Pegye Jann Bechler was 38 when she disappeared on July 6, 1997, while boating with her husband off Newport Beach, California. The couple had rented a speedboat to celebrate their fifth anniversary and Pegye’s birthday. According to Eric Bechler, a rogue wave knocked him off a bodyboard; when he surfaced the boat was circling and his wife was gone. The Coast Guard searched but Pegye’s body was never recovered.

Family members questioned the accident account because Pegye was a strong swimmer and a triathlete. In the months after her disappearance Eric attempted to collect more than $2 million in life insurance, and later his girlfriend Tina New reported that he had confessed to killing Pegye. New recorded conversations after agreeing to wear a wire for police. In November 1999 Eric Bechler was arrested and charged with murder; he went to trial in late 2000. The jury convicted him of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to life without parole.

Does anyone have information about Pegye’s activities or the day she disappeared that could help clarify what happened?