Going West: True Crime - Suzanne Simpson // 465

Episode Date: January 1, 2025

In October of 2024, a 51-year-old San Antonio mom went missing after visiting an exclusive supper club with her husband. When word spread of her disappearance, her personal banker revealed that, before her disappearance, 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. This is the story of Suzanne Simpson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is going on true crime fans? I'm your host T and I'm your host Daphne and you're listening to going west. 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. Yes. And the trial is coming up for this one pretty soon. So soon. 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. 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 Keith said. So thank you guys for tuning in and without further ado, let's dive into it. Get groceries delivered across the GTA from real Canadian Superstore with PC Express. Shop online for super prices and super savings.

Try it today and get up to $75 in PC Optimum Points. Visit superstore.ca to get started. At New Balance, we believe if you run, you're a runner, however you choose to do it. Because when you're not worried about doing things the right way, you're free to discover your way. And that's what running is all about. Run your way at newbalance.com slash running. you In October of 2024, a 51-year-old San Antonio mom went missing after visiting an 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. Suzanne Clark was born on June 16th, 1973 in San Antonio, Texas to parents Barbara and Phillip 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, quote, the sweetest disposition. One of her daughters later described her as, quote, 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

and 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 & 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

mama for 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. On Sunday, October 6, 2024, 51-year-old Suzanne and 53-year-old Brad were planning to attend an exclusive party at the Argyle, 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 8.30 p.m. Suzanne and their daughter left the party and between 8.40 and 8.51 p.m. They stopped to pick up a few things at a nearby HEB grocery store, which is only a couple blocks away from their house. So this was just gonna be, which is only a couple blocks away from their house. So this was just going to 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 8 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, quote,

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. 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 10.22 p.m.,

meaning she would have been at her friend's house for just under an hour. Right after 10 22 p.m. 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 Argyle 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 Argyle, which obviously we know is not true. She didn't lose her phone at HEB because she made calls after she left HE Argyle, 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, saw her location for her phone being at home later that night. So this doesn't make any sense. Now after 11 PM that night, which again was Sunday, October 6th, 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 going to recap that again really quick because I know I'm throwing a lot of times and dates at you, but just remember 10 22 PM was the last ping on Suzanne's phone showing her phone and presumably her at home, with Brad's phone going offline at 11 p.m., so about 40 minutes later. Well, between 10 and 11 p.m., 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, "'Miss 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 Miss Simpson from running away. The neighbor 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, you know, 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. 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. Yeah, and even more alarming than that was when Suzanne missed the 3 p.m. pick up at their daughter's school. The school called Brad to alert him of this pretty quickly, and around 3.30 p.m. 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. The next day, on Tuesday, October 8th, 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 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. Yeah, why would you be doing this, Brad? 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. Yeah, and if that doesn't say all you need to know, then I don't know what would. No, truly. And in the Last Will and Testament, shockingly, he apologized for physically attacking Suzanne on October 6th, 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 admitting to assaulting her 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 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? Yeah. Especially because they have kids. He has a family that he's close to. This is not, this would not bode well 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 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 9th, 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 coworkers agree the victim would never willingly abandon her children. Also, responding officers remarked that Brad and coworkers 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 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. Yeah, and it definitely appears that she was trying to defend herself. 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 then he has, you know, 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 gathered 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. 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. 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. 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 7th, 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 Burnie, 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, you know, 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. Insane. 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. 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. Yeah, and this really reminds me of the Scott Peterson case. Yes. Well, the Lacey Peterson case when he stops it in and out after finding out that Lacey and Connor were just found in the bay.

And he just orders off the menu like nothing even happened. 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,'t stop at water burger for food but just knowing what his routine was and then he goes to Home Depot and he makes all those purchases he asks for directions to a landfill like these are really disturbing movements yes they very much are 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 burning. 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 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 1.41 pm, his car was captured by a license plate reader, toward the Bandera property. Remember, this is their other home. At 1.41 p.m., his car was captured by a license plate reader heading back east toward 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. 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 better truck the better 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 Yeah, honestly, it's amazing because that does show us that okay. This was disposed of here. This was disposed of here, right?

Obviously, we don't know what is inside the tarp what's inside the bag specifically, but we know where show us that, okay, this was disposed of here. This was disposed of here. Right. Obviously we don't know what is inside the tarp, what's inside the bag specifically, but we know where they are going. Right, and we don't know exactly where these things were disposed of, but we have kind of a general idea or area. Exactly, so then at 3 p.m.,

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 Fain surprised 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 3.30 PM. 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. And remember, he was setting things on fire at his Bandera property. 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. He used it, yes. After receiving calls from her friends urging Brad to report his wife missing, he obliged at 10 p.m. 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. Whoa, wait wait wait wait wait. Somebody named their son Bart Simpson? This must, this had to have been before the Simpsons came out. No it had to have been, 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 and barking upon what she called the trip of a lifetime. Suzanne's sister, Teresa, was in Hong Kong at the time and barking 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 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 eighties. Yeah, I remember actually your mom talking about that.

Yeah, she said her story was like, 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. Yeah, yeah, we have talked about this many times on this show where a mother or sister just kind of, 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. 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. At New Balance, we believe if you run, you're a runner, however you choose to do it. Because when you're not worried about doing things the right way, you're free to discover

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The Agency, new series now streaming exclusively on Paramount+. 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, quote, I still feel bad about tonight. I never should have grabbed her phone and drove off, but she was so protective of it. My dumb ass 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. 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. Right. So strange. 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, quote, Susan Simpson advised her that, if she went missing, to look for her in a lake. 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, a part of family functions. Yeah, like an outsider. 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, it's 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 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. Yeah so other people in her life knew that she was being abused as well. Yes. So when Barbara was interviewed she said quote, 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 Argyle 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, quote, 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. On October 13th, 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, cause 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. 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. 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. It really is. 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 AK-47 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. So it's kind of weird that he's asking his business partner to hide this gun inside of a wall. Like, weird. 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 4.30 PM on Tuesday, October 8th, 2024, Brad Simpson texted James saying, quote, 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, quote, I will be there in 40 minutes.

To this, Brad said, OK, 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 21st, James Cotter was also arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. So he was getting caught in all sorts of ways. 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. 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 quote, 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.

Honestly, kudos to Barton for saying that. 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.

Yeah, it's incredible because, you know, Brad's business partner slash friend is trying to help cover up this crime. Yeah. 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, quote, "'I'm in total disbelief,'

she also emphasized, quote, "'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, you know, this is still so fresh and I just can't even imagine what these children are going through at this point. Yeah, truly. 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, quote, I'm 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 29th that he believed Suzanne was in Austin with her beloved sorority sisters because that was her quote happy place. What the hell? That's just such a deflection and such a bullshit statement. It's a bad deflection. It really is. Well after that he declined to speak with law enforcement again at the insistence of his attorneys. Teresa has requested privacy as Suzanne's four beloved children essentially battled 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,

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, 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 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." 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 five million dollar bail. Brad faces between two years and life in prison when his case goes to trial, which is actually scheduled for February of 2025, 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 210-822-2000. [♪ music playing on the radio and on the radio as the video goes on and on.

Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Going West. 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 at Going West podcast and we're also on Facebook. 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 still technically missing.

So we wanna 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 have, 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. All right guys, so for everybody out there in the world,

don't be a stranger. I'm just a little bit of a wimp, but I'm just a little bit of a wimp you