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- [00:00]
Heath
Foreign. What is going on? True crime fans? I'm your host, Teeth.
- [00:17]
Daphne
And I'm your host, Daphne.
- [00:19]
Heath
And you're listening to Going West.
- [00:21]
Daphne
Hello everybody. Happy New Year. Hope you have or had a very safe New Year's Eve today. We have a very current case. This happened just a couple months before. We're recording this in Texas. We got a few recommendations for it at the time. Thank you so much to Asa, Brittany and Matthew for sending this one in.
- [00:39]
Heath
Yes, and the trial is coming up for this one pretty soon.
- [00:42]
Daphne
So soon.
- [00:43]
Heath
Which is going to be insane. I know that some of you guys have been following this case, but for those of you who have not, it is intense and we do need your help. So please make sure that you share this episode.
- [00:55]
Daphne
Yes, as always, we're going to post photos on our socials for you guys to see. So much information has come out thus far about this case and we know that her kids are desperate for more answers and more help, like Heath said. So thank you guys for tuning in. And without further ado, let's dive into it.
- [01:11]
Heath
All right, guys, this is episode 465 of Going West. So let's get into it.
- [01:37]
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- [02:49]
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- [03:52]
Daphne
In October of 2024, a 51 year old San Antonio mom went missing after visiting an explosion exclusive supper club with her husband. When word spread of her disappearance, her personal banker revealed that before she went missing, she had said ominously, if I go missing, look for me in the lake. When her husband was spotted on camera dumping garbage bags the day after she vanished, police narrowed in on him.
- [04:29]
Heath
This.
- [04:30]
Daphne
Is the Story of Suzanne Simpson Suzanne Clark was born on June 16, 1973 in San Antonio, Texas to parents Barbara and Philip Clark. She grew up alongside a sister named Teresa and they both stayed close to home in the same local area for the most part maintaining a very strong bond and a loving sister relationship. Suzanne's mom Barbara described her as easy to raise and said that she was, quote, such a joy as a child. Her sister Teresa agreed, saying that Suzanne had the sweetest disposition. One of her daughters later described her as the most joyful, devoted, beautiful, kind hearted, courageous and nurturing mother in our lives. If she had any fault, it's that she put everyone else ahead of herself. Suzanne attended the Texas Military Institute and went on to receive her Bachelor's of Science in Communications at the University of Texas in Austin, graduating in 1995 at the age of 22. And actually it was there at UT where she met her future husband, college sweetheart Brad Simpson. Brad started out his career in real estate before moving on to Cotter and Sons, which is a property management company that specializes in renting out office spaces. And then Years later in 2012 he settled at Capital well Service, which is an oil drilling company. But going back a little bit, Suzanne and Brad got married in 2002 and this year in 2024 celebrated their 22nd anniversary. Together they welcomed four children who are currently aged 20, 18, 15 and five, two of whom lived at home at the time that today's story takes place. Suzanne and Brad purchased a stunning home in Olmos park, which is located in northern San Antonio and Suzanne became a beloved member of their neighborhood. In addition to being a busy mom of four, Suzanne worked in the community as a realtor at Nick's Realty, which is a luxury real estate company co owned by her sister in law Marnie simpson.
- [07:06]
Heath
On Sunday, October 6, 2024, 51 year old Suzanne and 53 year old Brad were planning to attend an exclusive party at the Argyll, which is a members only dinner club in Alamo Heights which is just about a five minute drive from their house. Now, initially, Suzanne asked her mother Barbara, to watch their youngest daughter, who again is five years old, while she and her husband attended this party. But ultimately they wound up just deciding to attend the dinner together and bring their daughter with them. And while they were there, other members recall seeing them locked in a verbal altercation before they left for the night. So it was clear at one point that they had an argument. Now, around 8:30pm, Suzanne and their daughter left the party. And between 8:40 and 8:51pm they stopped to pick up a few things at a nearby H E B grocery store, which is only a couple blocks away from their house. So this was just gonna be, you know, a quick trip. After leaving the grocery store, Suzanne placed a call to a family friend at 9:15pm and then she and her daughter headed to the family friend's home nearby. And that's when Suzanne made another phone call, this time to her mom at 9:16pm to confide in her that Brad had hit her that night and that she was hurting, specifically her back, arm and neck. So Suzanne and her mom Barbara Talked for about eight minutes about this, hanging up at 9:24pm Just one minute later is when Suzanne arrived at this friend's house. Well, reportedly staying for a short time and then heading back home. Though the time that she arrived home has not been publicly confirmed, but we'll touch on that in just a sec. But after this is when things get a little bit fuzzy because her phone service was suspended at the request of the subscriber, meaning that someone with control of Suzanne's phone plan turned her services off, which would have been herself or her husband, Brad.
- [09:07]
Daphne
So Brad and Suzanne's 20 year old daughter, their eldest child Chandler, stated that the last update she saw of her mom's location via the Find My app showed her at home at 10.22pm, meaning she would have been at her friend's house for just under an hour. Right after 10:22pm Is when Suzanne's phone was turned off, proving that she at least had made it home, you know, due to Chandler being able to see her location there. Now, regarding the phone's disconnection, it was discovered that Brad accessed the family's AT&T account via their app after Suzanne left the Argyll after their fight, which contradicted a story he later told about Suzanne losing her phone at heb, which is that grocery store that she stopped at after she left the Argyll, which obviously we know is not true. She didn't lose her phone at H E B because she made calls after she left H E B and then Chandler, of course, location for her phone being at home later that night. So this doesn't make any Sense. Now, after 11:00pm that night, which again was Sunday, October 6, 2024, Brad's phone also went offline and wasn't turned back on again until the next day, Monday, October 7th. So I'm just gonna recap that again really quick because I know I'm throwing a lot of times and dates at you, but just remember, 10:22pm was the last ping on Suzanne's phone showing her phone and presumably her at home with Brad's phone going offline at 11:00pm so about 40 minutes later. Well, between 10 and 11:00pm so between these two events, Suzanne and Brad's neighbor across the street heard shouting so loud that he thought it was coming from right outside his window. As the neighbor peered outside, he reportedly saw the couple engaged in a physical altercation and said that Suzanne was actively trying to run away from Brad and outside as he attempted to drag her back into their San Antonio house. The report the neighbor later gave the Police read, quote, Ms. Simpson was attempting to get away from Mr. Simpson's grasp as he tried to pull her downwards. Then the report continued, saying that Brad, quote, was clearly attempting to keep Ms. Simpson from running away.
- [11:33]
Heath
The neighbors stayed in his home, and shortly after witnessing this, they heard two or three screams from the bushes outside coming from the east side of his home. And these screams were actually so alarming and startling that he grabbed his flashlight and headed outside to investigate what was happening. But he didn't see Suzanne or Brad again that night. So of course, it wasn't clear at that moment what those screams were from. Though having just seen Suzanne and Brad's altercation, he wondered if the screams were coming from Suzanne. But for unknown reasons, this neighbor declined to report what he had seen to police that night. Now, about an hour after this occurred, the neighbor recalls seeing Brad heading away from his home in his black 2019 GMC pickup truck. Brad then returned an hour or two after this, and it was later confirmed via surveillance footage that he had also gone to the HEB grocery store that night. The next day, again, which was Monday, October 7th, Suzanne, who was a busy working mother with an active social schedule, missed commitments and wasn't responsive to any texts or any phone calls. So because of this, within hours, her friends and family were really beginning to panic. Knowing that it was totally unlike Suzanne to go off the grid, a few of her friends contacted Brad for hope of answers, but he just approached the situation Casually and didn't really seem concerned about his wife's absence. So Brad basically said that he had seen her that morning asleep in bed when he headed out to drop their youngest daughter off at school. But during the day, Suzanne missed a scheduled salon appointment. And regarding this, her sister Teresa said, quote, the big first red flag was when she missed her hair appointment. Nobody misses a hair appointment.
- [13:25]
Daphne
Yeah, as many of us know, in these days, if you miss a hair appointment, you still have to pay for the services. And for those who can't look at pictures. Yet, Suzanne was a blonde who clearly kept up her appearance. So she uncharacteristically missed her hair appointment. And she's not responding to any of her friends or family.
- [13:43]
Heath
Yeah, and even more alarming than that was when Suzanne missed the 3pm pickup at their daughter's school. The school called Brad to alert him of this pretty quickly, and around 3:30pm he arrived to pick her up instead. Well, later that evening, a friend of Suzanne's called him to urge him to report 51 year old Suzanne's disappearance to the police, which he did not do. So she wound up reporting it herself at 9:57pm that day, roughly 24 hours since Suzanne had last been seen. And then minutes after this, at 10pm, Brad finally reported his wife missing as well. But that would actually be the first and last time that he would help in this investigation into her sudden and unsettling disappearance.
- [14:32]
Daphne
The next day, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, investigators planned to speak with Brad Simpson. But suspiciously, he declined to show up for an interview. And instead of aiding in the search efforts like, you know, a lot of other husbands would do when their wives are missing or even just sticking close by, he fled to his ranch property in Bandera county, which is about an hour northwest of San Antonio. That same day, a surprising and devastating witness was vocal about what she had seen on that fateful Sunday night. Basically, Suzanne and Brad's youngest child, at just five years old, came forward to tell a teacher at her school that she had seen her father, Brad, strike her mother. Suzanne then throw her into a wall and take her phone on the night of her disappearance, all right in front of her. So with that and his strange and unhelpful behavior, police apprehended him at their Bandera county home, which, remember, is their second house. And there they found Brad burning some of his electronics, including a laptop and multiple cell phones.
- [15:45]
Heath
Yeah. Why? Why would you be doing this, Brad?
- [15:48]
Daphne
Well, a forensic search of these devices revealed two notes that Brad had typed up, one entitled this Next life. And the other was called Last will and Testament.
- [15:59]
Heath
Yeah. And if that doesn't say all you need to know, then I don't know what would.
- [16:03]
Daphne
No, truly. And in the last will and testament, shockingly, he apologized for physically attacking Suzanne on October 6, which is the last day that she was seen, as well as in August of 2023. So he's like, he typed this out that he's, he's admitting to assaulting her.
- [16:21]
Heath
But the weird thing here is if he was planning on maybe not being on this planet anymore, why was he going through the trouble of, you know, burning this laptop and the phones? Maybe he was thinking that, oh, well, I'm gonna try and get away, but if the cops corner me, then I'll take my own life or something.
- [16:37]
Daphne
Or I wonder if he wrote it and then he decided that he didn't want to confess, so he's like burning all the evidence. You know what I mean?
- [16:43]
Heath
Yeah.
- [16:44]
Daphne
Especially because they have kids, he has a family that he's close to. This is not, this would not bode well for, for him, his reputation, his family, if this were to come out, if he were to be caught for doing what we all know he did. As we're going to see more as this story unfolds. And actually this, this very next detail is incredibly disturbing because also recovered in the extensive search of the Simpson property was Suzanne's DNA on a motorized handsaw that belongs to Brad. Though he had tried to conceal the saw from police, 53 year old Brad Simpson was arrested on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. So all of this unraveled within three days of her disappearance. And although at this point they could not yet locate Suzanne's body, Brad could be arrested on charges of family violence and unlawful restraint because they at least knew that he had been abusive towards her. But at this point, of course, knowing that she's missing, they surmised that Brad had likely taken her life. But they were determined to find her and figure out exactly what happened to her. The arrest warrant read that investigators had every reason to believe that, quote, there are no signs of Suzanne Simpson being alive since Brad Simpson physically assaulted her. This has been verified by Suzanne Simpson's cell phone records, financial records, family friends and coworkers. All family friends and co workers agree the victim would never willingly abandon her children. Also, responding officers remarked that Brad hadn't even seemed surprised that he was being arrested or concerned that Suzanne was missing, nor did he question why he was being arrested, which also really says it all. When he was Brought in to be interviewed, officers noted that he had multiple lacerations and bruises on his hands and arms, which just goes to show you that he was definitely in some type of physical altercation.
- [18:45]
Heath
Yeah. And it, it definitely appears that she was trying to defend herself.
- [18:49]
Daphne
Yeah, absolutely. And of course, matching this up with what the neighbor said about seeing them in a fight, seeing him dragging Suzanne into the house, and that he has, you know, the, the physical proof of that on his body. So while police are questioning him and all these discoveries are being made, Suzanne's friends and neighbors gather to search the neighborhood and the vicinity of the couple's home, which is more than anyone can say about Brad. The searches, sadly yielded no sign of Suzanne, but investigators did uncover a trail of evidence that led right back to Brad.
- [19:27]
Heath
So teaming up with the Texas Rangers, the Almost park police department obtained a search warrant for the Simpson family home, which, again, is where Suzanne and Brad lived with two of their four children, aged 15 and five.
- [19:40]
Daphne
Yeah, so they've already searched the Bandera property, and now it's time to search the house that Suzanne was last known to be at.
- [19:47]
Heath
Exactly. Well, as they searched within the home, police noticed that on the wall at the bottom of the staircase, there was an indentation that appeared as if something or someone had been thrown into it. They also recovered a box of heavy duty trash bags, which they were able to trace back to the purchases that Brad made the day after Suzanne vanished. Stringing together his movements, using surveillance footage and tracking his location via his phone, the Almost park police were able to follow him around on what was developing into a criminal cover up right before their very eyes. So let's go back to that Monday for a second, because according to Brad's arrest warrant, he had dropped off their daughter at school on the morning of Monday, October 7, with those large heavy duty trash bags and a cooler in the bed of his truck. Around 9:15am Brad then stopped by a Whataburger fast food restaurant in Bernie, Texas, located 30 minutes northwest of San Antonio. With this Whataburger and Whataburgers in general being 24 hour burger joints, Brad grabbed something off the breakfast menu, which could be a part of someone's normal routine, but it becomes a disturbing stop when you realize that via security footage, investigators spotted the following items still in the back of his vehicle. Three white trash bags, the cooler that I just mentioned, a large plastic trash can, and what was simply described as a large, bulky item, which was wrapped up in a blue tarp and weighed down with a firewood rack About 40 minutes later, at 9:53am, Brad stopped at a Home Depot in the same town of Bernie, Texas, being spotted on video surveillance purchasing a bucket with a lid, a box of even more heavy duty trash bags, Clorox brand disinfectant spray, insect repellent and two bags of cement. For all of this, he paid in cash. And remember, this is just 12 hours after Suzanne was last seen. So very, very suspicious. Then after Brad exited the store with his purchases, he actually stopped a man in the parking lot to ask for directions to the nearest landfill. He drove away in his truck with the items in the back and took his phone offline so that it would not report location data.
- [22:17]
Daphne
Insane.
- [22:18]
Heath
Yeah, and I also want you guys to understand that when he dropped his daughter off at school, his five year old fucking daughter off at school, it's probably likely that Suzanne, well, her body was in the back of his truck.
- [22:33]
Daphne
Which is why, like you said, it's so disturbing as well that he's just kind of stopping for breakfast with that being the truth.
- [22:39]
Heath
Yeah. And this, this really reminds me of the Scott Peterson case. Yes, well, the Lacy Peterson case when he stops at In N Out after finding out that Lacy and Connor were just found in the bay and he just orders off the menu like nothing even happened.
- [22:54]
Daphne
Yeah, exactly. It's almost like how do you have an appetite when this is a situation? And it's not to say that oh, he can't stop at Whataburger for food, but just knowing what his routine was. And then he goes to Home Depot and he makes all those purchases. He asked for directions to a landfill. Like these are really disturbing movements.
- [23:11]
Heath
Yes, they very much are.
- [23:13]
Daphne
Well, after this, Brad's next movements are unknown. But in the hours following on that Monday morning, his truck was pictured leaving the dump in Bernie. Then he stopped by a gas station and purchased two jugs of water. In the back of the truck, the blue tarp, trash can and firewood rack remained, but the trash bags were gone. And let's just remember what I just said, that he had just gone to the dump. So he, he disposed of something at the dump. Now, at this point, Brad had also changed from sandals into cowboy boots. Not sure what that's about, but after leaving the gas station, he appeared to be heading west toward the Bandera property. Remember, this is their other home. At 1:41pm his car was captured by a license plate reader heading back east towards San Antonio again, where their main family home was located. This time the tarp was no longer visible and the firewood rack had been repositioned to a different place in the bed of the truck. Which goes to show us that, you know, after visiting his other property, he removed the trash can and whatever was in the tarp was disposed of because you can't see it anymore on the surveillance footage.
- [24:33]
Heath
It is truly amazing to me that police basically have this timeline based on these items that are disappearing from the bed of the truck. It's like, oh, now at this time, this is now gone. From the bed of truck. The bed of the truck. Oh, at this time, now this is gone. It's like, crazy that they're putting this to get, like, piecing it together.
- [24:53]
Daphne
Yeah. Honestly, it's amazing because that does show us that, okay, this was disposed of here. This was disposed of here.
- [24:59]
Heath
Right.
- [25:00]
Daphne
Obviously, we don't know what is inside the tarp, what's inside the bag specifically, but we know where they are going.
- [25:06]
Heath
Right. And we don't know exactly where these things were disposed of, but we have kind of a general idea or area.
- [25:13]
Daphne
Exactly. So then at 3pm his daughter's school called to inform him that no one had come to pick her up, which was a responsibility that usually belonged to Suzanne. Of course, Brad feigned surprise at this. What? Suzanne didn't come to pick her up and reported to the school to fetch his daughter instead, which, like we said, happened at around 3. 3:30pm when he arrived to the school, the firewood rack was no longer in the back of the truck. So again, we're getting more of these. These steps here.
- [25:44]
Heath
And remember, he was setting things on fire at his Bandera property.
- [25:48]
Daphne
Yes, exactly. Well, 45 minutes later, he was seen at a car wash scrubbing dried cement splatters out of the bed of his truck. Remember earlier this day, he went and bought two bags of cement, meaning if there's splatters on his truck, he poured this cement somewhere.
- [26:06]
Heath
He used it. Yes.
- [26:08]
Daphne
After receiving calls from her friends urging Brad to report his wife missing, he obliged at 10pm that evening. But the next day, he headed back to the Bandera property, evading his interview with police, which, again, is not what a husband should be doing when he's looking for his wife. On the way, he called his brother, Barton Simpson.
- [26:33]
Heath
Whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Somebody named their son Bart Simpson. This.
- [26:37]
Daphne
This must. This had to have been before the Simpsons came out.
- [26:39]
Heath
No, it had to have.
- [26:40]
Daphne
Yeah, but this poor guy has probably gotten that his whole life. Well, Barton relayed to the police that Brad had called him to apologize for being burdensome and causing trouble to the family. Meanwhile, the rest of Suzanne's large community were catching on to the news that she was still missing over 24 hours since she had last been spotted in the midst of a physical altercation with her husband. Their eldest daughter, Chandler, was in New York at the time and was informed by one of her mom, Suzanne's friends that she had vanished. Suzanne's sister Teresa was in Hong Kong at the time, embarking upon what she called the trip of a lifetime, when Chandler reached out to alert her that her sister Suzanne, you know, Teresa's sister Suzanne, was missing. But strangely, Teresa recalled having a feeling that something was wrong before her sister disappeared. And I mean, this is so real. This is actually exactly what my mom says she felt before she learned that her sister had suddenly gone missing in the 80s.
- [27:47]
Heath
Yeah, I remember actually your mom talking about that.
- [27:49]
Daphne
Yeah, she said her story was like she was in. She was in a store holding a bunch of rolls of wallpaper, and she literally just released a scream like my mom did. And she just got this overwhelming sense of dread. And then shortly after that, she learned that her sister was missing. And to this day, we presume that she was murdered, but actually in a very similar situation to Suzanne, actually. And we do hear this a lot, like kind of an intuition.
- [28:15]
Heath
Yeah, yeah, we have talked about this many times on this show where a mother or sister just kind of like has this very strange feeling before anything even happens.
- [28:26]
Daphne
Exactly. So when Teresa learned that something was actually wrong, she abandoned her Hong Kong trip and raced back to San Antonio to aid in the search efforts and be present for her family. Teresa said later, quote, it's inconceivable. I knew she wasn't alive. Suzanne doesn't go missing. I knew immediately that my sister was gone.
- [29:02]
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- [30:13]
Heath
Now, in addition to Brad's admission that he physically abused his wife on at least two occasions, he had a history of erratic controlling behavior and intense jealousy, though the names therein have been withheld. Police printed in the arrest warrant affidavit that back In September of 2023, he texted someone saying, I still feel bad about tonight. I never should have grabbed her phone and drove off. But she was so protective of it. My dumbass didn't know her passcode, so I got locked out and had to bring it back. I really have no interest in looking through her phone or anybody else's. These devices are the devil. And it's so stupid to me because it's like, okay, you clearly stole her phone so that you could look through it, and now you're saying, well, no, I didn't have any interest in doing that. Yeah, you did.
- [31:03]
Daphne
And it seemed like this was kind of a thing of his to take her phone or to be in control of her phone or her plan or whatever was going on there. So strange.
- [31:11]
Heath
Well, we do know as we're gonna get into that there was, you know, some trouble in their marriage at this point. So he was probably under the assumption that he needed to keep tabs on her because it seems like she had been planning to leave for a while. But anyway, the affidavit also alleges that In August of 2024, Suzanne had confided in her personal banker that she was being physically abused by her husband, Brad. She also said that he would regularly take her phone away from her to punish her, which matches up with what Brad admitted to doing the year prior in that text that I just read. And she said that he would lie to the children about it, telling them that she had lost it. Eerily, her banker also informed the Texas Rangers. Suzanne Simpson advised her that if she went missing to look for her in a lake.
- [32:03]
Daphne
And just knowing that her banker is somebody, you know, somewhat in her personal life, but not enough to be biased. Not somebody who's there, you know, part of family functions.
- [32:14]
Heath
Yeah, like an outsider.
- [32:15]
Daphne
Yeah, an outsider, but kind of to say, I don't know, like, such a serious thing, like, if I go missing, look for me in a lake, is such a. It's terrifyingly foreshadowing. But also the fact that she's even saying that to somebody who is an outsider, knowing that she was living with that fear that something could happen her, and she's trusting this, like, quasi stranger with that information.
- [32:39]
Heath
And, you know, the really sad part here is that Suzanne's mom, Barbara, admits that October 6 was not the first time that she heard accusations of abuse at Brad's hands coming from her daughter.
- [32:50]
Daphne
Yeah. So other people in her life knew that she was being abused as well.
- [32:54]
Heath
Yes. So when Barbara was interviewed, she said, my speculation is maybe the whole thing is alcohol related. Positing that Brad, you know, maybe had too much to drink at the party at the Argyll that night. But we also don't know that for sure. Sadly, Barbara added that Suzanne seemed ready to get away from Brad. She explained, when she got back, she called me up and told me the things that Brad had done to her physically. Well, I came up with an alternative plan for her and hoped that she would move in with me and have her little toddler go to the elementary school in my neighborhood. I never got to tell her that plan.
- [33:34]
Daphne
On October 13, 2024. So one week after she went missing, a prayer vigil was held in honor of 51 year old Suzanne Simpson. In the days following the prayer vigil, investigators commenced a comprehensive search of the landfill that Brad's truck was allegedly spotted at. You know, because especially with the. The surveillance footage and the deducing that we were talking about earlier that they were able to do using the footage, they know that he must have gotten rid of something at that landfill. But they actually searched this for four days, and a large section was cordoned off for searching, you know, to make sure that nothing was tampered with or disposed of. But unfortunately, this did not turn up any sign of Suzanne. And as many of us know, landfills are huge, so it's truly like looking for a needle in a haystack.
- [34:26]
Heath
Yeah. I mean, the fact that they had to spend four days going through the landfill kind of just tells you really how big that landfill was.
- [34:34]
Daphne
Yeah. And it might have been too late, you know, if they weren't able to find anything. But we feel confident that he's disposed of something there anyway. You know, maybe they weren't looking in the right area or it was, like I said, too late. Like, this is a tough situation.
- [34:48]
Heath
It really is.
- [34:50]
Daphne
However, despite the lack of a body, the charges against Brad Simpson continued to stack up, and two new ones were added, including tampering with evidence and a weapons charge after a previously concealed, illegally modified AK47 rifle was found among his belongings at the Bandera property. This gun had been concealed by Brad's friend and former business partner, 65 year old James Cotter. And at Brad's insistence, James had hidden it inside one of the walls of the Bandera property where it was later discovered by the police.
- [35:29]
Heath
So it's kind of weird that he's asking his business partner to hide this gun inside of a wall, like weird?
- [35:36]
Daphne
Yeah, I mean it definitely seems like they were a lot closer than just business partners. I'm actually going to read a quote in a minute that totally proves that, but basically. A post arrest search of Brad's phone revealed text messages between the two of them. And Brad had basically reached out to James to help him cover up the crime. But instead of reporting it to the police, James agreed to help Brad and rushed to his friend's aid. At 4:30pm on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, Brad Simpson texted James saying, if you're in Bandera, can you haul ass and meet me at your house? I don't have much time. James quickly responded saying, I will be there in 40 minutes. To this Brad said, okay, make sure and leave all that shit into the pump house, especially the gun. A few hours later, James followed up by saying, get over here. I won't tell anyone you're my brother. On October 21, James Cotter was also arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. So he was getting caught in all sorts of ways. He, he lied to the police twice in interviews about Brad's illegal gun. There's these incriminating text messages and prosecutor Casey Sandoval said with disgust, quote, he has shown he is going to do everything it takes to protect Brad Simpson. Well, unlike Brad, James posted bond almost immediately after his bond was reduced from $1 million to $100,000. However, he was forbidden from having any contact with Brad Simpson. He can't go anywhere near a firearm and he is being required to wear an ankle monitor.
- [37:24]
Heath
Now, by contrast, Brad's own family has been incredibly instrumental to the investigation and they wanted nothing more than to help provide answers for Suzanne's family. They've even been outspoken about wanting answers from Brad. His brother Barton issued a statement on behalf of the family that read, we have faith in our criminal justice system and believe that the grand jury has done their sworn duty to review the evidence and determine that it is sufficient to move forward to trial. We ask him to accept responsibility and place himself at the mercy of the court. It is our sincere hope that through accountability, healing can begin for everyone affected by this devastating Loss. In a later interview, Barton said it's essential to assist investigators, especially in a case where a mother of four is missing. As both a husband and a father, I find it unimaginable that anyone would withhold cooperation when a loved one's life may be in jeopardy. In this situation, cooperation could provide answers to help the family find closure or move forward. For Brad to refuse to assist, even if it poses some risk to himself, demonstrates a lack of empathy for those he claims to love.
- [38:41]
Daphne
Honestly, kudos to Barton for saying that, like, we see a lot of family members of perpetrators stay unconditionally loyal to them, like, even when there is clear evidence proving that they are at fault for something horrific. So good on them for doing the right thing. And, like, holding this stance for the sake of Suzanne's memory and her children and her family.
- [39:02]
Heath
Yeah, it's incredible because, you know, Brad's business partner slash friend is trying to help cover up this crime.
- [39:10]
Daphne
Yeah.
- [39:10]
Heath
And Barton, who is extremely goaded, by the way, is honestly trying to hold Brad accountable. And Brad's mother actually has also spoken with the press. And though she admitted, I'm in total disbelief, she also emphasized, we do need privacy, and that's all we're asking for, because our only concern right now are these children and these grandchildren. Barton has announced to the media that Suzanne's children are doing as well as they possibly could given the circumstances. But obviously, this is still so fresh, and I just can't even imagine what these children are going through at this point.
- [39:46]
Daphne
Yeah, truly.
- [39:48]
Heath
Well, despite an exhaustive search of the landfill, as well as the inside and outside of both of the couple's houses, no trace of Suzanne has been found. Law enforcement has, however, maintained that they believe her remains are somewhere in Bandera. Teresa has maintained that she will bring her sister home, saying, I am here to be a voice for my sister, and the search will continue, and we will not stop until we find her. We are going to bring Suzanne home because Suzanne was an incredible mother, daughter, sister, and she was a beloved person of the San Antonio community who was born and raised in San Antonio. We are so grateful that Suzanne has a large tribe and a large family because we are determined to find her. Though he mostly declined to speak with investigators and certainly declined to help, Brad Simpson told a judge at a hearing on October 29 that he believed Suzanne was in Austin with her beloved sorority sisters because that was her, quote, happy place.
- [40:52]
Daphne
What the hell?
- [40:53]
Heath
That's just such a deflection and such a bullshit statement.
- [40:57]
Daphne
It's a bad deflection it really is.
- [41:00]
Heath
Well, after that, he declined to speak with law enforcement again, at the insistence of his attorneys.
- [41:06]
Daphne
Teresa has requested privacy as Suzanne's four beloved children essentially battle the loss of both of their parents. But the couple's oldest daughter, 20 year old Chandler, has bravely spoken out against her father on Instagram, writing quote, to the community of Alamo Heights. My mom was a victim of abuse from my father. My father took my mother's life in a state of rage and control. In our community. This should not be happening. And I will not stop speaking as the voice of my mother until she is found. I will forever represent all victims of domestic abuse and assault. As my mother's daughter, I will tell our story over and over again with every breath. I will make sure you remember her name. Suzanne Simpson was a victim of abuse and a victim of this community. Beyond being a victim, she was a phenomenal mother. Hardworking, driven, loving and kind. Shame on my community for not speaking about domestic violence within Alamo Heights. Women are marginalized by society and misogyny every day and are told to keep their mouths shut. This is the time to speak. Speak for my mom. Speak for yourself. Your voice will be heard. My mom fought for her life, fought for her family and herself. Our community needs to come forward with strength and bring awareness and change to uplift the women who brought us life. Those who choose to remain silent are choosing to blind themselves from domestic violence in our homes. My mother tried to leave my father and lost her life. If you stand with my mother and our family, please be present at my Dad's hearing on November 13th in San Antonio, Texas. Stand with us in silence for my mother. Justice will be served and my mom will be brought home. Shame on Alamo Heights for not educating the youth and community on domestic violence and sexual assault. As women across the world suffer in silence as victims. Any women of the Alamo Heights community that has experienced any kind of verbal, physical or sexual abuse, this is your time to speak. Be strong like my mother and speak up.
- [43:27]
Heath
But before they could reach this court date, the Texas Rangers would once again question Brad Simpson and wound up officially charging him with his wife's murder on November 7, 2024. On December 3, 2024, Brad was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges despite the lack of body. In addition to a first degree felony murder charge, he was charged with a third degree felony for owning prohibited weapons, another third degree felony for tampering with and even fabricating physical evidence, and a second degree felony for tampering with evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse. He is currently being held on a $5 million bail. Brad faces between two years and life in prison when his case goes to trial, which is actually scheduled for February of 2024 5, which is actually about six weeks after we're recording this episode. On December 10th, a gag order was issued to protect the integrity of the ongoing nature of the investigation. So we do imagine that much more information will be released during the February trial. The family has thanked the massive grassroots search efforts and all of the agencies who continue to work together, including three different police departments, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Texas Rangers. But frustratingly, Suzanne's remains have not yet been accounted for. If you have any information about the whereabouts of Suzanne Simpson, please call the Almost Park Police Department at 210-822.
- [45:21]
Daphne
Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.
- [45:25]
Heath
Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. If you want to see photos from this episode, head on over to our socials. We're on Instagram @goingwest podcast and we're also on Facebook.
- [45:36]
Daphne
Yes. And please guys, make sure you share this episode or at least share Suzanne's story. We're going to post a missing poster for her. You know, despite everything we talked about in this episode, she is to still technically missing. So we want to spread the word on her, especially if you are in Texas or the San Antonio area. So yeah, thank you guys so much for tuning in. We hope you had, have or had an amazing New Year's depending on when you're listening to this. But yeah, we love you guys so much and we'll see you in 2025.
- [46:05]
Heath
All right, guys, so for everybody out.
- [46:07]
Daphne
There in the world, don't be a strange.