Brad Simpson, a Florida real estate tycoon, has been charged with the murder of his wife, Suzanne Simpson, who is still missing. An affidavit revealed that Brad was seen driving with trash bags, a heavy-duty trash can, and a large item wrapped in a blue tarp as he searched for a dump the day after his wife vanished. Witnesses reported seeing these suspicious items in Brad’s truck, along with his purchase of cement and Clorox wipes on October 7, the day after Suzanne was last seen fighting with him outside their Olmos Park home.
Following the alleged fight with his wife, Brad dropped off one of their children at school and then stopped at a Whataburger in Boerne. Witnesses observed three white trash bags, a heavy-duty trash can, an ice chest, and a large, bulky item in a tarp in the back of his truck. Brad later went to a Home Depot where he purchased various items including cement, trash bags, Clorox spray, and insect repellent. He then asked a stranger for directions to a dump, turned off his cellular device, and was later seen leaving the dump with the trash bags missing.
Surveillance cameras captured Brad’s truck heading back to Kendall County from Bandera County on October 7. He picked up his daughter from school, went to a car wash where he was seen washing out the front of his car with dried cement splashes near the rear passenger compartment. That same night, a friend of Suzanne’s called Brad inquiring about her, but he claimed he had not seen her all day. Suzanne’s cell phone was suspended on October 6 at 9:16 p.m., contradicting Brad’s initial statements.
Authorities arrested Brad on October 8 and initially charged him with family violence and unlawful restraint, but the charges were later upgraded to murder. Search warrants executed at the couple’s home uncovered cell phones and a laptop found in a burn pit belonging to Brad. Two notes titled “This next life” and “Last will and testament” were recovered from one of the phones, where Brad confessed to assaulting his wife in both August and October. Suzanne had confided in her personal banker about her husband’s physical abuse, telling them to look for her in a lake if she went missing.
Police interviewed a family friend who revealed that Suzanne was aware of her husband’s jealousy and his tracking of her phone. Brad was in communication with his former business partner, James Cotter, who was later arrested and charged with tampering with evidence. Text messages between the two showed conversations about getting rid of evidence, including mentions of a gun. Brad claimed in court that he last spoke to his wife on October 6 and suggested she might be in Austin with her sorority sisters. Despite extensive search efforts, Suzanne’s body has not been found. Brad is currently being held on a $5 million bond in the Bexar County jail.
