MOUNTAINSIDE IN RURAL SAN DIEGO COUNTY:
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WILDCAT CANYON. THEY BELIEVE PETER CHADWICK CAME HERE THAT NIGHT. WHAT DO YOU THINK HE'S THINKING OF AS HE'S DRIVING UP THIS ROAD ?>> IF YOU KIND OF PUT YOURSELF IN HIS POSITION, HE'S BEEN DRIVING AROUND FOR HOURS, OVER TEN HOURS WITH Q. C. 'S BODY IN THE CAR. HE NEEDS TO FIND A PLACE TO DROP THE BODY. HE NEEDS TO FIND A PLACE TO DROP THE BODY WHERE HE'S NOT GOING TO BE SEEN, WHERE IT'S DARK AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE SEEN ANYTIME SOON AFTER HE DROPS IT. THE FIRST PLACE HE COMES TO IS THIS LITTLE ROAD .>> Reporter: IS THIS ?>> YEAH. RIGHT HERE .>> Reporter :\ THAT'S \ IT ?>> THAT'S IT . >> Reporter: SO, THIS IS WHERE HE STOPPED .>> WE WERE NOT SURE IF WE WERE EVER GOING TO FIND HER. THE CHANCES WERE SLIM TO NONE. WHEN WE LIFTED IT UP, IT WAS FULL .>> Reporter: SO, WHAT DID YOU SEE ?>> WE STARTED FINDING Q. C. 'S ITEMS. WE FOUND NICE BAGS. WE FOUND A REALLY NICE PURSE. SO, WE SET THOSE ASIDE. WHEN WE OPENED UP THE BAG, THAT'S WHEN WE FOUND Q. C. 'S I. D ., HER PERMANENT RESIDENCY CARD, $ 10, 000 CASH. AND ALL OF THIS STUFF IS THE STUFF THAT HE DESCRIBED JUAN TAKING WITH Q. C. 'S BODY INTO MEXICO .>> Reporter: AND WRAPPED IN THAT GREEN BLANKET, Q. C. 'S BODY .>> IT WAS HUGE BREAK FOR US. THE DUMPSTER WAS SCHEDULED TO BE PICKED UP THE THURSDAY MORNING, WHICH WAS THE NEXT MORNING AFTER WE BELIEVE PETER DISPOSED OF Q. C. 'S BODY. THE ISSUE WITH THAT WAS, THERE WAS SOME KIND OF BILLING DISPUTE .>> Reporter: SO, THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO PICK UP THE DUMPSTER, BUT THEY DIDN'T. ONCE DETECTIVES FINALLY FOUND Q. C ., THE MEDICAL EXAMINER WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE HOW SHE DIED .>> THERE WAS A PRETTY VIOLENT STRUGGLE WHICH RESULTED IN STRANGULATION AND POSSIBLE DROWNING .>> Reporter: AS THE STATE BUILT ITS CASE AGAINST PETER CHADWICK, HE SAT IN JAIL-- THAT IS, FOR TWO MONTHS UNTIL DECEMBER, WHEN BAIL WAS SET AT $ 1 MILLION. NO SWEAT FOR THE MULTIMILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN .>> I HEARD HE GOT OUT ON BAIL, AND I REMEMBER BEING ABSOLUTELY INFURIATED AND DISGUSTED. HE SHOULD NOT BE OUT ON BAIL .>> Reporter: PROSECUTOR MATT MURPHY SAYS THE COURT REALLY HAD NO CHOICE. CHADWICK WAS ENTITLED TO BAIL .>> WE HAD A GUY THAT HAD... HE HAD NO CRIMINAL BACKGROUND. HE HAD ROOTS IN THE COMMUNITY .>> Reporter: CHADWICK ALSO HAD THAT MULTIMILLION- DOLLAR HOME AND THREE SONS. AND HE SURRENDERED HIS U. S. AND U. K. PASSPORTS .>> WE CAN KEEP HIM ON A SHORT LEASH. WE CAN KEEP HIM, YOU KNOW, ENGAGED IN THE... IN THE PROCESS. WE CAN KEEP, YOU KNOW... WE CAN KEEP EYES ON HIM .>> PETER CAME BACK AND GOT HER VAN, WHICH WAS REALLY CREEPY. HE RETURNED TO GET HER VAN BECAUSE HIS CAR WAS IMPOUNDED. SO, HE DROVE OFF WITH HER VAN. AND I WAS... JUST HAPPENED TO BE OUT ON THE STREET, AND HE GAVE ME A NOD, AND I'M JUST, LIKE, TURNED MY HEAD IN DISGUST .>> Reporter: EVEN BEFORE CHADWICK COULD FACE TRIAL, KAREN'S MIND WAS MADE UP .>> HE WAS SHAME... SHAMELESS. TALK ABOUT CHUTZPA. HE SENT OUT AN EMAIL INVITING PEOPLE TO A 100- DAY VIGIL, CANDLELIGHT VIGIL, AT THE HOME WHERE HE MURDERED HER. HOW CAN YOU KILL YOUR WIFE, THROW HER IN A DUMPSTER, AND HOLD A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL AT THE HOME WHERE YOU KILLED HER ?>> Reporter: TWO YEARS PASSED. CHADWICK MOVED INTO HIS FATHER'S HOME IN SANTA BARBARA, A SWANKY TOWN UP THE COAST. ALL THREE SONS ENDED UP IN BOARDING SCHOOL. HOW SOLID DID YOU THINK YOUR CASE WAS AS YOU HEADED FOR TRIAL ?>> EXTREMELY SOLID. I MEAN, WITH ALL THE CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE, THE BODY, THE... THE INJURIES, AND THE LACK OF PLAUSIBILITY ON... ON BEHALF OF PETER'S STORY. SO, OVERALL, WE THOUGHT WE HAD THIS THING WRAPPED UP .>> Reporter: SO, AS YOU'RE LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD, YOU WERE THINKING PETER CHADWICK IS GOING TO END UP WHERE ?>> IN PRISON .>> Reporter: BUT PETER CHADWICK HAD OTHER PLANS .>> BREAKING NEWS TO TELL YOU
ABOUT:
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AN ACCUSED MURDERER ON THE RUN IN CALIFORNIA . >>\ TONIGHT'S " 48 HOURS" WILL \ CONTINUE . >> Reporter: PETER CHADWICK WAS AWAITING TRIAL AND MAKING HIS COURT APPEARANCES FOR HEARINGS, DOING WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO UNTIL HE WASN'T ANYMORE .>> YEAH, WE GOT WORD FROM HIS ATTORNEY THAT SAID, " I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS .">> Reporter: AFTER TWO YEARS OUT ON BAIL, PETER CHADWICK DISAPPEARED .>> THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST WANTED SUSPECTS IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES .>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE'S GONE? YOU KNOW, DIDN'T SOMEBODY KEEP AN EYE ON THIS GUY ?>> Reporter: PROSECUTOR MATT MURPHY WAS OUTRAGED .>> NOBODY THOUGHT THAT HE WOULD FLEE FROM HIS SONS. HE ABANDONED HIS FAMILY, HE MADE HIS ATTORNEY LOOK TERRIBLE, AND HE THUMBED HIS NOSE AT THE COURT AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM .>> Reporter: IS PART OF THIS JUST THAT RICH GUYS CAN GET AWAY WITH AN AWFUL LOT? >> YOU KNOW, IT'S... IT'S JUST... IT'S FRUSTRATING. YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM BECAUSE YOU HAVE MONEY. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S... THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED HERE . MOST PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD THIS BAIL. YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS BECAUSE YOU GOT MONEY. HE TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE, AND HE USED HIS FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO DO IT. >> $ 1 MILLION BAIL REALLY WASN'T ENOUGH TO KEEP SOMEONE AS COLD- HEARTED AND NARCISSISTIC AS HIM TO STAY AROUND .>> Reporter: AT FIRST, INVESTIGATORS HEARD THAT PETER CHADWICK MIGHT BE DEAD .>> INITIALLY, MICHAEL CHADWICK STARTED RELAYING INFORMATION THAT HE WAS SUICIDAL .>> Reporter: SO, MICHAEL CHADWICK, PETER'S DAD, SAID HE WAS GOING TO KILL HIMSELF? THAT PETER WAS GOING TO KILL HIMSELF ?>> HE ALLUDED TO THE FACT THAT HE WAS SUICIDAL .>> I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS HIS ATTORNEY OR HIS FATHER HAD SAID HE HAD BEEN DESPONDENT AND SUICIDAL. NO .>> Reporter: BY THE TIME INVESTIGATORS REALIZED THAT HE'D FLOWN THE COOP, CHADWICK WAS LONG GONE. HE HAD A THREE- WEEK LEAD ON THEM, AND HE'D BEEN STUDYING UP. THEY DISCOVERED BOOKS IN CHADWICK'S HOME ON HOW TO DISAPPEAR AND HOW TO CHANGE IDENTITIES AND LEAVE FALSE TRAILS. INVESTIGATORS LEARNED FROM A TAXI COMPANY THAT SOMEONE WHO POLICE NOW BELIEVE WAS PETER CHADWICK TOOK A CAB FROM HIS DAD'S HOUSE TO THIS AIRPORT HERE IN SANTA BARBARA. AND GET THIS: THE CAB DRIVER SAYS THAT THE PERSON HE PICKED UP THAT DAY WAS A WOMAN! SO, WAS PETER CHADWICK IN DISGUISE? WHEN HE GOT HERE, HE WENT INSIDE WITH HIS SUITCASE. AND THEN, HE MUST HAVE CHANGED CLOTHES BECAUSE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS HAVE PICTURES OF CHADWICK DRESSED AS HIMSELF HANGING OUT AT THE SANTA BARBARA AIRPORT. HOURS TICKED BY, BUT HE NEVER GOT ON A PLANE. INSTEAD, HE WENT BACK OUTSIDE, GOT INTO ANOTHER CAB AND DROVE AWAY. AND THAT'S THE LAST ANYONE HERE SAW OF PETER CHADWICK. THE SEARCH FOR CHADWICK WAS NOW AN INTERNATIONAL MANHUNT WITH THE U. S. MARSHALS LEADING THE WAY. HERE THEY ARE TRAINING IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE LOS ANGELES .>> WE'RE GOING TO CATCH HIM .>> Reporter: MARSHAL CRAIG McCLUSKEY LED THE TEAM THAT WOULD TRACK CHADWICK .>> HE'S GOING TO MAKE A MISTAKE. WE'RE GOING TO CHOKE HIM OFF AND GRAB HIM. >> Reporter: NOT ONLY DID CHADWICK HAVE A HEAD START, HIS LIFE ON THE RUN WOULD BE WELL- FINANCED .>> WHAT MAKES HIM SO DIFFICULT TO FIND IS THE FACT THAT HE FLED WITH A DECENT AMOUNT OF MONEY. >> Reporter: SO, IT WAS ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS THAT HE HAD IN CASH WHEN HE LEFT ?>> APPROXIMATELY A MILLION DOLLARS, YES .>> Reporter: DO YOU FEEL LIKE HE SLIPPED THROUGH YOUR FINGERS? >> (\ EXHALES \) YEAH. I... I HONESTLY WISHED, YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE WRAPPED THIS CASE UP A LOT SOONER. >> HE GOT THE BETTER OF US, AT THIS POINT. >> ONCE YOU FIND A STRING, YOU'VE GOT TO START PULLING ON IT. AND WE FOUND A COUPLE STRINGS. >> Reporter: BEFORE THE FINAL TIP THAT LED INVESTIGATORS TO MEXICO, TIPS HAD COME FROM EVERYWHERE .>> THE COUNTRIES THAT WE'VE HAD ACTIVE LEADS IN THAT WE'VE PURSUED INCLUDE JAPAN. THEY INCLUDE CANADA, BELIZE, PANAMA, THE UKRAINE. >> Reporter: McCLUSKEY WAS CONVINCED CHADICK WAS GETTING HELP WHILE ON THE LAM .>> I DIDN'T THINK THIS CASE WAS GOING TO TURN INTO WHAT IT DID, BUT I THINK ONE REASON THAT IT DID IS NOT BECAUSE PETER'S SMART. IT'S NOT BECAUSE HE WAS SAVVY. IT'S NOT BECAUSE HE OUTSMARTED US. IT'S BECAUSE HE'S GETTING HELP. AND I THINK, ONCE WE CUT HIM OFF FROM HIS SOURCE OF HELP, THAT HE'S GOING TO MAKE A MISTAKE, AND WE'RE GOING TO CATCH HIM .>> Reporter: KAREN THORP HAD ALWAYS HOPED WHOEVER WAS HELPING PETER CHADWICK MIGHT HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART .>> SOMEONE NEEDS TO COME FORWARD, SOMEONE WITH A CONSCIENCE, SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT THOSE KIDS AND WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS LOVELY WOMAN, THIS LOVELY, DEVOTED MOTHER WHO HAS NO JUSTICE .>> Reporter: JUSTICE WOULD BE IN REACH WHEN THE MANHUNT ENDED SOUTH OF THE BORDER. BUT WAIT TILL YOU HEAR WHAT CHADWICK WAS DOING WHILE ON THE LAM. HE WENT FROM A REAL ESTATE MILLIONAIRE TO BUSSING TABLES ?>> RIGHT. I THINK HE WAS JUST DESPERATE TO FIT IN AND STAY ON THE RUN. HE WAS WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO SUSTAIN HIS FLIGHT . >> Reporter: AFTER ALMOST FIVE YEARS, BASICALLY OVERNIGHT, EVERYTHING CHANGED. LATE LAST SUNDAY, " 48 HOURS" LEARNED OF A NEW, DRAMATIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE PETER CHADWICK INVESTIGATION ." 48 HOURS" HAD THE ONLY NEWS CREW ON THE SCENE WHEN PETER CHADWICK LANDED IN LOS ANGELES YESTERDAY. HE DISAPPEARED IN 2015 AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH KILLING HIS WIFE. IN HANDCUFFS AND SHACKLES, AUTHORITIES HAD THEIR MAN, AND NEWPORT BEACH POLICE CHIEF JOHN LEWIS MADE THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT .>> AFTER RECEIVING HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF TIPS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, ONE OF THEM LED US TO OUR SUSPECT .>> Reporter: THE CHIEF WOULD NOT GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT WHAT THAT TIP WAS. CHADWICK WAS PICKED UP BY MEXICAN FEDERAL POLICE NEAR THE CITY OF PUEBLA, SOUTH OF MEXICO CITY .>> I BELIEVE HE WAS SURPRISED. I DON'T THINK HE EXPECTED TO BE ARRESTED .>> Reporter: MARSHAL CRAIG McCLUSKEY WAS AT THE AIRPORT IN LOS ANGELES WHEN CHADWICK ARRIVED, AND HE SLAPPED THE CUFFS ON HIM. WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU SAID TO HIM ?>> " PETER, MY NAME IS CRAIG McCLUSKEY. I'M FROM THE U. S. MARSHALS. I'M PLACING YOU INTO THE CUSTODY OF THE UNITED STATES MARSHAL SERVICE ." I THINK HE HAD RECOGNIZED ME FROM THE INITIAL " 48 HOURS" EPISODE THAT AIRED .>> Reporter: WHOA, WHOA, WHOA. WAIT, HE WATCHED THE " 48 HOURS" EPISODE ?>> I BELIEVE HE DID. HE'S GOING TO MAKE A MISTAKE. WE'RE GOING TO CHOKE HIM OFF AND GRAB HIM. >> Reporter: OUR " 48 HOURS" REPORT ON THE HUNT FOR PETER CHADWICK AIRED IN MAY. AND HE RECOGNIZED YOU FROM THE " 48 HOURS "?>> WELL, BECAUSE THE FIRST QUESTION HE ASKED ME, HE LOOKED ME RIGHT IN THE FACE, AND HE ASKED ME, " HOW'S BEN ?" AND BEN'S HIS OLDEST SON. I GUESS HE ASSUMED I HAD SOME CONTACT WITH HIS FAMILY. HE SAID, WHEN HE SAW THAT EPISODE, HE REALIZED THAT HIS SITUATION HAD... HAD ESCALATED A LOT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T REALIZE THE U. S. MARSHALS WERE AFTER HIM AT THAT POINT .>> Reporter: SO, HE WAS WATCHING \ US \ WATCHING \ HIM ?>> IN ESSENCE, YES .>> Reporter: AND HE KNEW, HE \ KNEW \ HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE COMING AFTER HIM. HE'D SEEN THE COVERAGE .>> HE BECAME REALLY STRESSED OUT. THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE WEIGHT, YEAH, LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER EVERY DAY .>> Reporter: DETAILS ARE STILL MURKY ABOUT WHERE CHADWICK SPENT ALL HIS YEARS ON THE RUN, BUT WHEN HE WAS PICKED UP IN MEXICO, HE WAS LIVING IN THIS APARTMENT .>> PETER WAS IN A SMALL VILLAGE OUTSIDE OF PUEBLA, MEXICO, ABOUT TWO HOURS NORTH OF THE GUATEMALAN BORDER AND ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF SOUTH OF MEXICO CITY. THE MAKEUP OF THAT TOWN WAS OF MOSTLY CAUCASIAN, BUT ALSO AN ASIAN COMMUNITY, AS WELL .>> Reporter: HIS HIDEOUT WAS NEXT TO A COUNTRY CLUB .>> HAD TENNIS COURTS, AND, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, PETER PREFERRED PLAYING TENNIS .>> Reporter: SO, HE CONTINUED TO PLAY TENNIS ?>> YES .>> Reporter: DID HE CHANGE HIS APPEARANCE ?>> HE CHANGED HIS APPEARANCE SLIGHTLY. SO, HIS HAIR WAS A LITTLE DARKER. HE HAD SOME FACIAL HAIR. SO, HE HAD A GOATEE. HE TRIED TO MAKE HIMSELF A LITTLE YOUNGER, AND I THINK HE WAS SUCCESSFUL AT THAT. I MEAN, HIS FACE LOOKED A LITTLE... A LITTLE DIFFERENT .>> Reporter: A LITTLE NIP AND TUCK IN MEXICO ?>> POSSIBLY. I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE .>> Reporter: CHADWICK APPARENTLY USED MANY FAKE I. D. s AND ALIASES, INCLUDING " PAUL COOK ," " PAUL CRAIG ," AND " JOHN FRANKLIN .">> HE EVEN HAD AN I. D. CARD THAT... IT WAS A COPY OF SOME FICTIONAL SECURITY FORCE, AND HE WAS REPRESENTING HIMSELF AS SOME TYPE OF ANALYST WITH TOP SECRET ACCESS, WITH HIS PHOTO ON IT .>> Reporter: WHAT DO YOU THINK HE USED \ THAT \ FOR ?>> MAYBE TO GET SOME UNASSUMING LOCAL POLICE OFFICERS OFF HIS BACK .>> Reporter: IT'S ESSENTIALLY A TOY I. D. SAYING, " HEY, I'M A SECRET AGENT .">> CORRECT .>> Reporter: BUT, STRANGELY, CHADWICK NEVER GOT A FAKE PASSPORT, AND THAT MAY HAVE FORCED HIM INTO SOME LIFESTYLE CHANGES. HE'D STARTED OFF HIS ESCAPE STAYING IN NICE HOTELS. AND HE STAYED AT SOME FANCY HOTELS AT THE BEGINNING ?>> HE DID STAY IN HOTELS. I THINK HE STARTED TO CHANGE HIS PATTERN WHEN MEXICO STARTED CHANGING SOME OF THEIR IMMIGRATION LAWS WHERE THEY REQUIRED VISAS FOR NON- CITIZENS WHEN THEY CHECKED INTO HOTELS. WHICH FORCED HIM INTO, YOU KNOW, MORE DISCREET PLACES LIKE HOSTELS, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD ACCEPT CASH AND NO IDENTIFICATION .>> Reporter: AND THEN, THERE WAS MONEY. EVEN THOUGH AUTHORITIES FIGURE HE HAD ABOUT $ 1 MILLION IN CASH WHEN HE FLED, HE OCCUPIED HIS DAYS PICKING UP ODD JOBS. WHAT WAS HE DOING FOR MONEY ?>> HE DID FLEE WITH A LARGE SUM OF MONEY. MOST OF IT, HE LIVED OFF OF THAT. BUT I THINK HE DID SOME SMALL THINGS ON THE SIDE, MAYBE TAUGHT CONVERSATIONAL ENGLISH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO CHILDREN TO MAKE A FEW EXTRA BUCKS. I THINK HE WAS BUSSING TABLES, WORKING IN KITCHENS .>> Reporter: BUT HE WENT FROM A REAL ESTATE MILLIONAIRE TO BUSSING TABLES ?>> RIGHT. I THINK HE WAS JUST DESPERATE TO FIT IN AND STAY ON THE RUN. HE WAS WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO SUSTAIN HIS FLIGHT .>> Reporter: ONE OF THE BIGGEST INVESTIGATIVE BREAKS THAT LED THE MARSHALS TO CHADWICK WAS THEIR DISCOVERY THAT HE WAS IN COMMUNICATION WITH PEOPLE WHO KNEW HIM .>> WE LEARNED SOMETIME LAST YEAR, THROUGHOUT THE INVESTIGATION, THAT HE WAS RECEIVING HELP FROM THOSE CLOSE TO HIM. TO WHAT EXTENT, I DON'T KNOW. AND HOW... THE QUANTITIES OF MONEY THAT WERE PROVIDED TO HIM, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY. BUT WE KNOW THAT HE WAS GETTING ASSISTANCE FROM THOSE CLOSE TO HIM BACK UP HERE STILL .>> Reporter: THAT INFORMATION, COMBINED WITH THE NEW TIP AND OLD- FASHIONED POLICE WORK BY NEWPORT BEACH POLICE, THE MARSHALS, AND MEXICAN AUTHORITIES ULTIMATELY LED TO CHADWICK'S ARREST. THE BIZARRE THING IS THAT THIS TOOK, YOU KNOW, NEARLY FIVE YEARS TO UNFOLD, AND, THEN, BOOM! IT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT .>> YEAH. THAT'S ENTIRELY DUE TO THE RELATIONSHIP WE HAD WITH THE MEXICAN AUTHORITIES. THEIR RESPONSE TO INTELLIGENCE THAT WAS GATHERED, AND THEIR OWN INTELLIGENCE GATHERING TECHNIQUES, YOU KNOW, THAT'S REALLY WHAT PAID OFF .>> Reporter: AT THIS POINT, AUTHORITIES ARE NOT SAYING IF THEY'LL CHARGE ANYONE ELSE IN CONNECTION WITH CHADWICK'S ESCAPE. MEANTIME, THEY'RE SAVORING THEIR VICTORY. CHIEF LEWIS SAYS HE ALWAYS KNEW CHADWICK'S DAYS WERE NUMBERED. DID YOU EVER, FOR A MOMENT, THINK, " HE'S GONE FOREVER "?>> NOT IN A... NOT FOR A MINUTE. I BELIEVE IN OUR INVESTIGATORS. I BELIEVE IN OUR PROCESS. I BELIEVE IN THE... IN THE HEART OF THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT TOWARDS SOLVING THESE CASES. AND SO, MY MIND, IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE WE GOT HIM. IT WASN'T GOING TO BE AN IF; IT WAS A WHEN .>> Reporter: DID HE SEEM AT ALL RELIEVED ?>> HE DID. AT THE END, A LITTLE BIT. HE SAID SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF, " IT WAS GETTING HARD TO KEEP UP WITH THE LIES .">> POLICE SAY HE WAS CAPTURED IN MEXICO .>> Reporter: FOR KAREN THORP, Q. C. 'S CLOSE FRIEND, CHADWICK'S CAPTURE BRINGS MIXED EMOTIONS. WHAT'S IT LIKE TO SEE THAT ?>> I'M ANGRY. I'M REPULSED. I WANT TO MAKE HIM KNOW THE PAIN THAT EVERYBODY ELSE SUFFERED .>> Reporter: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD WAS THAT HE WAS AT A RESORT IN MEXICO. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT ?>> OUTRAGEOUS. SOMEBODY WHO COULD DO THIS TO HER AND THEN LIVE THE HIGH LIFE IS JUST A TESTAMENT TO HIS COLDNESS AND HIS DEPRAVITY .>> Reporter: AND THAT COLDNESS, INVESTIGATORS SAY, EXTENDED TO CHADWICK'S WILLINGNESS TO ABANDON HIS THREE SONS FOREVER .>> OUR INVESTIGATION SHOWS THAT PETER CHADWICK NEVER INTENDED TO RETURN FROM MEXICO. HE HAD NO INTENTIONS OF COMING BACK TO ORANGE COUNTY TO FACE TRIAL OR RAISE THE THREE SONS THAT HE'D ABANDONED. SPEAKING OF THE BOYS, OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THEM. WE'D ASK THAT EVERYONE RESPECT THEIR PRIVACY DURING THIS INCREDIBLY EMOTIONAL TIME .>> Reporter: WE DON'T KNOW HOW THE CHADWICK BOYS HAVE REACTED TO THEIR FATHER'S CAPTURE, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT IN RECENT MONTHS KAREN THORP TOLD US THEY'VE BEEN DOING WELL. DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HOW THE BOYS ARE DOING ?>> THEY'RE REALLY, REALLY STRONG. REALLY, REALLY SUPPORTED BY Q. C. 'S FAMILY. THERE'S SO MUCH LOVE AROUND THEM AND SO MUCH LOVE FOR THEM. THEY'VE REALLY... THEY'VE CONTINUED TO FLOURISH IN SPITE OF... OF THIS TRAGEDY .>> Reporter: AND THAT IS A FITTING TRIBUTE TO A DEDICATED MOM WHOSE LIFE WAS CUT SO SHORT .>> WE LOST IN Q. C. A MOTHER WHO CARED FOR HER CHILDREN DEEPLY AND WHO LOVED LIFE AND LOVED VIBRANCY, AND LOVED TO GIVE HER CHILDREN ALL THAT SHE POSSIBLY COULD . >>\ AN IRISH WIDOWER MARRIES HIS \ AMERICAN AU PAIR .>> ... COUNTY 911 .>> MY SON- IN- LAW GOT IN A FIGHT WITH MY DAUGHTER. I MAY HAVE KILLED HIM .>> Reporter: THEY CLAIMED THAT IT WAS SELF- DEFENSE .>> THE MARTENS DIDN'T JUST MURDER JASON. THEY TRIED TO DESTROY HIS CHARACTER .>> MY DAD, MIKE STAHLMAN, WAS A COLONEL IN THE MARINE CORPS .>> THIS WAS MY SOULMATE. THE MILITARY SAYS THAT MY HUSBAND COMMITTED SUICIDE, BUT I KNOW IT WAS MURDER. THE TRUTH NEEDS TO COME OUT . >>\ CBS NEWS, ORIGINAL REPORTING.
