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The husband of a missing Texas woman asked her partner to hide the gun

Online Niel October 25, 2024

Another Texas man has been arrested in connection with the missing person case of Suzanne Clark Simpson, as new evidence suggests Simpson’s husband and his business partner had nefarious motives.

Simpson, 51, has been missing from Olmos Park since October 7. The disappearance of the mother of four prompted the Texas Department of Public Safety to issue a CLEAR alert — used for missing, abducted or abducted adults or adults believed to be in immediate danger.

Two days after Simpson was last seen, her husband allegedly sent a series of text messages to his business partner James Vallee Cotter, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KENS5. Brad Simpson is now accused of asking his longtime business associate to hide an AK-47.

Original story: Husband of missing Texas woman arrested, charged with domestic violence amid ongoing search

‘I don’t have much time’: Husband asks business partner to hide gun

“If you’re in Bandera, can you meet me at my house?” Brad texted Cotter on Oct. 8, the day after he reported his wife missing. – I don’t have much time.

“Sorry for the rush but you are all I have right now…social media is killing me,” Brad allegedly wrote in a follow-up message.

Cotter agreed to hide the gun in a wall of his San Antonio home, the affidavit states. Records show police searched the home Monday and an ATF K-9 team found the gun. A cord was attached to the eye of the firearm, presumably to allow for easy retrieval.

Evidence introduced in the investigation included a video of the same gun in the Simpson home. When police searched the home on October 9, the gun was “missing from the same location it was seen in the video.”

Brad, who was arrested Oct. 9 on charges of domestic violencehe was issued additional prohibited weapons and evidence tampering/fabrication charges. The first is a federal gun charge for unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun, according to the documents.

Cotter was also arrested Monday for allegedly hiding the gun. He faces charges of tampering with evidence and not being truthful with law enforcement.

Even with his current charges, law enforcement has not officially linked Brad to his wife’s disappearance. With a combined $1 million bond on the new charges, he is now being held on $3 million bond. His next court date is Nov. 13, records show.

Cotter’s bond was set at $500,000, with conditions of house arrest and surrender of his passport to police.

Search continues, family becomes “voice for sister”

Local police were initially confident they would find more evidence in a Bexar County landfill. However, four days of searching last week left them empty-handed. The focus returned to the wooded areas of Olmos Park last weekend.

His sister Suzanne spoke publicly for the first time.

“Suzanne was a loving mother. She was an incredible person,” said Teresa Clark. “We want everyone to know that we are devastated by the loss of my sister. I’m here to be a voice for my sister.”

During an Oct. 9 news conference, Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas said law enforcement and Suzanne’s loved ones are “very concerned.”

“Suzanne was known and is known as a very loving and trustworthy person, especially with her children and with her work. She was not at work and did not contact her children, so (it is) extremely unusual,” he Villegas said.

Suzanne works as a real estate agent for Nix Realty Company in San Antonio. According to her bio, she is “very involved in (her) children’s school and sports activities.” At Wednesday’s press conference, friends continued to hope for a positive outcome.

Heather Affleck has known Suzanne for over 20 years.

“We just want people to continue to look for her and pray for her family and her children,” Affleck said.

Camille Mandigo said Suzanne was a “great friend” and a “wonderful mother” with no enemies.

“Everybody loves Suzanne. She’s the nicest and sweetest person,” Mandigo said. “I don’t think anyone could say anything bad about her.”

TIMELINE: The Disappearance of Suzanne Clark Simpson

An arrest affidavit obtained by KSAT provides a loose timeline for the events surrounding the disappearance of Suzanne Clark Simpson.

sunday evening: Suzanne and her husband Brad, 53, attended a party at The Argyle in San Antonio’s Alamo Heights neighborhood. It was close to their home in the 500 block of East Olmos Drive near Shook Avenue. Suzanne was wearing a black dress.
Sunday, between 10 and 11 p.m: A neighbor told investigators he heard screaming and saw Suzanne and Brad Simpson in a physical altercation. The neighbor said Brad appeared to grab Suzanne “and gain control of her body” as he was “clearly trying to stop Mrs Simpson from running”. He last saw the couple walking west and went outside to see what was going on.
A short while later: Neighbor reports hearing two or three screams from a bushy area east of his home.
About an hour later: The neighbor saw Brad Simpson get into his black GMC truck and drive away from the house.
About an hour or two later: Brad Simpson returned to his house.
Monday, 3 p.m: Brad Simpson gets a call from their child’s school saying the child has not been picked up. Brad told the police that Suzanne usually picks up the child from school.
Tuesday afternoon: Law enforcement interviewed staff at one of the children’s schools. The child told staff that her parents were “fighting” and that her father punched her mother in the face and took her phone. After the attack sent her mother crashing into a wall, the child recalled seeing a bruise on her mother’s elbow.

Brad Simpson arrested, charged with domestic violence

After he failed to appear for a subsequent police interview, a warrant was issued for Brad Simpson’s arrest. According to the affidavit, he had gone to his farm in Bandera County and “appeared to be separated from his family.” Olmos Park police reported he was arrested near Interstate 10 East on a frontage road in Kendall County early Wednesday morning.

Simpson was booked into the Kendall County Jail and charged with assault causing bodily harm – domestic violence and unlawful restraint. Bonds are $1 million for each charge, adding up to $2 million.

One of Simpson’s relatives was interviewed by Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas, who told the officer that Simpson “called him and apologized for all the trouble he caused.”

— KENS5 contributed to this report.