouble?
[32:07]
Friend of QC
She indicated that she was wanting to be more independent and he wasn't very enthusiastic about that.
[32:13]
Narrator
Did you get the indication that she was feeling afraid?
[32:17]
Reporter
Yes.
[32:17]
Friend of QC
She didn't say it overtly, but that was my sense. Yes, she wanted to please him, but he was very controlling.
[32:27]
Reporter
So now we know that the Portrait of Glorious Domesticity has some cracks in it. In fact, it's really breaking apart.
[32:36]
Detective
On Peter's computer, it was found that he had a lot of search history in regards to Asian porn, Asian massage centers. We also had a written letter that appeared to be in QC's writing in a drawer that we found in QC's closet that had his search history detailed out.
[32:57]
Reporter
She had written down 35 different searches on a piece of paper that she apparently found in Peter's computer. One that strikes me. How to torture. How to torture. Who looks that up?
[33:19]
Detective
After looking into QC's medical records, we found out that QC had an STD.
[33:25]
Prosecutor
We realized what they were fighting about was Peter Chadwick was having sex without using any sort of protection and giving his wife STDs.
[33:34]
Neighbor or Family Friend
Well, I was shocked when I heard the stories of things on the side. I mean, he was the van mom. He drove and picked up the kids. He never said anything derogatory about QC.
[33:47]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
They talked to QC's close friends. They heard that divorce had come up as a subject.
[33:55]
Reporter
That's something Peter Chadwick never imagined would be in QC's playbook. He doesn't want that to happen. QC's got tons of.
[34:05]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
Of money.
[34:07]
Narrator
You're starting to learn about a man who was completely different than what you thought before.
[34:11]
Friend of QC
Yeah. Peter was already on his way. He had continued to shift and shift and shift and was willing to do whatever he needed to do to keep his life the way that he wanted it.
[34:23]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
We went nine days without a body for a homicide investigation. We didn't know where she was.
[34:29]
Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Stabley
We weren't even sure it was gonna be a murder case.
[34:33]
Detective
Once we got the phone call, we got the location. I sent detectives all the way out there.
[34:38]
Narrator
This is it, huh?
[34:39]
Detective
And it was a complete remote area, middle of nowhere, almost into Mexico.
[35:01]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
Peter, so far, has been sticking to his story for the most part. The major points stay the same. Juan QC's body being loaded into Peter's car. The hours of driving, some details change, disappear, reappear. But in a direct quote from a
[35:22]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
police report, the facts as presented by Peter were not only unsubstantiated, but lacked plausibility.
[35:30]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
It becomes clear that whatever the other details may be, QC has been killed and her husband, Peter was involved.
[35:39]
Detective
Right around noon of October 11th, we placed Peter Chadwick under arrest for homicide.
[35:44]
Narrator
Police went to the family's multimillion dollar home and found signs of foul play, but no sign of a victim.
[35:51]
Reporter
Chadwick, a prominent real estate investor, husband and father of three, is behind bars awaiting arraignment in a California courtroom today. This morning, he stands accused of not only killing his wife, Qui, seen here in a family photo on Facebook, but possibly hiding her body.
[36:09]
Prosecutor
Mr. Chadwick was in his car for about 18 hours with the body, so could be anywhere in Southern California right now.
[36:17]
Detective
And seven days after QC went missing, we got a call from Peter Chadwick's attorney indicating that Peter was going to give us the location of QC's body.
[36:27]
Prosecutor
Peter Chadwick says he has put her in a dumpster.
[36:31]
Detective
He's telling us that he was in South San Diego, and he believed it was near a location called Wildcat Canyon. It's mountainside and it's canyon roads, and it's kind of off the beaten path.
[36:46]
Narrator
I wanted to investigate where QC's body was found. So the San Diego medical, medical examiner, Dr. Robert Stabley, drove me to Wildcat Canyon.
[36:57]
Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Stabley
Is there a house down.
[36:58]
Narrator
That's it.
[36:58]
Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Stabley
That's it. That's the gate right there.
[37:01]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
Perfect.
[37:03]
Narrator
Awesome. This is it, huh? Middle of nowhere?
[37:15]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Yeah, pretty much.
[37:18]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Jeez.
[37:19]
Narrator
So it's just smaller than the other one?
[37:22]
Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Stabley
It appears to be a little bit smaller, but the same style of trash can in the same location that it was in 2012.
[37:30]
Detective
We got to the dumpster, where we open it up, and right on top is a beautiful purse. And we immediately see QC's identifications in there. $20,000 in cash is in there.
[37:46]
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[38:22]
Reporter
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[38:30]
Detective
We get to what we see is a green blanket that Peter originally told us he wrapped her up in when the kidnapping first took place. As soon as we see that green blanket, we now know QC's body's gonna be in this dumpster.
[38:48]
Narrator
When you pulled up here, what'd you see?
[38:50]
Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Stabley
There was a body. We could tell because there were extremities exposed. She had extensive wounds about her head, her torso, and all four extremities. And my initial impression is that she met with some type of. Of trauma shortly before her death.
[39:09]
Reporter
Authorities confirmed the body discovered inside this lakeside dumpster yesterday afternoon is that of Qui. Chadwick.
[39:21]
Narrator
What exactly did you find when you began to do the autopsy?
[39:25]
Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Stabley
The injuries that I've already described were confirmed. There was also evidence of strangulation. She had significant hemorrhages in the muscles on both sides of her neck. She had bruises about her face. She had an abrasion on her chin, indicating that she may have had her chin down trying to protect her airway. It was extremely violent.
[39:48]
Narrator
What do you think really happened that day?
[39:51]
Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Stabley
I believe she put up a good fight, was significantly traumatized with blunt force injuries. And then the other ultimate assault was strangulation.
[40:01]
Neighbor or Family Friend
It was just horrific, awful. It's just hard to believe.
[40:06]
Friend of QC
Arguing and fighting with somebody is one thing. For it to turn physical is another. To take away your children's mother, to continue to torture her, essentially. I mean, you watch that person struggle and fight, it's particularly depraved.
[40:25]
Detective
Now, we think the investigation's in the bag. He's going to go to prison for the homicide.
[40:31]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
On Monday, Chadwick pleaded not guilty to
[40:33]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
murder charges because he had no criminal history. And because of having the three children who could be believed to be a tie to him to stay local, he was allowed to post bail, which in the California system was set at a million million.
[40:50]
Prosecutor
Now, most people do not have the resources to do that. Peter Chadwick clearly did. The conditions on his bill essentially were, do not leave the country, have no contact with certain members of the family. And we took his passport to reduce his flight risk potential.
[41:04]
Reporter
So there he is in Santa Barbara staying with his dad. He has a relationship with his kids, and for two years, he shows up for hearings.
[41:11]
Detective
There was zero indication that anything was wrong.
[41:13]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
He's making his court appearance until one day he does not.
[41:18]
Detective
And prior to the court date, Matt calls me and goes, peter's gone.
[41:22]
Investigator or US Marshal
I honestly was kind of like, who didn't see this coming?
[41:25]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
He had a safe deposit box, and that deposit box was emptied.
[41:29]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
And now it's very clear to everyone that Peter Chadwick has become a fugitive from justice.
[41:35]
Detective
So we immediately set off on a manhunt.
[41:38]
Reporter
There are all kinds of places that Peter could pick because he had access to money.
[41:45]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
He could be anywhere.
[41:47]
Narrator
Meantime, Peter Chadwick, unknown to the police, is thousands of miles away.
[41:52]
Reporter
Wait until you hear what our team uncovered investigating this one man.
[42:06]
Detective
As soon as I saw the blood of broken, you knew there was a story there.
[42:11]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
This is now a crime scene.
[42:13]
Narrator
The story's really never been told before.
[42:16]
Peter Chadwick
Yeah, my wife. My wife's dead.
[42:18]
911 Dispatcher
Where exactly is she?
[42:20]
Peter Chadwick
They took her. They took her.
[42:26]
Reporter
We are searching for Quee Chadwick. We do believe that she has been the victim of a homicide. So now we know that the portrait of glorious domesticity has some cracks in it. How to torture. Who looks that up?
[42:44]
Narrator
You're starting to learn about a man who's completely different than what you thought
[42:47]
Friend of QC
before, willing to do whatever he needed to do to keep his life the way that he wanted it.
[42:53]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
There was so much hard work put into the investigation to identify him as the person responsible for killing qc. Peter, we are coming for you. This begins your countdown to capture.
[43:20]
Reporter
A manhunt is underway tonight for an
[43:22]
Prosecutor or Court Official
Orange county murder suspect who was vanished
[43:25]
Narrator
without a trace after not showing up to the court to face murder charges accusing him of killing his wife QC and leaving her body in a dumpster. Authorities quickly realized that Peter Chadwick is on the run and he's once again making headline news. A Newport beach businessman has jumped bail. Where is Peter Chadwick?
[43:48]
Detective
We start talking to Peter's dad and asking him what's been going on. Where is Peter? And Peter's dad just basically indicates that Peter was getting scared, that he was suicidal.
[43:59]
Neighbor or Family Friend
He called me. Well, when he was let out on bail, at that particular moment, he seemed suicidal.
[44:04]
Detective
Seriously?
[44:05]
Neighbor or Family Friend
Yeah. He never confessed to me, but he would say stuff. I said, peter, whatever happens, your boys still need you. That's all I could say.
[44:17]
Prosecutor
Murder carries a life sentence in the state of California. And I think that when Peter Chadwick realized that we weren't budging from that, that's when he made the decision that he was going to flee.
[44:27]
Investigator or US Marshal
It was all of a sudden, where did he go? Like, what parts of the world could he be in?
[44:32]
Neighbor or Family Friend
He's a smart guy, and I just assumed he figured out how to get to someplace that there had no extradition.
[44:39]
Friend of QC
How could a father flee his family and leave them behind knowing that he's the only one parent left? He chose to save himself, not save his kids.
[44:51]
Investigator or US Marshal
Could he be in the Philippines? Could he be in Japan? Could he be in Mexico? Could he have gone to Canada?
[44:56]
Detective
Now, knowing that, we have a manhunt, we call the United States Marshals for assistance.
[45:00]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
My name is Craig McCluskey. I've been with the Marshals Service for 20 years. One of the things we do when we adopt a case is we try to establish a pattern of life on the individual. We'll examine their social habits, their financial habits prior to when they became a fugitive. We took a look at Peter's Pinterest account, and there was only three things that he really researched or saved on his Pinterest account. One was tennis rackets, one was Bugatti cars, and one was how to build a safe room in your home. So we knew tennis was one of the things or a pattern of life that he might retain. So our initial dive into Peter's finances, he had a safe deposit box, and that deposit box was emptied. We suspect that there was roughly a million dollars in that deposit box, just based on interviews with the bank. We also learned that Peter had a lot of credit cards, approximately five or six that he did max cash withdrawals on, obviously with no intention of paying those back.
[45:56]
Reporter
You have to think this guy has money, so he could be in Timbuktu. Where do we look? Where do we begin?
[46:03]
Investigator or US Marshal
Peter had an obvious jump start on his flight, but also he was very meticulous in who knew about him, where he went, and how he could manipulate those assets to his benefit.
[46:18]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
So one of the first tangible leads that we had was that he had taken a cab to the Santa Barbara City airport.
[46:24]
Investigator or US Marshal
There were 45 different cab companies that service the Santa Barbara area. And on the 44th cab company that I called, they told me that they did send a car up to Peter's father's house, Picked up one passenger.
[46:40]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Once we got to the Santa Barbara airport, We were able to review the video footage from the airport, and we saw Peter arrive in that cab. The photos that we have of Peter, it shows him sitting in a chair, Looking right at the surveillance camera.
[46:54]
Investigator or US Marshal
I think the purpose of Peter being an eyeliner at the camera Is to show us that he was there.
[47:01]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
But upon combing through pages and pages of the passenger list, we discover that Peter never got on a plane.
[47:07]
Investigator or US Marshal
He actually just walked out of the airport, Got into another cab, and fled.
[47:13]
Reporter
This was all very calculated. He's laid this false groundwork, Traveling to different places and planning fake trips.
[47:20]
Investigator or US Marshal
That's when we realized this was well planned, very strategic. Now, I would say we were several months behind. We made a decision to go up to Peter's father's home in Santa Barbara.
[47:35]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
We did a cursory search of the room Where Peter was residing at the time, and the room was basically cleaned up, except for a few items that were very distinct clues on where Peter
[47:45]
Reporter
might have gone in the father's house. There are references, There are breadcrumbs that would lead any investigator to thinking, this man's going to Canada.
[47:57]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Some of those items included books on how to change one's identity, how to live life on the run in Canada. So it appeared that Peter was heavily researching how to exit the country through the Washington border into Canada.
[48:10]
Investigator or US Marshal
I decided at that point that we needed to interview Peter's sons.
[48:16]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
The oldest son initially told us his father. He was telling them, yes, I'm going to run.
[48:21]
Investigator or US Marshal
His plan was to drive to the Canadian border of the state of Washington. He was going to walk across, find himself a menial job, and then from there, he was going to go to a country where he could then contact his sons and have a reunion.
[48:39]
Reporter
He knew people in Canada. He lived in Canada as a child. When the parents left England, they first went to Canada, Then made their way to California. So he's got ties there.
[48:50]
Narrator
So during the first three years after Peter ran the marshals, followed up on leads and tips in Canada, Hitting dead ends at every turn.
[49:01]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
If I could put a number on all the resources that we used, There was approximately 20 to 30 personnel at any given time Doing something on this case.
[49:12]
Investigator or US Marshal
As time goes by, it's difficult to continue a timeline and establish locations of where and when a fugitive is gone.
[49:22]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Peter was Definitely my Pink Panther, for lack of a better term. We knew he was there, we just couldn't get him.
[49:28]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
There was so much hard work put into the investigation to identify him as the person responsible for killing qc. Why then just give up and let him get away? We just don't do that.
[49:41]
Reporter
When a case gets chilly or starts to go cold, bringing in a fresh set of eyes is a great way to look at things a little bit differently. And that's exactly what happened.
[49:52]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
You can run, but you can't hide much longer. So do yourself a favor, Mr. Chadwick, and turn yourself in.
[49:59]
Investigator or US Marshal
They sure enough did their own podcast.
[50:02]
Reporter
It was brilliant idea.
[50:05]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
The clock was ticking for Peter Chadwick. Every day that he was gone, he was just one day closer to being caught.
[50:11]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
Peter, we are coming for you. This begins your countdown to capture.
[50:21]
Prosecutor or Court Official
Chadwick disappeared more than three and a half years ago while awaiting trial for the murder of his 46 year old wife.
[50:27]
Narrator
QC, you can run, but you can't hide much longer.
[50:31]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
So do yourself a favor, Mr. Chadwick, and turn yourself in.
[50:36]
Reporter
So any investigator will tell you that when a case gets chilly or starts to go cold, bringing in a fresh set of eyes is a great way to look at things a little bit differently. And that's exactly what happened when a new sergeant, Cort Depweg came to Newport Beach PD. So around 2018, he decided to pump some new life into this case.
[50:57]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
So I came to the Crimes Against Persons Unit as the sergeant and one of the things that stuck out was the fact that Peter Chadwick was still wanted for killing QC from 2012. I wanted to find out what had been done. Let's figure out what we're going to do moving forward and how we're going to get this guy.
[51:15]
Prosecutor
Cortepwig at the New Palm Police Department is a rock star in my mind and he's like a dog with a bone. He could not stomach the idea that this man was able to use his money to escape criminal justice in the state of California. And court deputy was going to find him.
[51:33]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
I went to our public information officer, Jennifer Manzella.
[51:38]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
Sergeant Deplig came into my office and started talking to me about the Chadwick case and said that we needed to republicize this story and we had to do it globally.
[51:52]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
We knew he had means that he could get out of the country.
[51:55]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
He just sat there and said, you know, what's your idea? And I think I blinked like a deer in the headlights. And then I looked at him and said, you know, the only thing I can think of would be something like a podcast, but that would be a lot of work, and I don't really know how to do it.
[52:11]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
I had never listened to a podcast, didn't know what a podcast was. So for me, after she walked me through it and I said, perfect, let's try it.
[52:18]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Is this mic going?
[52:20]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
I was so intimidated by the scope of this project. It's not necessarily something that's in my wheelhouse.
[52:26]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Okay, stand by him.
[52:28]
Reporter
They take their own people within the department, within the prosecutor's office, the investigators, everybody, and incorporate them into a phenomenal podcast that takes this case from A to Z.
[52:42]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
We had a microphone that we were able to get. We had a pop filter, a microphone stand, and a music stand, and that was. That was it. Some cables, we just patched it together with duct tape and ran with it.
[52:55]
Investigator or US Marshal
They sure enough did their own podcast called Countdown to Capture.
[53:00]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
First episode went out on September 17th of 2018. Welcome to the prologue of Countdown to Capture Rapture. I'm Jennifer Mandela, and I'll be hosting this podcast about Peter Chadwick. Who is Peter Chadwick? He's a man. On Tuesday, September 18, 2008, suddenly, there's new heartbeat.
[53:20]
Reporter
This new heartbeat is pumping loudly and furiously. Police in Newport beach launching their own podcast, hoping there's all these antennas going out to the world. Remember, podcasts, go to the world, Bring us fresh tips. It was a brilliant idea.
[53:39]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
We got a lot of tips from all over the world. We got sightings, tips. We got, hey, I know this person. So we were getting tips, you know, as far as Ukraine. We were getting tips from Japan.
[53:50]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
It was actually incredible to see the
[53:53]
Reporter
numbers take off with the podcast already leading to new tips. Police are hopeful.
[53:58]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
Before the podcast, we were not getting calls from the public, and now we are.
[54:02]
Investigator or US Marshal
We got a lot of tips, some pretty good tips. And then we got some really, really out of left field. Really, really crazy ones. But again, you still have to vet it.
[54:12]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
Peter's face was everywhere.
[54:14]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
One of those things I noticed was that the United States Marshals Service Top 15 had a couple vacancies, and that's when I reached out. I think within hours, he was up on the top 15.
[54:25]
Reporter
Collectively, these agencies do one more thing that attracts attention in the case, and that's offer money. Money is a good lure if you happen to know something about the whereabouts of Peter Chadwick.
[54:37]
Narrator
With the partnership of the United States
[54:38]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
Marshals Service and the support of the
[54:40]
Narrator
city of Newport beach and private donors,
[54:42]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
I'm pleased to announce that we are now offering a $100,000 reward for Mr. Chadwick's capture. We want everyone to be looking for
[54:49]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
Peter Chadwick at the end of the final episode. We can conclude with Sergeant Depwick giving a direct message to Peter Chadwick.
[54:58]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
Peter and this. Now you made the decision to take QC's life, to steal her from her children, to leave your boy stranded on the side of a road, to fend for themselves, to flee like a coward and not face the consequences of your actions. Think about your boys, Peter. We are coming for you. This begins your countdown to capture.
[55:21]
Jennifer Manzella (Podcast Host)
We didn't have any way of knowing if Peter Chadwick would hear about the podcast, would listen to the podcast. But it was very important to us that if he did, he knew exactly where we stood.
[55:36]
Narrator
Despite the podcast and the resources spent looking all over the world for Peter Chadwick, he vanished without a trace. Police had no idea how clever his escape plan was.
[55:48]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
My thought was, okay, let me try to make it look like Canada. I put leads or I put things that I thought would make people think I went to Canada. Okay, so I left some paper in the papers in the rooms and then go to Mexico.
[56:06]
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[57:08]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I walked across with a couple of bags and a backpack. There's less chance of getting caught, I thought.
[57:17]
Narrator
The story's really never been told before. So we wanted to come down to see exactly what he was doing, who he knew and what his life was like, and what really happened in Mexico.
[57:42]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
In 2015 when Peter decided to flee. You know, he made it look like he had fled to Canada, when in reality, he came down here to the San Ysidro point of entry from The Mexican US Border right here.
[57:56]
Narrator
This along this line here?
[57:57]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Yeah. And he walked this path right here where these pedestrians are coming through, in through this white building right here and out the other end, where this metal fence is, went straight into Mexico.
[58:11]
Narrator
Peter's passports were taken from him before he fled. So how did he slip into Mexico? I decided to cross the border into Mexico with my producer just to see if we would get asked for our passports. Here we are, Mexico. A piece of cake. Didn't check any passports, no id, nothing. We didn't need anything to get into Mexico. So this was his trip. He walked across the border, caught a bus 27 hours down the west coast, right up to Colima. Then he took the road north to Guadalajara.
[58:51]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
In Guadalajara, somebody asked me, oh, and what's your name? I said, Peter. So I left. Because of that, I went to Pat's Guaro.
[59:03]
Narrator
So now we're heading to Pascuaro, which is about four hours away from Mexico City. This is where we'll get a good sense of what his life was like, a different kind of life that he had in America.
[59:16]
Expat Expert
Patzcuaro is a very traditional, old style colonial city. People live a family oriented continuity of values and engagement that goes on generation after generation.
[59:32]
Narrator
Pascuaro is famous for its celebrations of the Day of the Dead holiday. And it's a place that seems nearly the opposite of the life that Peter Chadwick had lived in California. But it was also the perfect place for him to hide in plain sight.
[59:53]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
If I went to a chain hotel, they would photocopy the ID at the cheaper places. It's just kind of like they look at it to put your name from the id.
[60:06]
Narrator
This is right in the middle of Patzcuaro. And that hotel room right there is where Peter had his very first place to live.
[60:14]
Prosecutor or Court Official
We got access to Peter Chadwick's hotel rooms.
[60:18]
Investigator or US Marshal
Come take a look.
[60:20]
911 Dispatcher
Number three.
[60:22]
Narrator
Okay.
[60:25]
Reporter
This is where he stayed for a while.
[60:31]
Expat Expert
When you come down here, there's no expectation put on you. You can reinvent yourself. An expat is simply an American or a Canadian who has decided to live down here full time or nearly full time. I'm an expat from Minnesota. I have lived here in Mexico for the past 15 years. I'm a painter and a writer. I've written 46 books, including five books on the expat experience. The local people don't know what you did. They don't really care. It would be very easy to have a lot of aliases at this point.
[61:09]
Narrator
Peter just starts changing his Name. He's using fake IDs and further distancing
[61:14]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
himself from who he was in passport. I was Paul Cook.
[61:20]
Expat Expert
You can be as visible or invisible as you wish. And I have actually been known to say that if I wanted to be a career criminal, I would come here
[61:34]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
in Passboro. I was pretty much the same. I looked the same. I felt like I was safe to just be the same, look and avoid tourist places.
[61:47]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
So this is our living room.
[61:49]
Peter Chadwick
Yeah.
[61:50]
Narrator
It's beautiful.
[61:50]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
Well, we call it the Plaza Grande. That street.
[61:53]
Narrator
Rick Davis is an American living in Patzagara for the last 22 years who knew Peter as Paul Cook. So this is the spot where Paul came in to go have coffee. Right. Walked by you every day.
[62:08]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
Right. I have a store in the main plaza. We move past every morning and say hello, et cetera. This is the table. This is the chair.
[62:19]
Peter Chadwick
This is the place.
[62:19]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Right.
[62:23]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
He never was upfront about conversation or
[62:25]
Narrator
what does that mean?
[62:26]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
He wouldn't look at you.
[62:27]
Narrator
He wouldn't look at you. Why?
[62:29]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
I don't know.
[62:30]
Narrator
So those that knew him, what did they say about why Paul moved here?
[62:36]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
One of the stories was that he had a family and that they were killed in a plane crash.
[62:41]
Narrator
He told friends down here the reason he came from Mexico is because his family was killed in the MH370 flight, which is the flight that went from Malaysia to China and then suddenly, mysteriously disappeared. Local realtor Lena Monroe helped Peter, who she knew was Paul, find an apartment. But she says there was some something off putting about this American expat. When you say he was strange, what do you mean strange? What was he doing for income while he was here?
[63:32]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
I believe it was motorcycle parts and maybe even motorcycles and repair motorcycles.
[63:39]
Narrator
Not only did Paul Cook have work and an apartment, he also started a close relationship with a local woman.
[63:48]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
You know, I really don't know how they met. Her name was Claudia Soto. Claudia was a very classy person. She was very ladylike, funny as could be, very intelligent. Oftentimes I'd overhear the ladies talking and laughing about what happened last night. No, they were a little hungover this morning and stuff because they'd been over the Pulse.
[64:18]
Narrator
So he was having a lot of parties?
[64:19]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
Seems like it.
[64:21]
Narrator
Did you ever use the word girlfriend with Claudia and him?
[64:25]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
No.
[64:25]
Narrator
Yeah.
[64:25]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
No.
[64:26]
Narrator
Just for, like, close friends.
[64:28]
911 Dispatcher
Yeah.
[64:30]
Narrator
After a year of hiding in Mexico, Paul Cook was living a good life. He had eluded capture and put his life, as Peter Chadwick well behind him until a tragic accident would unravel his life. On the run. So you, your sister Claudia and Paul got in the car to head to this concert. Do you have any idea how fast he was driving. When you woke up, did you know exactly what happened to Paul and Claudia? May 2016. It's dark and late at night. Paul Cook is driving his close friend Claudia and her sister Adriana back from a concert in the nearby town of Morelia. So late that night after the crash, Cloudy was found dead at the scene. But then the other two were taken to the hospitals. Peter first to this private hospital, and then Adriana was taken to a public hospital. You're in a coma for 15 days. Do you remember exactly how you felt when you got that word that your sister died?
[66:29]
Friend of QC
No.
[66:48]
Narrator
So this is the way that families notify the others and honor those that died. When somebody dies.
[66:54]
Friend of QC
Yeah. If you see that, you ask who died, who died.
[67:06]
Narrator
When you heard that Paul. Paul was not badly wounded, what did you think at that point?
[67:45]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
And I do remember we all asked, how's Paul? And as I recall, maybe a couple of weeks went by and here comes Paul limping across the plaza to have his coffee at the hotel restaurant.
[67:59]
Narrator
So one would killed, one was badly paralyzed, and he was just limping. For Claudia's family, the. The mystery that was surrounding Paul began at 4:30 in the morning, just hours after the crash. They were called into the District Attorney's office and presented with this remarkable document to sign. It's stunning to us that this exists, that they wanted to make something legal in a document that relieved Paul from this crash. Were you able to read it at all when it was written?
[69:17]
911 Dispatcher
No.
[69:28]
Narrator
We pressed for more information to better understand the origin and the purpose of this document. Ultimately, we heard back from the Michoacana Attorney General's Transparency unit. They stated that the document is part of the investigation and they're aware of the incident. They provided no further answer. Do you think that Paul may have done this so he would not get any attention given the fact that he had fled the United States and was hiding?
[70:08]
Rick Davis (American Expat in Mexico)
I saw him only a few times, hobbling and then run up to the point that he was walking all right. And then he just disappeared.
[70:30]
Narrator
Suddenly. Paul, who entered quickly, has now exited even faster. Nobody had any idea where he went and how they could find it.
[70:43]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
After there was an accident, I pretty quickly left, leaving a lot of stuff that I had bought in an apartment there.
[70:56]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
He packed up and just left town, didn't look back. Abandoned all his investments.
[71:04]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
Absolutely.
[71:05]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
The condo he purchased. And that was a huge blow to him.
[71:08]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I'VE been traveling. I want to look for a place to stay again. I found hostels which are cheaper. Two or three hundred pesos a night.
[71:23]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
The common theme kept coming up that if Peter was gonna reach out or speak to anyone, it was gonna be his own, a son, Ben.
[71:35]
Investigator or US Marshal
So we made the decision to go up to Stanford University and speak with Benjamin right before Thanksgiving weekend because there might be a chance that there may be some communication because of the holiday coming up.
[71:50]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
He's approximately 19 years old at the time of the interview.
[71:54]
Investigator or US Marshal
Very nice kid. You can't help but feel really bad for these children for what they've experienced. You know, not only was their mom taken from them by the hands of their father, but now their father's on the run.
[72:09]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
We finally learned that Ben had knowledge that his father was in that vehicle accident in Mexico.
[72:16]
Narrator
With authorities now closing in on Peter, he is about to make. Make one phone call that will change everything.
[72:35]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I went to Pascora and I stayed there, I think almost two years. But after there was an accident, I pretty quickly left, leaving a lot of stuff. And the next. The next place was Valle de Bravo. I was working in a cafe, dishwasher and things like that. I was doing the English lessons and getting to know how to save money. And then I had this big thing.
[73:05]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
So while he was invited to Bravo, trying to recollect himself, Peter was aired on Investigative Report.
[73:12]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I. I saw the go on my iPad. It freaked me out. And then, like two hours later, my iPad didn't work. So I had a feeling that they were checking who's watching that video. So I left Valle de Bravo in one day.
[73:27]
Investigator or US Marshal
You know, that's what happens for people on the run. Everything's suspicious. They're always looking over their shoulder.
[73:33]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I thought I'd go down to Mexico and I'll be able to be calm and. And really with the lying and the. It's just the same or worse.
[73:44]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
From Valle Bravo, Peter then went to Cholula, where he kind of re established himself.
[74:14]
Narrator
Then after nearly five years, towards the end of the summer of 2019, Detective Mike Fletcher gets a tip that he shares with the U.S. marshals, leading them to zero in on Peter Chadwick.
[74:27]
Investigator or US Marshal
I said, trust me, I think this is good. Look into it. Within, I think, 24 hours, I was getting called that they attract him to a location.
[74:40]
Narrator
That's the spot right there. See, that's it. What did you think of him when he made this call right here in the neighborhood where he was living?
[75:10]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
It was the small details of Peter's patterns of life. Playing tennis and hosting business meetings in and around tennis courts. And small details like that have really helped us narrow down the location.
[75:21]
Narrator
You showed the neighbors his photo of what he looked like, and they said, aha, we know he's in this area. Detective Easelas was in charge of Peter's arrest. He knew where Peter was living, that he had resources, that he had money, and that he could move very quickly. So his team really had to move even faster. You got out of your car right here. Your vehicle was here?
[75:52]
Prosecutor
Yeah,
[75:57]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
It was like 11:30 at night or something. I was in the room getting ready, gonna go to sleep, brushing my teeth and playing a video game. They knocked on the door. I put my pants on, answered the door.
[76:17]
Narrator
What did he say? He had no idea you were coming. The Thai boy of this could not have been more dramatic than this, wouldn't you agree?
[76:48]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Oh, and actually, the next morning, I was leaving for Pueblo. I was going to leave that place. So I was 12 hours away from. I was out of there.
[76:59]
Narrator
Five years since arriving in Mexico, Peter Chadwick is found.
[77:05]
Investigator or US Marshal
And then I got photographs of him in custody. I was like, oh, my gosh, we did it. It was a very proud moment for our organization and my team. I think it was August 5th that Peter Chadwick was in custody. He looked like a man who was done running, deflated. I mean, no resistance.
[77:22]
Reporter
Breaking news just in. A multi millionaire accused of killing his wife has been captured in Mexico.
[77:28]
Narrator
When they found him in Mexico, and what was the neighborhood's reaction?
[77:32]
Neighbor
Oh, my gosh. I mean, we just flooded with text messages. Everybody, did you hear this? Did you hear that? It was just, thank God. Thank God he was arrested. We thank God they found him finally and they'll bring him to justice.
[77:53]
Narrator
Was that the first time you ever heard that he had this different name, Peter Chadwick? This. That this was not really Paul Cook.
[78:05]
Investigator or US Marshal
We brought him back here to Newport Beach Police Department and then said, well, let's see what he has to say.
[78:13]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Obviously, I can clam up and just, you know, whatever, but I'm willing to talk.
[78:17]
Investigator or US Marshal
When Peter came back to the United States, we basically came across a whole dossier of information from his time in Mexico. His budgeting, accounting for every dollar that he had, rehearsed, statements, conversations he was going to have on the phone with people, pictures of his family, numerous fraudulent identification cards.
[78:36]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Did you have a passport?
[78:38]
Peter Chadwick
No.
[78:38]
Prosecutor or Court Official
No.
[78:39]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Yeah, yeah, I got those IDs in Mexico.
[78:42]
Investigator or US Marshal
In Mexico. This notebook is his life. He goes through the days of how much money he has and figures about how much time that was going to last him. 4.4 years.
[78:52]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
At first. I was spending almost 2000amonth. this juncture, I'm living on a thousand US So it was getting down to not much that I needed to call somebody. I think that's what got me. You know, it's a friend who's probably on your list of watching the phone numbers.
[79:11]
Investigator or US Marshal
What was the end game? You were just hoping to finish out your life in Mexico or. Or did you have a plan to come back?
[79:16]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
No, not to come back. I mean, I thought I had dreams kind of go. And then I'm gonna see what happens. Obviously, I wanted to see my kids.
[79:28]
Narrator
Then Peter asked detective Fletcher if he can call his son Ben.
[79:35]
Detective
Hi.
[79:35]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Hi. Been so long. Yeah, I know. Mexicans and the US Marshalls, you know, got me. I guess it was a matter of time. Miss you so much and love you guys.
[79:51]
Detective
We miss you too.
[79:52]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I'm so sorry for all this messing up your life and what happened to mom, obviously, and. And everything. I'm so sorry. I. I screwed up just during my
[80:08]
Narrator
first day at work.
[80:10]
Medical Examiner Dr. Robert Stabley
Wow.
[80:10]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
What a day.
[80:12]
Detective
Yeah, I know, right?
[80:13]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I just. I just wanted to hear your voice say that I miss you and I love you.
[80:21]
Peter Chadwick
Bye now.
[80:28]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I knew I have to pay for whatever it was.
[80:31]
Peter Chadwick
I.
[80:32]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Bad choice.
[80:33]
Narrator
What? Justice will he finally be served?
[80:37]
Prosecutor or Court Official
Fighting now. Plea to count one, a violation of murder. Guilty or not guilty.
[80:46]
Reporter
Good afternoon, your honor. Deputy district attorney Jennifer Walker for the people.
[80:50]
Narrator
Robert Sanger for Mr. Chadwick.
[80:52]
Prosecutor or Court Official
All parties ready to proceed.
[80:53]
Reporter
For those of us who cover criminal trials, we do say that the wheels of judge justice grind ever so slowly. But after 10 long years and a diligent investigation, finally, Peter Chadwick faces justice.
[81:12]
Prosecutor or Court Official
Good afternoon. And parents, is one more time in the Chadwick matter. Now that Mr. Chadwick has joined us,
[81:17]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
there was a lot of discussion about trial as opposed to some sort of plea agreement. At the end of the day, there's three boys still that we were acutely aware that had been through a lot.
[81:30]
Prosecutor or Court Official
All parties ready to proceed?
[81:32]
Sergeant Cort Depweg
Yes, your honor.
[81:33]
Prosecutor or Court Official
Mr. Chadwick, did you want to make a statement?
[81:36]
Peter Chadwick
Yes,
[81:41]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I know. I not only killed Quake, who destroyed the family for the. My children took away the mother. I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back.
[81:56]
Prosecutor
And he was crying in court.
[81:57]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
I destroyed everything.
[82:00]
Friend of QC
These were not tears for qc. Those tears were not for anyone but Peter.
[82:08]
Prosecutor
He's like this duck swimming through water. And the wake that he leaves is just human misery.
[82:13]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
So I deserve whatever the court decides.
[82:21]
Prosecutor or Court Official
How do you now plead to count one, a violation of murder. Guilty or not guilty?
[82:28]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
Guilty.
[82:29]
Prosecutor or Court Official
I do accept your plea, and at this time, I'll sentence you to state prison for 15 years to life.
[82:36]
Friend of QC
How could a father do something like this? Not just to his wife, but to his whole family?
[82:44]
Narrator
Peter may now finally be behind bars in the US but back in Mexico, what kind of justice might there be for Claudia, Adriana and their family?
[82:55]
Prosecutor
He will now have to do 12 years minimum in California State Prison before he's eligible for parole. And I think the family in Mexico should have a voice at that hearing.
[83:16]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Never.
[83:16]
Narrator
We've never been here before. Not since the crash. I see. I see the cross right there. She was right on that corner. Do you feel betrayed? By Peter?
[83:41]
Peter Chadwick (Alternate)
By Paul?
[83:51]
Investigator or US Marshal
This guy committed murder.
[83:52]
Craig McCluskey (US Marshal)
Our city.
[83:52]
Investigator or US Marshal
We're not going to just let him be on the run and live his life. QC didn't get that opportunity.
[83:56]
Friend of QC
She had so many plans. But she wanted to do as as much for her children as she could, and she did. I can't imagine a mother giving children a better sense of love and devotion than she did.
[84:15]
Prosecutor or Court Official
You've been listening to the 2020 True
[84:17]
Narrator
Crime Vault Friday nights at 9 on ABC. You can also find all new broadcast episodes of 2020.
[84:24]
Prosecutor or Court Official
Thanks for listening.
[84:25]
911 Dispatcher
Foreign.
[84:31]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
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