How was fugitive millionaire Peter Chadwick caught? CBS '48 Hours' to revisit dramatic story

CBS' 48 Hours will focus on the arrest of millionaire Peter Chadwick in its upcoming episode, which airs Saturday, July 2, 2022.

The official synopsis of the episode on CBS reads:

''A “48 Hours” report helps trip up a wanted fugitive who spent more than four-and-a-half years on the run for allegedly killing his wife and staging a kidnapping.''

Noted CBS correspondent Tracy Smith will take a detailed look at the case in Saturday's episode titled Peter Chadwick: Caught.

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CBS' 48 Hours asks: Who is Peter Chadwick?

Peter Chadwick is a millionaire from California. Per CBS News, Chadwick was married to his longtime girlfriend, Q.C. Chadwick, and they seemed to lead a happy life.

The couple, who have three sons, lived in an affluent neighborhood in New Port Beach, California. In a sneak peek of the 48 Hours episode, Peter was ''very quiet, very soft-spoken.''

On October 10, 2012, the couple's sons did not find their parents at the bus stop. The next morning, authorities received a 911 call from Peter, who told them that a man named Juan kidnapped him after killing his wife and putting her body in his SUV.

He further said that Juan drove to the Mexican border in San Diego, where another man named Chee was waiting. Chee and Juan later left with Q.C.'s body, after which Chadwick made a 911 call from a nearby gas station.

According to the 911 call (obtained by CBS News), Chadwick said Juan and Chee told him they were going to cut Q.C.'s body up. On the call, he also mentioned that the two men murdered his wife around 11:00 AM the previous day.

On subsequent interrogation, police weren't convinced by Chadwick's story and arrested him, charging him with murdering his wife. He was accused of strangling his wife and later drowning her.

Chadwick was eventually released on bail, after which he disappeared.

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When did the police arrest Chadwick?

Police launched an international manhunt in 2015. Four years later, in August 2019, Chadwick was captured in Puebla, Mexico.

Per CBS News, U.S. Marshal Craig McCluskey said a 48 Hours episode that examined the case led to Chadwick altering his life while trying to evade the police, which ultimately resulted in his capture.

McCluskey said that Chadwick told him he realized the situation had ''escalated a lot'' after watching the 48 Hours episode. Authorities also discovered that Chadwick was being helped by people close to him. They'd also received another crucial tip that led them to look for Chadwick in Mexico.

At the time of his arrest, Chadwick was living in an apartment in Mexico. During his years as a fugitive, Chadwick allegedly used several fake IDs and pretended to be a spy. He ultimately pled guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Catch CBS' 48 Hours - Peter Chadwick: Caught on Saturday, July 2, 2022.