Missing Newport Mom's Body Found in Dumpster, Medical Examiner Confirms

The body found in a dumpster in rural San Diego County was confirmed Friday as Quee "Q.C." Chadwick, the Newport Coast mom who had been missing since last week, the District Attorney's Office reported.

An autopsy conducted by the San Diego County Coroner this afternoon confirmed the body was that of 46-year-old Quee Chadwick. The cause of death was not yet determined, officials said.

Chadwick's body was found at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the 1200 block of Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside.

Peter Gregory Chadwick, 48, was arrested last Thursday near the border in his Lexus sport utility vehicle and later charged with murdering his wife. He later pleaded not guilty to murder for financial gain, a sentencing enhancement that makes him eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors say the Chadwicks were discussing a divorce, but it's not known who was the driving force in that conversation. Investigators were combing over the couple's computers for evidence.

Police were alerted to the couple's $2-million Newport Coast home on Almanzora the day before Peter Chadwick's arrest, when his wife failed to pick up their children -- ages 8, 10 and 14 -- from school. Another parent drove the kids home and called police. A search of the family's home turned up blood and signs of a struggle, prosecutors said.

Peter Chadwick was being held without bail at the Orange County Jail. He will return to court on Oct. 26 for a pretrial hearing.