The podcast’s name is an aspirational one: “Countdown to Capture.”
The capture part is what the Newport Beach Police Department hopes will result from the six-part series, which it is releasing in a bid to finally catch their man.
Details:
The crime: The Los Angeles Times reports officials have for years been trying to apprehend Peter Chadwick, a 54-year-old multimillionaire who lived in Newport Coast, Calif., and allegedly killed his wife, Quee Choo Chadwick. Her body was found in a gas station dumpster outside San Diego in 2012.
The disappearance: Chadwick was arrested and released after posting a $1 million bail; he gave up his US and UK passports, made 13 court appearances, then vanished in 2015, per the AP. Chadwick is thought to have taken millions from bank accounts he had access to, and officials suspect he may have managed to leave the country.
Curious reading: People reports that police perhaps tellingly found these books in his home: Surviving in Mexico, How to Change Your Identity, and How to Live on the Run Successfully.
The podcast: “We want to spread his picture and the story of his crimes far and wide,” Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis says of the 15-minute episodes. (Part one is out.) “We want everyone to be looking for Peter Chadwick.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune points out that it’s not just atypical for a police department to be the producer of a true-crime podcast; “to produce one on an active, ongoing investigation is even more unusual given the legal questions it raises for a case not yet brought to trial.” A rep for the department said she’s unsure of whether Chadwick’s lawyer knew about it.
Listening incentive: A $100,000 reward for information leading to Chadwick’s capture was announced Wednesday.
Potential lead: Authorities say the British-born Chadwick might well be in an Asian country because of his previous travels there, reports Oxygen. Also, “he has a flavor for Asian prostitutes,” says an official with the US Marshals Service. The hope is that the big reward will prompt someone who works in the sex industry to come forward.
Another possibility: Chadwick also liked to travel in and around metro Vancouver, reports Canada’s Global News.
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