The search for a missing Texas mother is entering its third week as police continue the investigation into her disappearance, which led to the arrest of her husband and his business partner.
Suzanne Simpson, a 51-year-old mother of four, was last seen outside of her San Antonio home on the morning of Oct. 7 by her neighbor. Police were called by the neighbors after seeing her arguing with her husband, Brad Simpson, according to NBC News affiliate WOAI.
A police report obtained by WOAI said that a neighbor saw the couple physically fighting, with Brad Simpson “grabbing her upper torso area to gain control of her body.” The neighbor later heard screaming coming from a nearby wooded area and Brad Simpson’s truck leaving an hour later.
Barbara Clark, Suzanne Simpson’s mother, told WOAI last week that she knew of one prior physical altercation between the couple. Clark said she didn’t understand what had happened prior to her daughter’s disappearance.
“It wasn’t part of their life, or his behavior and I’ve known him a long time,” Clark said.
She told the news station at a candlelight vigil that she doesn’t believe her daughter is alive.
Brad Simpson was arrested on Oct. 10 and is facing two charges of family violence, according to court records. The San Antonio Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Simpson, declined to comment on the case to NBC News on Wednesday.
The day after his arrest, a federal complaint was filed against him in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. He’s accused of unlawfully possessing a short-barrel rifle, identified as a Grand Power Stribog SP9 A3, that was not registered to him, according to the complaint.
This firearm was found during a search warrant executed on the Simpson home on Oct. 9 and was shown to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of the investigation, the complaint said.
James Vallee Cotter, Brad Simpson’s business associate, was arrested over an allegation of tampering with evidence. The Texas Department of Public Safety announced his arrest on Tuesday but declined to comment further.
Court records show Cotter’s bond was set at $500,000, and conditions were set that included house arrest and an order that Cotter surrender his passport to law enforcement. His attorney was not immediately available to comment on the case to NBC News.
The Olmos Park Police are looking for Suzanne Simpson with the help of the state’s public safety department, even combing through a landfill in an attempt to find any trace of her, but have come up short.
“After conducting an extensive search consisting of digging and sifting through the municipal solid waste, no evidence was found,” the Texas Department of Public Safety said on Thursday.
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