The search for a missing Texas mother is in its third week, as police continue to investigate her disappearance, which resulted in the arrest of her husband and business partner.
Suzanne Simpson, 51, a mother of four, was last seen outside her San Antonio house on the morning of October 7 by a neighbor. According to NBC affiliate WOAI, neighbors phoned police after seeing her yelling with her husband, Brad Simpson.
According to the police report obtained by WOAI, a neighbor witnessed the pair physically arguing, with Brad Simpson “grabbing her upper torso area to gain control of her body.” The neighbor heard screams from the surrounding woods, and Brad Simpson’s truck drove away an hour later. Barbara Clark, Suzanne Simpson’s mother, told WOAI last week that she was aware of one previous physical confrontation between the pair. Clark stated that she did not comprehend what had occurred before her daughter’s disappearance.
“It wasn’t part of their life or his conduct, and I’ve known him a long time,” Clark told me. She told the channel at a candlelight vigil that she does not believe her daughter is still alive. Brad Simpson was arrested on October 10 and faces two charges of family assault, according to court documents. The San Antonio Public Defender’s Office, representing Simpson, declined to comment to NBC News on Wednesday.
A federal complaint against him was filed in the Western District of Texas the day after he was arrested. According to the complaint, he is accused of unlawfully possessing a short-barrel rifle known as a Grand Power Stribog SP9 A3, which was not registered to him. The firearm was discovered during a warranted search of the Simpson house on October 9. According to the complaint, it was turned over to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, and Explosives as part of the probe.
Brad Simpson’s business associate, James Vallee Cotter, was detained on suspicion of tampering with evidence. The Texas Department of Public Safety reported his arrest on Tuesday but declined to disclose further. Olmos Park police are searching for Suzanne Simpson with the assistance of the state Public Safety Department, including digging through a dump for any evidence of her, but have come up empty. “No evidence was found after an extensive search that included digging and sifting through municipal solid waste,” the Public Safety Department stated Thursday.
