October 23, 2024 • 41 mins
The search for missing mom Suzanne Clark Simpson has entered its third week, while her husband remains behind bars and refuses to cooperate with the investigation.
Police and search teams have searched four locations around San Antonio, uncovering no new evidence in the mom’s disappearance. After four days, police have ended the search at a landfill in southeast Bexar County. Authorities said they focused on the site after GPS data led them there and were confident they would recover Suzanne’s remains, but now admit they found no evidence during the search.
Olmos Park Police have resumed their search for Suzanne Simpson in wooded areas around Olmos Park. They have enlisted the help of Texas Search and Rescue and continue to ask the public to leave the search to professionals. Foot searchers and dog teams are combing several areas for any trace of Suzanne.
At his arrest in Boerne two weeks ago, Brad Simpson was charged with unlawful restraint and assault. However, the husband of the missing woman is now also facing a federal gun charge, 10 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. Simpson’s family turned over his arsenal of weapons after Suzanne’s disappearance, including an unregistered Grand Power Stribog SP9 A3, a short-barrel rifle. He also owned several silencers.
Simpson’s defense attorney claims police are manipulating public perception of his client with “ludicrous” charges. Steven Gilmore repeats that Simpson reported Suzanne missing immediately after learning she missed kindergarten pickup.
He also insists Simpson wanted to cooperate with Olmos Park police but suspected authorities were trying to obtain an arrest warrant when Chief Villegas rescheduled their follow-up interview three times.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
- Jeff Horny - Longtime Friend of Suzanne and Brad Simpson
- Ben Powers - Criminal Defense Attorney, Facebook: Legal Powers PLLC, https://legalpowers.com
- Brian Fitzgibbons - Director of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security, uspasecurity.com, Instagram: @uspa_nationwide_security, Fmr. Marine and Iraq war veteran
- Courtney Lasky - M.Ed., LBA, BCBA Board-certified behavior analyst, autism expert, True North Behavioral Consulting https://truenorthbehavioralconsulting.com/
- Zachary-Taylor Wright - Trending Digital Reporter with MySA; website: MySanAntonio.com; Twitter: @Zachthereporter
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. The landfill search for a
luxury real true mom is called off this as the
husband's friend dumps a gun. Did he actually hide the
(00:21):
murtyr weapon? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank
you for being with us.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Monday afternoon, Brad Simpson gets a call because his wife,
Suzanne is now almost thirty minutes late picking up their kindergartener.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
She was very.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Involved in her children's lives. Not one time has she
left her children alone.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
No one has heard from Suzanne and isn't answering her phone.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
What makes it most concerning is that it's not characteristic
of her.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Hi. I'm Suzanne. I've been in real estate for thirteen years.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
This listing that is now pending has been a great
transaction because I was personally friends with the buyers and Besellis.
Speaker 6 (00:58):
We are devastated by the loss of my sister. I
am here to be a voice for my sister, and
the search will continue and we will not stop until
we find her.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
First, you were seeing Suzanne herself doing an ad lib
for a property she had just sold. Then you saw
her sister from our friends at KABB Fox San Antonio. Wow.
So much is happening right now, and the search for
(01:31):
this mom, a missing mom, a luxury realtor as she
has been called, is missing. How did it go down? This?
As we learn in the last days, a massive landfill
search has been called off. Control room. God, please see
a shot of Suzanne Clark Simpson, because this is very
(01:53):
difficult for me to grasp and I have overseen many
landfill search that this beautiful mom, living, breathing, full of vitality,
full of love for her children. You could see that
just beaming out of her in that short little clip
(02:14):
we played for you. She's in front of a sould sign.
It's hard for me to reconcile that this woman could
be found dead, decaying, decomposing, and a dump, a dump
full of rotting food, stinky smells, old furniture, refuse used
(02:41):
in diapers, her this gorgeous mom. That's what we know
right now. The landfill search has been called off. Cadets.
I believe fifty of them were in has Matt out there.
It's conducting a landfill search, and that is not easy,
(03:05):
especially in Texas temperatures. Complete Hasmat outfits. That search after
multiple days ended. Again, thank you for being with us
as we continue to help in the search for Suzanne
and are right off the top. I want to give
you a tip line number. This is a very active search.
Speaker 7 (03:27):
L E.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Law Enforcement needs our help. That number two one zero
two zero nine two seven zero one repeat two to
one zero two zero nine two seven zero one. This
is the direct line to Detective Hector Ruis. Please help
us find this mom. As we go to air tonight,
(03:50):
we're learning a lot with me and all start paneling
to make sense of what we know right now. But
first straight out to Zachary Taylor, right trending digital reporter,
My essay my San Antonio dot com. Zach, thank you
so much for being with us. Zach, what can you
tell me? I'm gonna move to the new search. They're
(04:12):
away from the landfill aka dump The thought of this
mom lying out in a dump is I don't have
the right word for it. It's very disturbing, to say
the least. The search has moved to another area. But
I'm going to ask you about this. What about Hobby
the husband friend now suspect in getting rid of a weapon?
Speaker 4 (04:40):
What absolutely so new charges we're filed this week? James
Cotter was arrested for, according to Restawore, an affidavit that
we received, agreeing to attempt to hide a weapon on
Brad Simson's behalf. Brad Simson himself is also facing to
additional charges related to this attempt, one for a tamper
(05:02):
with evidence.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Okay, Zach, slow down. Okay, Now, see if I were
putting you on the witness stand, I would have gone
through this with you. No compound sentences. You're a journalist,
you know what that means. So let's take each fact
one at a time. Because guess who's on with me today,
Zach retailor right, Jeff Horny, longtime friend of not only
(05:25):
Susanne but also Brad. Right now we're talking about a
different friend of the husband. Only now slow it down.
Tell me again. I want the jury to hear exactly
what you're saying. Okay, go what so?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
James Conner, a friend of Brad Simpson and former business
partner in several different endeavors, has been arrested on a
third free felony charge for tampering with evidence.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
It is okay, right there, When you say friend, you
mean business friend like they had they worked together. Is
that how he's a friend? Correct.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
They wear business partners in caller's father's company, and then
they've also had a couple of other business endeavors.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Together, so they go way back business wise. Okay, he
has been arrested for.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
What tampering with evidence he allegedly.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
With evidence he allegedly tried to hide.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Or what he had allegedly attempted to hide a weapon
on behalf of Brad Simpson un arrest for an affidavit
shows that communications between the two, with Brad frantically asking
for his help.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Oh oh, okay, with me an all star panel. Hold on, Zach,
don't move. Zach Taylor Wright joining us from my San
Antonio dot com. Brian Fitzgibbons is with US. Don't move,
Jeff Horny, I'm coming straight to you. Brian Fitzgibbons is
with US Director Operations USP, a nationwide security who leads
a team of investigator specializing in locating missing people. Brian,
(06:57):
you heard what Zach just said. Let's analyze it right
there before you go one step further. They find the
friend Cotter. Okay, they find the friend obviously because they
have subpoenaed LA law enforcement has subpoened the husband's digital
apparatus all of his devices, cell phone, laptop, iPad, you
(07:21):
name it. That means all the texts and all the
emails now, Zach, Yes. Note, did I hear you say
that the husband had frantically contacted friend Cotter to help
him get rid of a weapon? That is correct.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
He noted how little time he had and peted his
friend's assistance.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
And I believe he said words to the effect of,
I don't have much time. Correct, Okay, okay, Brian Fitzgibbons, amateurs,
do I have to use the legal phrase idiot? He
put it in a text. Can you help me get
rid of a weapon? I don't have much time? Brian,
(07:59):
help me out.
Speaker 8 (08:00):
Lar enforceman was all over that, Nancy, just like you said,
they'd have those digital records, and by October tenth they
were already at his friend James val Catter's residence looking
at his phone. It would be later determined that the
weapon was hidden. But law enforcement has been right on
top of this lead right from the get go.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
From the get go, Brian Fitzgibbons to Ben Powers joining
me high profile criminal defense attorney and you can find
them at legalpowers dot com. Ben, thank you for being
with us. You know what that tells me. If you're
representing this guy, you're in a whole heap of trouble
because James val Carter is not going to sit lonely
in his cell and not tell where and if he
(08:45):
hid what I believe to be a murder weapon. We're
going to get that murder weapon and we're going to
find prints on it unless they thought to wipe them off,
and that weapon is going to belong to the husband.
Just a wild guest. What about powers?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
So I think it's important to remember that there's two
separate investigations going on at the same time. There's the
investigation into Suzanne's disappearance, but there's also a separate ATF
investigation into illegal firearms possessed by mister Simpson. And so
the tampering with evidence could go to the firearms investigation,
because right now there's no connection to the missing of
(09:22):
Suzanne Simpson. It's just a firearm.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Don't make me forty sharing a murder investigation. The Fed's
investigation into the husband regarding the short barrel weapon they
found in the home. That investigation is over. He's charged.
He's looking at what did I say, Jackie ten to
fifteen behind bars and a two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Fine,
(09:46):
they've already got that gun. This is a different gun.
He didn't ask his friend Cotter to hide that gun.
He asked his friend Cotter to hide another gun. Crime
Stories with Nancy Grace joining you right now. A special
(10:10):
guest to whom my earlier alluded, Jeff Horny, longtime friend
of both Suzanne and Brad Brad Simpson. Suzanne Clark Simpson.
Mister Horny, thank you for being with us.
Speaker 9 (10:23):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
I know this is very disturbing to you because you're
friends with both Suzanne and the husband Brad Simpson. When
did you first learn that she's missing?
Speaker 9 (10:36):
From a friend? And they just called me out of
the blue and said, can you believe that Suzanne's missing?
And I and I kind of freaked out and said
what what? What? What? I just talked to her just
you know, So that's how I learned, unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
And what was your immediate thought upon learning she was missing? Oh?
Speaker 9 (10:59):
My immediate thought is where's her pig husband? Sorry?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
See that was my immediate thought, where is her pig husband?
I thought the same thing.
Speaker 9 (11:10):
I went to his Facebook page and I said, where
are you, Brad Simpson? And I was the only one
on there, so I I deleted my comment and moved on.
But I couldn't believe that nobody else was wondering where
he was.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
And at that time, do we now know where was
he hiding his gun?
Speaker 9 (11:33):
Yeah? He was doing something fishy. He had a few
hours to do whatever he did or didn't do. You know, Okay, I've.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Got a question. Could you backtrack from me, mister horney.
I want to hear how she ended up with him.
It's like a fairy marrying a donkey. How did this happen?
Speaker 9 (11:54):
Again? The the I know the Clarks and the Simpsons,
and they're both great families. I grew up with Suzanne
and her older sister, Teresa's who I grew up with,
and of course Suzanne was around. The older we got,
the more Suzanne was around. And then those they met
(12:15):
in college at the University of Texas, and that's how
I met Brad. Brad and I were fraternity brothers at
UT and I'd known him from San Antonio for a
little bit and but then we just you know, we
we uh just became friends. And after college we both
moved back to San Antonio, and uh, just that's how
(12:39):
San Antonio is. It's a it's a big small town,
and everybody knows each other, and and so there were unfortunately,
there was a lot of really good folks affected in
this terrible tragedy. And we want answers.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
So these two have known each other for quite some time.
So how did it end up that he convinced her
to marry him?
Speaker 9 (13:04):
You know, that's a good question. We all thought that
he was a man of outstanding character and and it's
amazing the things you find out. Huh.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
You know what's interesting about what you said, Jeff? So
many things. But let me go to Courtney Laski joining
me what sort of I behavior analyst at True North
Behavioral Consulting. Courtney, in addition to being a felony prosecutor
for over a decade, I worked at night volunteering at
(13:39):
the Batter Women's Center hotline. You know what's amazing, Courtney,
is how charming an abuser can be. If you knew
public officials wives calling into that hotline, and when you'd
see them on TV, butterwo and melt in their mouth.
I mean, they were so charming, affable, friendly, charismatic, but
(14:05):
at home they beat the h e l out of
their spouse. So I'm hearing Jeff Horny say he was
an outstanding character. You know, we all liked him, we
were fraternity brothers. But it's nobody can believe that he
could be capable of this. And let me stress, he
remains innocent, presumed innocent under the law until he has
(14:30):
been proven in court by judge or jury to be guilty.
That said, how is that? How can an abuser be
so charming? I mean, Courtney, the landfill search has been
called off and law enforcement made it very clear they
were convinced they would find her there. But this guy,
(14:53):
I believe, has outsmarted police. How can he be so
charming and f many people? He's a great guy. We
often know.
Speaker 10 (15:03):
With the personalities of domestic violence, the abusers are often charismatic,
They're charming. They have a way of convincing the world
that they are quality individuals. While the victim of domestic violence,
they often go into the fight or flight or the
third response of fawning. And with fawning is the people pleasing.
(15:25):
It's the conflict avoidance. It's pretending that everything on the
outside is okay, And unfortunately that is the most common,
especially in these personalities where on the outside everything's beautiful, perfect,
but for Suzanne, it wasn't perfect at home.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Jeff Warney joined me, longtime friend of both Suzanne and Simpsons. Jeff,
is that true? Was he nice guy, charismatic, engaging?
Speaker 9 (15:53):
Yes? Yes again he you know, the the area in
which he's from is a very close knit area, and
and and the the the place where they were beforehand
(16:15):
at the Argyle as a meeting place for uh these
these uh a lot of my friends and in the
Alama Heights area, and it's a drinking establishment. And unfortunately,
I think that whenever there is alcohol involved in in anything,
(16:40):
it puts a whole other level of of Oh, I
don't even know what the word is, just it screws
a lot of things up when when folks have been drinking, Suzanne.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
And Brad were invited to a party there. The Argyle
is a very exclusive club in San Antonio.
Speaker 9 (17:02):
It's a very high membership to join that club.
Speaker 11 (17:05):
Brad and Susanne Simpson return home from dinner at the Argyle.
A neighbor here is a loud arguing from their home.
Speaker 7 (17:11):
So we're holding out hope that maybe, you know, maybe
she's trying to be away from the home, to get
away from that situation. That's not totally uncommon, but what
is incommon. What is unusual is that this was a
woman who worked and was very dependable, and loved her
children and was always in contact with their children and
her family and her friends.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
You are hearing the almost PD chief fidel, the aegus
and more from the chief.
Speaker 9 (17:41):
We would love for her to be alive.
Speaker 7 (17:42):
Obviously, there's nothing concrete that says she's not alive. And again,
I owe it to the family. We all owe it
to the family to speak of her in a way
where other people have been found, like I said, injured
and distress, lost, troubled, hiding away, all of those things
are possible.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
That from our friends wo Ia News for to Jeff Horny,
longtime friend of both Suzanne and husband Brad Simpson, Jeff,
do you believe I mean, her youngest child is still
in early childhood education that has to be dropped off
(18:21):
and picked up. You know, I wonder if he took
her that morning, and we have confirmed through the school
that he did drop the children off. Okay, so if
he dropped them off that morning. He didn't know she
was gone because he usually she drops them off. Do
you believe that Suzanne would ever not show up to
pick her child up from school? No?
Speaker 9 (18:41):
Absolutely not. Every time, every time we talked, the baby
was with her. And you know, if the baby's in
a fifth grader now, so it's not she's not a baby,
but I'm sorry, she's five. So no. Never. And another
thing that I want to mention too is that, you know,
it doesn't take in South Texas. It does not take
(19:02):
very long to get out to a desolate area. You know,
we're an hour away, we're two hours away from the border.
You know where there is in South Texas? There are
many many ranches and places that that especially now that
(19:22):
that his his partner had been arrested, no telling what
he did to assist him, you know, so I want
to you know remember that too, is that if he
had an if he had help, no tell him where
she is because again, it doesn't take any time to
get to nowhere in South Texas.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
And just think about it. Just think about it, Jeff,
if he asked someone to get I mean, what friend
goes along with hiding a potential murder weapon?
Speaker 9 (19:54):
And he becomes that was there life. Sorry to interrupt you,
this was a man that was at dinner parties and
and you know, was was considered a friend. And yeah,
that's another thing. I don't get that. And I don't
understand why the dude their neighbors didn't call the cops.
(20:15):
And and that's that's the one that hurts the worst.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Yeah, because at the very beginning, and I've seen this, Jeff,
in so many cases of domestic abuse, that's really a
nice way of putting beating the hell out of the woman.
You know, you remember that picture of Nicole Brown Simpson
with the huge eye, just black and swollen, and the
(20:42):
look on her face. She had been beaten like a
yard dog. I mean, that's what domestic abuse is. But
so often, Jeff, people hear a scream, they know what's happening,
they hear the yelling, and they don't want to get involved.
(21:02):
And if if, if, and I'm not faulting the neighbor,
because without the neighbor would have nothing right now, but
if police had been called at that first scream, maybe,
you know, when they first heard the argument, maybe she
would be alive. But again, in the neighbor's defense. Sometimes
you hear an argument anything, Oh they're arguing.
Speaker 9 (21:23):
Again, they're having another fight. Yeah, I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
So this is what we know right now. The search
has moved. The search has moved and falling up on
Jeff Horny just told us to Ben Powers, high profile
criminal defense attorney, Ben if he would ask a friend
to hide potentially a murder weapon and the friend went
(21:52):
along with it, because now he's charged with tampering. If
he had said, hell, no, I'm not having a gun
for you, then he wouldn't be charged now with evidence tampering.
So I'm deducing that he hid the gun. So if
he would ask that friend to hide a gun, would
he ask someone to hide a body? Think about it?
(22:13):
And did you just hear what Jeff said, how close
this is to the Mexican border For all I know,
she could be across the border right now.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Well, So, with the nature of the investigation leading to
the charges of the friend that was asked to hide
the gun and presumably did hide the gun, that tells
us that the investigators have access to mister Simpson's phone,
which will include things like GPS data, selping tower data,
other ways to track his movements.
Speaker 9 (22:42):
That night, and.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
It'll draw a radius of where he went from the
home in the key hours following that argument that the
neighbor says that they witnessed, and that should help to
set some boundaries and some parameters for where should be searched.
If mister Simpson has any culpability in Miss Simpson's disappearance.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Well you know what beenpowers. Now I see why you
win so many cases, Fitz Gibbons. I was just thinking
of our mutual acquaintance, Alex Murdog. His own cell phone,
his wife's cell phone, his son's cell phone, and his
Murdog's NAV system and his state of the art suburban
(23:22):
did him in because you can see exactly what time
he cranked up that suburban to leave the double murder
scene where he left his wife Maggie and son Paul
bleeding dead. You can see when he put it in reverse,
when he shut the doors, even on that NAV system,
when he put it in reverse, then put it in drive,
then took off and then slowed down. You can tell
(23:44):
he let the passenger window down. These things are awesome.
Throws out Maggie's cell phone where it's found on the
side of the road. Lit's the window up and continues
on to where else, to Mommy's house so he can
hide out and have an alibi. There. Now, systems amazing
and like powers just said, the power of the paing Right.
(24:06):
If he was dumb enough to take his cell phone
with him to hide Suzanne's body, we got him. No,
actually we don't. Haven't piece gibbons because I think they
were looking at those pings and that led them to
the landfield where they found nothing.
Speaker 8 (24:22):
Yeah, and I'll tell you, Nancy, there's an important point
to be made here. They may have not found anything
at the landfill. These searches are being driven by that data. Additionally,
with Caughter, the friend, there's an important thing that we
left out here. He said to police that he retrieved
a twenty two caliber rifle at Simpson's request.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Okay, this is simply not true.
Speaker 8 (24:47):
This is in the arrest affidavit that they found the
eighth a Chinese made AK forty seven, hidden in the
wall of his house. So we have two key things
to highlight here. Caughter lied to police number one about
his assistance as he provided to Simpson. The second thing
is that there's an informant involved that led police back
(25:09):
to Carter's house. So police are all over this cell
phone data, the messages, the payings.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
All of it.
Speaker 11 (25:16):
Almost Park PD are desperately searching for a missing mom
of four.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
She was last saying on surveillance outside that Ritzy Argyle club.
Speaker 11 (25:26):
A neighbor here is allowed arguing from their home.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Brent was like trying to hold her down.
Speaker 11 (25:31):
It looks like Suzanne is trying to get away.
Speaker 9 (25:34):
And then there was silence, and that's when you hear
the screams.
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Almost Park Police resume their search for Suzanne Simpson in
wooded areas in and around Almost Park. Cops have enlisted
the help of Texas Search and Rescue and are asking
the public to leave the search to the professionals. Foot
searchers and dog teams are calling several areas for any
trace of Suzanne.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Make no mistake about it. This is a huge blow,
a huge blow to law enforcement. After days and days
in Texas heat looking through a landfill dump, they had
to call it off. And they were very clear as
they started that search that they believed they would find
Susan there. What led them to believe that and why
(26:18):
was she not there or could they not find her
by the time they had finished the search. That's a
huge blow. Now the search has moved to a new location.
I guarantee you guided by pings and nav system connected
to the husband, Brad Simpson. Also at this time Simpson
(26:42):
demanding the court allow him to see his children amidst
the search for his missing wife. That chance legal term,
snowball chance in hell. There is a no contact order
in place. Yes, because remember and it is true very
(27:04):
quickly Courtney Lasky. When the husband, the father, the male
partner in the home has beaten or abused the mother,
then they don't get to have access to the children
because they are familial abusers.
Speaker 10 (27:20):
Absolutely, and this goes back to that characteristic we talked
about about that manipulation piece. So right now Brad could
be trying to manipulate the media get his perspective of
I'm a father, I'm loving, I care for my children.
But we know with this behavior that it escalates over
time and he might have been demonstrating similar abuse to
(27:41):
the children in different ways. It could have been mental
verbal abuse.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
We don't know, but we.
Speaker 10 (27:45):
Do know that these children need to be protected and
until we can prove that he is innocent and he.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Is good to these kids. It's not happening straight out
to Zach Taylor, right, Zach, tell me the location of
the new concentrated search.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Currently, law enforcement is searching in wooded areas close to
the families Almost Park home, which is on the north
side of San Antonio.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Now, Zach, isn't it true that that is where the
neighbor heard scream?
Speaker 4 (28:14):
Absolutely The neighbor reported going out to find the couple
and hearing the scream just outside their Almost Park home.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Well, you're absolutely right. This occurred after the couple came
home from that ritzy country club dinner club aka drinking
club the Argyle Listen.
Speaker 11 (28:31):
An hour after Brad and Suzanne Simpson return home from
dinner at the Argyle, a neighbor hears loud arguing from
their home. The yelling seems to get louder, and the
neighbor peeks out of their windows, shocked to see the
Simpsons in a physical fight outside their home. It looks
like Suzanne, still dressed from dinner, is trying to get away,
but Brad Simpson keeps pulling her back. The couple eventually
(28:51):
moves out of the neighbor's side line.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Jeff Horny joining me along with that tail or. Right, Jeff,
longtime friend of both Suzanne and the husband Rad Simpson. Jeff,
have you ever seen the home in which they're currently living.
Oh yeah, yes, tell me about the home, and I
want to also hear about the forest, the heavily wooded
area surrounding the home.
Speaker 9 (29:14):
Well, again, the home is in the on the main street.
It's on Almas Drive, the main street of this of
this area, and behind their house, as you can see,
there's some wooded area. But also I guess it would
be north of their house is a highway two eighty
(29:36):
one and underneath that, right, I'm talking almost directly where
they live, is a it's a dam. It's a it's
a it's called the Almus Dam, and there are it's
a creek bed and if water was running through there,
there's no way that they anything would stick around, I
don't think. But there's it's they have to come a
(30:00):
lot of area. I don't know the exact acreage of
the Alma's basin, but it's a it's a large it's
a large area, and there's a lot of woods, and
you know, some homeless folks live out in the woods,
(30:20):
and you know, they even found a firearm out there
from somebody else. So I guess if you were to
hide a body somewhere, that would be a good place.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
You know, they've got to bring out the cadaver dogs,
and it's very very difficult to bring dogs into that terrain,
very heavily wooded area. We're talking about a thirty two
square mile area. Seemingly impossible. Brian Fitzgibbons, We've heard from
Jeff Horny about the exterior and the forest terrain outside
(30:55):
the home, as well as a dam. But Brian Fitzgibbons,
you pointed out something very very interesting to me about
the location of that ak. Tell me that.
Speaker 8 (31:06):
Nancy so Brad Simpson texted his friend and business associate,
James Val Catter, apparently to move a firearm.
Speaker 9 (31:16):
Now police were in.
Speaker 8 (31:18):
Catter's residence speaking to him as early as October tenth.
At that time, Carter told police that he moved a
twenty two caliber rifle for his friend Brad Simpson. This
has turned out in the arrest affidavit to appear to
be a lie.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Police, with the.
Speaker 8 (31:35):
Assistance of a canine specifically trained to detect firearms, alerted
on a wall that had a TV mounted to it
in Carter's residence. Police removed a portrait of that wall
and found an AK forty seven that had belonged to
Brad Simpson stuffed and hidden behind that wall.
Speaker 12 (32:01):
Mom of fours, Suzanne Simpson is a no show, failing
to pick up her children from school. Her husband reports
her missing. Where is Suzanne? Stephen Gilmour posttholes in the
Simpsons neighbors statement to police. Gilmore asserts that a person
invested enough to leave their home with a flashlight to
(32:23):
search for a fighting couple would have called police after
hearing screams. Gilmore also points out that Suzanne's phone last
pinged a half mile from her home at seven to
fifteen am Monday morning, not lining up with the neighbour's timeline,
which suggests Brad Simpson discarded his wife's body and belongings
late Sunday night.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
I agree and disagree with the defense attorney's attack. All
the state's eyewitness or ear witnesses are going to be
attacked on cross examination. That is a given. So that
witness straight out to you, Ben Powers, is going to
be attacked. And the defense attorney's got a little something
(33:01):
to work with if he went out and looking with
a flashlight. Why didn't he call police? Well, I don't
know why he didn't call police, but that does not
mean he didn't see or hear what he saw and heard.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Well, so it might mean that he didn't see what
he claims he saw and heard. You know, there's obstructions
in the photos that have been shown to the home,
as far as there's a fence line, there's trees in
front of the house, other factors like it was late
at night, so the lighting might have been bad. And
then there's the glaring issue of the neighbor never reported anything.
You know, the first person to report that Susanne Simpson
(33:35):
was missing was Brad And it's actually Brad's report that
brought the police to the neighbor town.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
And I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why because
the witness was very clear that he could see them
and then arguing in the driveway and then they walked
out of his sight line behind some trees. That is
rich in details, seems believable. Also, I'm pretty sure the
(34:05):
police had gone to his vantage point to determine whether
he could see what he says he saw. And also
Jeff Horny, a long time friend of Susan and Anne
Brad Simpson's. She left that posh club. She was walking off.
Let's see that photo alone in her nice outfit. She
(34:25):
was stomping out of there for a reason. Okay. It
wasn't like her husband was escorting her politely to the car.
There she goes, she's there with him and she's leaving alone,
all right. That tells me they were having an argument.
Speaker 9 (34:40):
Yeah, don't forget that she had. She evidently somewhere in
between here and the house, she called her mother, and
her mother said that she was saying that Brad had
struck her in the stomach, and I guess had hit
her a couple of times and she was hurting. So
(35:01):
you know, her mother was the last one to talk
to her, I assume in between that time. So you know,
so we know that that he there was more going
on than just a little pushing and shoving, you know,
not that and that even that's not right.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
Yeah, and that leads up to what the neighbor says
he observed in the in the driveway. Okay, And we
know the single most dangerous time for a woman is
a when she's pregnant, which homicide the number one cause
of death for pregnant women not blood pressure or heart attack, homicide.
(35:40):
And two when she's trying to leave an abusive situation.
Then on top of it all, if my husband was missing,
I would be lying on the courthouse steps screaming, find
my husband, help me. But what is he doing? He's
(36:00):
the one cooperative. Listen.
Speaker 11 (36:03):
Both Suzanne and Brad Simpson's families have condemned his behavior publicly.
Brother Barton Simpson took to Facebook with a strongly warded
post quote, until Brad chooses to operate, we will continue
to cooperate for him as we have from the very
beginning of this heartbreaking ordeal. This is not how he
was raised, and this is not who we are. Brad's
refusal to cooperate is unacceptable. Simpson's brother went on to
(36:26):
say their family is shattered and we'll stop at nothing
to bring Suzanne home.
Speaker 13 (36:31):
Suzanne and I had an opportunity to talk for an
hour before a lot of this has happened. My speculation
is maybe the whole thing is alcohol related, because when
she got back, she called me up and told me
the things that Brad had done to her physically. Well,
(36:52):
I came up with an alternative plan for her, the
hope that she'd move in with me and have her
little coddler go to the elementary school in my neighborhood.
I never got to tell her the plan.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
That is from Suzanne's mother and from our friends at
WAI News for Jeff Horny, longtime friend of Suzanne, and
Brad Simpson's that's what you were telling us, that the
mom learned he had punched Suzanne and the stomach and more.
(37:25):
And you know, Jeff, I learned this not only from
the batter Women's Center there in Atlanta, but from all
the years of prosecuting. It's not a statistic, it's anecdotal
for me that when a woman has in place a plan,
and the mom had a plan to move in with her,
(37:45):
and they were going to put the little girl, the
five year old, into the local school right down the
street from the grandma, but they didn't have time to
implement the plan.
Speaker 9 (37:59):
We're talking about it. You know, if missus Clark had
a little more time, maybe she could have gone and
picked him up. Or it's just tragic.
Speaker 5 (38:11):
Man.
Speaker 9 (38:11):
I can't even imagine, you know, Suzanne was a little
tiny thing. I can't imagine these two guys, you know,
throwing her body around and all these different different trash cans,
and it's terrible. She didn't deserve that at all.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Jeff Horny, my thoughts exactly. And as Zach Tailorwright was
telling us earlier, Jeff the husband said, quote, I don't
have much time. His business partner hid an AK forty
seven for him before this whole thing cracked wide open.
(38:55):
The thought of an AK forty seven in the same
sentence with Suzanne is just it. It's beyond words. Jeff,
I have.
Speaker 9 (39:08):
A question for you. How why can't the Why can't
they go to Brad and say, look, you, your gig
is up. Tell us where she I don't understand why
they can't go to him and and and and get
him to tell her where, tell us where she is.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
He's done. I'll tell you that. I'll tell you because
once he admits he knows where is her body, that
means he put her there, That means he killed her.
And right now, cops don't have a body, and many
people believe no body, no case. He's actually sitting in
(39:52):
a cell right now thinking he's going to beat this
thing if he and his buddy can keep there. Yet shut.
He may just be right, that's why. And just like
in his last sentence, I don't have much time. It's
all about me, Me, me, me, help me. Forget about Susanne,
Forget about her decomposing body. Forget about the little five
(40:16):
year old girl wanting mommy, seeing mommy beaten up with
bruises and taking her cell phone away. That's her last
memory of mommy. And he is sitting in a cell
right now, gnashing his teeth and switching his tail, wondering
how can I beat this rap? That's why. If you
(40:38):
know or think you know anything about the disappearance of
Susanne Clark Simpson, we beg you to call Detective Hector
Ruiz to one zero to zero, nine to seven zero one,
repeat to one zero two zero nine two seven zero one,
(40:59):
Nancy Grace ending off, goodbye friend,
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. The landfill search for a
luxury real true mom is called off this as the
husband's friend dumps a gun. Did he actually hide the
(00:21):
murtyr weapon? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank
you for being with us.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Monday afternoon, Brad Simpson gets a call because his wife,
Suzanne is now almost thirty minutes late picking up their kindergartener.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
She was very.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Involved in her children's lives. Not one time has she
left her children alone.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
No one has heard from Suzanne and isn't answering her phone.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
What makes it most concerning is that it's not characteristic
of her.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Hi. I'm Suzanne. I've been in real estate for thirteen years.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
This listing that is now pending has been a great
transaction because I was personally friends with the buyers and Besellis.
Speaker 6 (00:58):
We are devastated by the loss of my sister. I
am here to be a voice for my sister, and
the search will continue and we will not stop until
we find her.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
First, you were seeing Suzanne herself doing an ad lib
for a property she had just sold. Then you saw
her sister from our friends at KABB Fox San Antonio. Wow.
So much is happening right now, and the search for
(01:31):
this mom, a missing mom, a luxury realtor as she
has been called, is missing. How did it go down? This?
As we learn in the last days, a massive landfill
search has been called off. Control room. God, please see
a shot of Suzanne Clark Simpson, because this is very
(01:53):
difficult for me to grasp and I have overseen many
landfill search that this beautiful mom, living, breathing, full of vitality,
full of love for her children. You could see that
just beaming out of her in that short little clip
(02:14):
we played for you. She's in front of a sould sign.
It's hard for me to reconcile that this woman could
be found dead, decaying, decomposing, and a dump, a dump
full of rotting food, stinky smells, old furniture, refuse used
(02:41):
in diapers, her this gorgeous mom. That's what we know
right now. The landfill search has been called off. Cadets.
I believe fifty of them were in has Matt out there.
It's conducting a landfill search, and that is not easy,
(03:05):
especially in Texas temperatures. Complete Hasmat outfits. That search after
multiple days ended. Again, thank you for being with us
as we continue to help in the search for Suzanne
and are right off the top. I want to give
you a tip line number. This is a very active search.
Speaker 7 (03:27):
L E.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Law Enforcement needs our help. That number two one zero
two zero nine two seven zero one repeat two to
one zero two zero nine two seven zero one. This
is the direct line to Detective Hector Ruis. Please help
us find this mom. As we go to air tonight,
(03:50):
we're learning a lot with me and all start paneling
to make sense of what we know right now. But
first straight out to Zachary Taylor, right trending digital reporter,
My essay my San Antonio dot com. Zach, thank you
so much for being with us. Zach, what can you
tell me? I'm gonna move to the new search. They're
(04:12):
away from the landfill aka dump The thought of this
mom lying out in a dump is I don't have
the right word for it. It's very disturbing, to say
the least. The search has moved to another area. But
I'm going to ask you about this. What about Hobby
the husband friend now suspect in getting rid of a weapon?
Speaker 4 (04:40):
What absolutely so new charges we're filed this week? James
Cotter was arrested for, according to Restawore, an affidavit that
we received, agreeing to attempt to hide a weapon on
Brad Simson's behalf. Brad Simson himself is also facing to
additional charges related to this attempt, one for a tamper
(05:02):
with evidence.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Okay, Zach, slow down. Okay, Now, see if I were
putting you on the witness stand, I would have gone
through this with you. No compound sentences. You're a journalist,
you know what that means. So let's take each fact
one at a time. Because guess who's on with me today,
Zach retailor right, Jeff Horny, longtime friend of not only
(05:25):
Susanne but also Brad. Right now we're talking about a
different friend of the husband. Only now slow it down.
Tell me again. I want the jury to hear exactly
what you're saying. Okay, go what so?
Speaker 4 (05:39):
James Conner, a friend of Brad Simpson and former business
partner in several different endeavors, has been arrested on a
third free felony charge for tampering with evidence.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
It is okay, right there, When you say friend, you
mean business friend like they had they worked together. Is
that how he's a friend? Correct.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
They wear business partners in caller's father's company, and then
they've also had a couple of other business endeavors.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Together, so they go way back business wise. Okay, he
has been arrested for.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
What tampering with evidence he allegedly.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
With evidence he allegedly tried to hide.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Or what he had allegedly attempted to hide a weapon
on behalf of Brad Simpson un arrest for an affidavit
shows that communications between the two, with Brad frantically asking
for his help.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Oh oh, okay, with me an all star panel. Hold on, Zach,
don't move. Zach Taylor Wright joining us from my San
Antonio dot com. Brian Fitzgibbons is with US. Don't move,
Jeff Horny, I'm coming straight to you. Brian Fitzgibbons is
with US Director Operations USP, a nationwide security who leads
a team of investigator specializing in locating missing people. Brian,
(06:57):
you heard what Zach just said. Let's analyze it right
there before you go one step further. They find the
friend Cotter. Okay, they find the friend obviously because they
have subpoenaed LA law enforcement has subpoened the husband's digital
apparatus all of his devices, cell phone, laptop, iPad, you
(07:21):
name it. That means all the texts and all the
emails now, Zach, Yes. Note, did I hear you say
that the husband had frantically contacted friend Cotter to help
him get rid of a weapon? That is correct.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
He noted how little time he had and peted his
friend's assistance.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
And I believe he said words to the effect of,
I don't have much time. Correct, Okay, okay, Brian Fitzgibbons, amateurs,
do I have to use the legal phrase idiot? He
put it in a text. Can you help me get
rid of a weapon? I don't have much time? Brian,
(07:59):
help me out.
Speaker 8 (08:00):
Lar enforceman was all over that, Nancy, just like you said,
they'd have those digital records, and by October tenth they
were already at his friend James val Catter's residence looking
at his phone. It would be later determined that the
weapon was hidden. But law enforcement has been right on
top of this lead right from the get go.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
From the get go, Brian Fitzgibbons to Ben Powers joining
me high profile criminal defense attorney and you can find
them at legalpowers dot com. Ben, thank you for being
with us. You know what that tells me. If you're
representing this guy, you're in a whole heap of trouble
because James val Carter is not going to sit lonely
in his cell and not tell where and if he
(08:45):
hid what I believe to be a murder weapon. We're
going to get that murder weapon and we're going to
find prints on it unless they thought to wipe them off,
and that weapon is going to belong to the husband.
Just a wild guest. What about powers?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
So I think it's important to remember that there's two
separate investigations going on at the same time. There's the
investigation into Suzanne's disappearance, but there's also a separate ATF
investigation into illegal firearms possessed by mister Simpson. And so
the tampering with evidence could go to the firearms investigation,
because right now there's no connection to the missing of
(09:22):
Suzanne Simpson. It's just a firearm.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Don't make me forty sharing a murder investigation. The Fed's
investigation into the husband regarding the short barrel weapon they
found in the home. That investigation is over. He's charged.
He's looking at what did I say, Jackie ten to
fifteen behind bars and a two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Fine,
(09:46):
they've already got that gun. This is a different gun.
He didn't ask his friend Cotter to hide that gun.
He asked his friend Cotter to hide another gun. Crime
Stories with Nancy Grace joining you right now. A special
(10:10):
guest to whom my earlier alluded, Jeff Horny, longtime friend
of both Suzanne and Brad Brad Simpson. Suzanne Clark Simpson.
Mister Horny, thank you for being with us.
Speaker 9 (10:23):
Yes, thank you.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
I know this is very disturbing to you because you're
friends with both Suzanne and the husband Brad Simpson. When
did you first learn that she's missing?
Speaker 9 (10:36):
From a friend? And they just called me out of
the blue and said, can you believe that Suzanne's missing?
And I and I kind of freaked out and said
what what? What? What? I just talked to her just
you know, So that's how I learned, unfortunately.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
And what was your immediate thought upon learning she was missing? Oh?
Speaker 9 (10:59):
My immediate thought is where's her pig husband? Sorry?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
See that was my immediate thought, where is her pig husband?
I thought the same thing.
Speaker 9 (11:10):
I went to his Facebook page and I said, where
are you, Brad Simpson? And I was the only one
on there, so I I deleted my comment and moved on.
But I couldn't believe that nobody else was wondering where
he was.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
And at that time, do we now know where was
he hiding his gun?
Speaker 9 (11:33):
Yeah? He was doing something fishy. He had a few
hours to do whatever he did or didn't do. You know, Okay, I've.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Got a question. Could you backtrack from me, mister horney.
I want to hear how she ended up with him.
It's like a fairy marrying a donkey. How did this happen?
Speaker 9 (11:54):
Again? The the I know the Clarks and the Simpsons,
and they're both great families. I grew up with Suzanne
and her older sister, Teresa's who I grew up with,
and of course Suzanne was around. The older we got,
the more Suzanne was around. And then those they met
(12:15):
in college at the University of Texas, and that's how
I met Brad. Brad and I were fraternity brothers at
UT and I'd known him from San Antonio for a
little bit and but then we just you know, we
we uh just became friends. And after college we both
moved back to San Antonio, and uh, just that's how
(12:39):
San Antonio is. It's a it's a big small town,
and everybody knows each other, and and so there were unfortunately,
there was a lot of really good folks affected in
this terrible tragedy. And we want answers.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
So these two have known each other for quite some time.
So how did it end up that he convinced her
to marry him?
Speaker 9 (13:04):
You know, that's a good question. We all thought that
he was a man of outstanding character and and it's
amazing the things you find out. Huh.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
You know what's interesting about what you said, Jeff? So
many things. But let me go to Courtney Laski joining
me what sort of I behavior analyst at True North
Behavioral Consulting. Courtney, in addition to being a felony prosecutor
for over a decade, I worked at night volunteering at
(13:39):
the Batter Women's Center hotline. You know what's amazing, Courtney,
is how charming an abuser can be. If you knew
public officials wives calling into that hotline, and when you'd
see them on TV, butterwo and melt in their mouth.
I mean, they were so charming, affable, friendly, charismatic, but
(14:05):
at home they beat the h e l out of
their spouse. So I'm hearing Jeff Horny say he was
an outstanding character. You know, we all liked him, we
were fraternity brothers. But it's nobody can believe that he
could be capable of this. And let me stress, he
remains innocent, presumed innocent under the law until he has
(14:30):
been proven in court by judge or jury to be guilty.
That said, how is that? How can an abuser be
so charming? I mean, Courtney, the landfill search has been
called off and law enforcement made it very clear they
were convinced they would find her there. But this guy,
(14:53):
I believe, has outsmarted police. How can he be so
charming and f many people? He's a great guy. We
often know.
Speaker 10 (15:03):
With the personalities of domestic violence, the abusers are often charismatic,
They're charming. They have a way of convincing the world
that they are quality individuals. While the victim of domestic violence,
they often go into the fight or flight or the
third response of fawning. And with fawning is the people pleasing.
(15:25):
It's the conflict avoidance. It's pretending that everything on the
outside is okay, And unfortunately that is the most common,
especially in these personalities where on the outside everything's beautiful, perfect,
but for Suzanne, it wasn't perfect at home.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Jeff Warney joined me, longtime friend of both Suzanne and Simpsons. Jeff,
is that true? Was he nice guy, charismatic, engaging?
Speaker 9 (15:53):
Yes? Yes again he you know, the the area in
which he's from is a very close knit area, and
and and the the the place where they were beforehand
(16:15):
at the Argyle as a meeting place for uh these
these uh a lot of my friends and in the
Alama Heights area, and it's a drinking establishment. And unfortunately,
I think that whenever there is alcohol involved in in anything,
(16:40):
it puts a whole other level of of Oh, I
don't even know what the word is, just it screws
a lot of things up when when folks have been drinking, Suzanne.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
And Brad were invited to a party there. The Argyle
is a very exclusive club in San Antonio.
Speaker 9 (17:02):
It's a very high membership to join that club.
Speaker 11 (17:05):
Brad and Susanne Simpson return home from dinner at the Argyle.
A neighbor here is a loud arguing from their home.
Speaker 7 (17:11):
So we're holding out hope that maybe, you know, maybe
she's trying to be away from the home, to get
away from that situation. That's not totally uncommon, but what
is incommon. What is unusual is that this was a
woman who worked and was very dependable, and loved her
children and was always in contact with their children and
her family and her friends.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
You are hearing the almost PD chief fidel, the aegus
and more from the chief.
Speaker 9 (17:41):
We would love for her to be alive.
Speaker 7 (17:42):
Obviously, there's nothing concrete that says she's not alive. And again,
I owe it to the family. We all owe it
to the family to speak of her in a way
where other people have been found, like I said, injured
and distress, lost, troubled, hiding away, all of those things
are possible.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
That from our friends wo Ia News for to Jeff Horny,
longtime friend of both Suzanne and husband Brad Simpson, Jeff,
do you believe I mean, her youngest child is still
in early childhood education that has to be dropped off
(18:21):
and picked up. You know, I wonder if he took
her that morning, and we have confirmed through the school
that he did drop the children off. Okay, so if
he dropped them off that morning. He didn't know she
was gone because he usually she drops them off. Do
you believe that Suzanne would ever not show up to
pick her child up from school? No?
Speaker 9 (18:41):
Absolutely not. Every time, every time we talked, the baby
was with her. And you know, if the baby's in
a fifth grader now, so it's not she's not a baby,
but I'm sorry, she's five. So no. Never. And another
thing that I want to mention too is that, you know,
it doesn't take in South Texas. It does not take
(19:02):
very long to get out to a desolate area. You know,
we're an hour away, we're two hours away from the border.
You know where there is in South Texas? There are
many many ranches and places that that especially now that
(19:22):
that his his partner had been arrested, no telling what
he did to assist him, you know, so I want
to you know remember that too, is that if he
had an if he had help, no tell him where
she is because again, it doesn't take any time to
get to nowhere in South Texas.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
And just think about it. Just think about it, Jeff,
if he asked someone to get I mean, what friend
goes along with hiding a potential murder weapon?
Speaker 9 (19:54):
And he becomes that was there life. Sorry to interrupt you,
this was a man that was at dinner parties and
and you know, was was considered a friend. And yeah,
that's another thing. I don't get that. And I don't
understand why the dude their neighbors didn't call the cops.
(20:15):
And and that's that's the one that hurts the worst.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Yeah, because at the very beginning, and I've seen this, Jeff,
in so many cases of domestic abuse, that's really a
nice way of putting beating the hell out of the woman.
You know, you remember that picture of Nicole Brown Simpson
with the huge eye, just black and swollen, and the
(20:42):
look on her face. She had been beaten like a
yard dog. I mean, that's what domestic abuse is. But
so often, Jeff, people hear a scream, they know what's happening,
they hear the yelling, and they don't want to get involved.
(21:02):
And if if, if, and I'm not faulting the neighbor,
because without the neighbor would have nothing right now, but
if police had been called at that first scream, maybe,
you know, when they first heard the argument, maybe she
would be alive. But again, in the neighbor's defense. Sometimes
you hear an argument anything, Oh they're arguing.
Speaker 9 (21:23):
Again, they're having another fight. Yeah, I agree with that.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
So this is what we know right now. The search
has moved. The search has moved and falling up on
Jeff Horny just told us to Ben Powers, high profile
criminal defense attorney, Ben if he would ask a friend
to hide potentially a murder weapon and the friend went
(21:52):
along with it, because now he's charged with tampering. If
he had said, hell, no, I'm not having a gun
for you, then he wouldn't be charged now with evidence tampering.
So I'm deducing that he hid the gun. So if
he would ask that friend to hide a gun, would
he ask someone to hide a body? Think about it?
(22:13):
And did you just hear what Jeff said, how close
this is to the Mexican border For all I know,
she could be across the border right now.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Well, So, with the nature of the investigation leading to
the charges of the friend that was asked to hide
the gun and presumably did hide the gun, that tells
us that the investigators have access to mister Simpson's phone,
which will include things like GPS data, selping tower data,
other ways to track his movements.
Speaker 9 (22:42):
That night, and.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
It'll draw a radius of where he went from the
home in the key hours following that argument that the
neighbor says that they witnessed, and that should help to
set some boundaries and some parameters for where should be searched.
If mister Simpson has any culpability in Miss Simpson's disappearance.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Well you know what beenpowers. Now I see why you
win so many cases, Fitz Gibbons. I was just thinking
of our mutual acquaintance, Alex Murdog. His own cell phone,
his wife's cell phone, his son's cell phone, and his
Murdog's NAV system and his state of the art suburban
(23:22):
did him in because you can see exactly what time
he cranked up that suburban to leave the double murder
scene where he left his wife Maggie and son Paul
bleeding dead. You can see when he put it in reverse,
when he shut the doors, even on that NAV system,
when he put it in reverse, then put it in drive,
then took off and then slowed down. You can tell
(23:44):
he let the passenger window down. These things are awesome.
Throws out Maggie's cell phone where it's found on the
side of the road. Lit's the window up and continues
on to where else, to Mommy's house so he can
hide out and have an alibi. There. Now, systems amazing
and like powers just said, the power of the paing Right.
(24:06):
If he was dumb enough to take his cell phone
with him to hide Suzanne's body, we got him. No,
actually we don't. Haven't piece gibbons because I think they
were looking at those pings and that led them to
the landfield where they found nothing.
Speaker 8 (24:22):
Yeah, and I'll tell you, Nancy, there's an important point
to be made here. They may have not found anything
at the landfill. These searches are being driven by that data. Additionally,
with Caughter, the friend, there's an important thing that we
left out here. He said to police that he retrieved
a twenty two caliber rifle at Simpson's request.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Okay, this is simply not true.
Speaker 8 (24:47):
This is in the arrest affidavit that they found the
eighth a Chinese made AK forty seven, hidden in the
wall of his house. So we have two key things
to highlight here. Caughter lied to police number one about
his assistance as he provided to Simpson. The second thing
is that there's an informant involved that led police back
(25:09):
to Carter's house. So police are all over this cell
phone data, the messages, the payings.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
All of it.
Speaker 11 (25:16):
Almost Park PD are desperately searching for a missing mom
of four.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
She was last saying on surveillance outside that Ritzy Argyle club.
Speaker 11 (25:26):
A neighbor here is allowed arguing from their home.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Brent was like trying to hold her down.
Speaker 11 (25:31):
It looks like Suzanne is trying to get away.
Speaker 9 (25:34):
And then there was silence, and that's when you hear
the screams.
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Almost Park Police resume their search for Suzanne Simpson in
wooded areas in and around Almost Park. Cops have enlisted
the help of Texas Search and Rescue and are asking
the public to leave the search to the professionals. Foot
searchers and dog teams are calling several areas for any
trace of Suzanne.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Make no mistake about it. This is a huge blow,
a huge blow to law enforcement. After days and days
in Texas heat looking through a landfill dump, they had
to call it off. And they were very clear as
they started that search that they believed they would find
Susan there. What led them to believe that and why
(26:18):
was she not there or could they not find her
by the time they had finished the search. That's a
huge blow. Now the search has moved to a new location.
I guarantee you guided by pings and nav system connected
to the husband, Brad Simpson. Also at this time Simpson
(26:42):
demanding the court allow him to see his children amidst
the search for his missing wife. That chance legal term,
snowball chance in hell. There is a no contact order
in place. Yes, because remember and it is true very
(27:04):
quickly Courtney Lasky. When the husband, the father, the male
partner in the home has beaten or abused the mother,
then they don't get to have access to the children
because they are familial abusers.
Speaker 10 (27:20):
Absolutely, and this goes back to that characteristic we talked
about about that manipulation piece. So right now Brad could
be trying to manipulate the media get his perspective of
I'm a father, I'm loving, I care for my children.
But we know with this behavior that it escalates over
time and he might have been demonstrating similar abuse to
(27:41):
the children in different ways. It could have been mental
verbal abuse.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
We don't know, but we.
Speaker 10 (27:45):
Do know that these children need to be protected and
until we can prove that he is innocent and he.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Is good to these kids. It's not happening straight out
to Zach Taylor, right, Zach, tell me the location of
the new concentrated search.
Speaker 4 (28:00):
Currently, law enforcement is searching in wooded areas close to
the families Almost Park home, which is on the north
side of San Antonio.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Now, Zach, isn't it true that that is where the
neighbor heard scream?
Speaker 4 (28:14):
Absolutely The neighbor reported going out to find the couple
and hearing the scream just outside their Almost Park home.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Well, you're absolutely right. This occurred after the couple came
home from that ritzy country club dinner club aka drinking
club the Argyle Listen.
Speaker 11 (28:31):
An hour after Brad and Suzanne Simpson return home from
dinner at the Argyle, a neighbor hears loud arguing from
their home. The yelling seems to get louder, and the
neighbor peeks out of their windows, shocked to see the
Simpsons in a physical fight outside their home. It looks
like Suzanne, still dressed from dinner, is trying to get away,
but Brad Simpson keeps pulling her back. The couple eventually
(28:51):
moves out of the neighbor's side line.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Jeff Horny joining me along with that tail or. Right, Jeff,
longtime friend of both Suzanne and the husband Rad Simpson. Jeff,
have you ever seen the home in which they're currently living.
Oh yeah, yes, tell me about the home, and I
want to also hear about the forest, the heavily wooded
area surrounding the home.
Speaker 9 (29:14):
Well, again, the home is in the on the main street.
It's on Almas Drive, the main street of this of
this area, and behind their house, as you can see,
there's some wooded area. But also I guess it would
be north of their house is a highway two eighty
(29:36):
one and underneath that, right, I'm talking almost directly where
they live, is a it's a dam. It's a it's
a it's called the Almus Dam, and there are it's
a creek bed and if water was running through there,
there's no way that they anything would stick around, I
don't think. But there's it's they have to come a
(30:00):
lot of area. I don't know the exact acreage of
the Alma's basin, but it's a it's a large it's
a large area, and there's a lot of woods, and
you know, some homeless folks live out in the woods,
(30:20):
and you know, they even found a firearm out there
from somebody else. So I guess if you were to
hide a body somewhere, that would be a good place.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
You know, they've got to bring out the cadaver dogs,
and it's very very difficult to bring dogs into that terrain,
very heavily wooded area. We're talking about a thirty two
square mile area. Seemingly impossible. Brian Fitzgibbons, We've heard from
Jeff Horny about the exterior and the forest terrain outside
(30:55):
the home, as well as a dam. But Brian Fitzgibbons,
you pointed out something very very interesting to me about
the location of that ak. Tell me that.
Speaker 8 (31:06):
Nancy so Brad Simpson texted his friend and business associate,
James Val Catter, apparently to move a firearm.
Speaker 9 (31:16):
Now police were in.
Speaker 8 (31:18):
Catter's residence speaking to him as early as October tenth.
At that time, Carter told police that he moved a
twenty two caliber rifle for his friend Brad Simpson. This
has turned out in the arrest affidavit to appear to
be a lie.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Police, with the.
Speaker 8 (31:35):
Assistance of a canine specifically trained to detect firearms, alerted
on a wall that had a TV mounted to it
in Carter's residence. Police removed a portrait of that wall
and found an AK forty seven that had belonged to
Brad Simpson stuffed and hidden behind that wall.
Speaker 12 (32:01):
Mom of fours, Suzanne Simpson is a no show, failing
to pick up her children from school. Her husband reports
her missing. Where is Suzanne? Stephen Gilmour posttholes in the
Simpsons neighbors statement to police. Gilmore asserts that a person
invested enough to leave their home with a flashlight to
(32:23):
search for a fighting couple would have called police after
hearing screams. Gilmore also points out that Suzanne's phone last
pinged a half mile from her home at seven to
fifteen am Monday morning, not lining up with the neighbour's timeline,
which suggests Brad Simpson discarded his wife's body and belongings
late Sunday night.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
I agree and disagree with the defense attorney's attack. All
the state's eyewitness or ear witnesses are going to be
attacked on cross examination. That is a given. So that
witness straight out to you, Ben Powers, is going to
be attacked. And the defense attorney's got a little something
(33:01):
to work with if he went out and looking with
a flashlight. Why didn't he call police? Well, I don't
know why he didn't call police, but that does not
mean he didn't see or hear what he saw and heard.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
Well, so it might mean that he didn't see what
he claims he saw and heard. You know, there's obstructions
in the photos that have been shown to the home,
as far as there's a fence line, there's trees in
front of the house, other factors like it was late
at night, so the lighting might have been bad. And
then there's the glaring issue of the neighbor never reported anything.
You know, the first person to report that Susanne Simpson
(33:35):
was missing was Brad And it's actually Brad's report that
brought the police to the neighbor town.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
And I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why because
the witness was very clear that he could see them
and then arguing in the driveway and then they walked
out of his sight line behind some trees. That is
rich in details, seems believable. Also, I'm pretty sure the
(34:05):
police had gone to his vantage point to determine whether
he could see what he says he saw. And also
Jeff Horny, a long time friend of Susan and Anne
Brad Simpson's. She left that posh club. She was walking off.
Let's see that photo alone in her nice outfit. She
(34:25):
was stomping out of there for a reason. Okay. It
wasn't like her husband was escorting her politely to the car.
There she goes, she's there with him and she's leaving alone,
all right. That tells me they were having an argument.
Speaker 9 (34:40):
Yeah, don't forget that she had. She evidently somewhere in
between here and the house, she called her mother, and
her mother said that she was saying that Brad had
struck her in the stomach, and I guess had hit
her a couple of times and she was hurting. So
(35:01):
you know, her mother was the last one to talk
to her, I assume in between that time. So you know,
so we know that that he there was more going
on than just a little pushing and shoving, you know,
not that and that even that's not right.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
Yeah, and that leads up to what the neighbor says
he observed in the in the driveway. Okay, And we
know the single most dangerous time for a woman is
a when she's pregnant, which homicide the number one cause
of death for pregnant women not blood pressure or heart attack, homicide.
(35:40):
And two when she's trying to leave an abusive situation.
Then on top of it all, if my husband was missing,
I would be lying on the courthouse steps screaming, find
my husband, help me. But what is he doing? He's
(36:00):
the one cooperative. Listen.
Speaker 11 (36:03):
Both Suzanne and Brad Simpson's families have condemned his behavior publicly.
Brother Barton Simpson took to Facebook with a strongly warded
post quote, until Brad chooses to operate, we will continue
to cooperate for him as we have from the very
beginning of this heartbreaking ordeal. This is not how he
was raised, and this is not who we are. Brad's
refusal to cooperate is unacceptable. Simpson's brother went on to
(36:26):
say their family is shattered and we'll stop at nothing
to bring Suzanne home.
Speaker 13 (36:31):
Suzanne and I had an opportunity to talk for an
hour before a lot of this has happened. My speculation
is maybe the whole thing is alcohol related, because when
she got back, she called me up and told me
the things that Brad had done to her physically. Well,
(36:52):
I came up with an alternative plan for her, the
hope that she'd move in with me and have her
little coddler go to the elementary school in my neighborhood.
I never got to tell her the plan.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
That is from Suzanne's mother and from our friends at
WAI News for Jeff Horny, longtime friend of Suzanne, and
Brad Simpson's that's what you were telling us, that the
mom learned he had punched Suzanne and the stomach and more.
(37:25):
And you know, Jeff, I learned this not only from
the batter Women's Center there in Atlanta, but from all
the years of prosecuting. It's not a statistic, it's anecdotal
for me that when a woman has in place a plan,
and the mom had a plan to move in with her,
(37:45):
and they were going to put the little girl, the
five year old, into the local school right down the
street from the grandma, but they didn't have time to
implement the plan.
Speaker 9 (37:59):
We're talking about it. You know, if missus Clark had
a little more time, maybe she could have gone and
picked him up. Or it's just tragic.
Speaker 5 (38:11):
Man.
Speaker 9 (38:11):
I can't even imagine, you know, Suzanne was a little
tiny thing. I can't imagine these two guys, you know,
throwing her body around and all these different different trash cans,
and it's terrible. She didn't deserve that at all.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
Jeff Horny, my thoughts exactly. And as Zach Tailorwright was
telling us earlier, Jeff the husband said, quote, I don't
have much time. His business partner hid an AK forty
seven for him before this whole thing cracked wide open.
(38:55):
The thought of an AK forty seven in the same
sentence with Suzanne is just it. It's beyond words. Jeff,
I have.
Speaker 9 (39:08):
A question for you. How why can't the Why can't
they go to Brad and say, look, you, your gig
is up. Tell us where she I don't understand why
they can't go to him and and and and get
him to tell her where, tell us where she is.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
He's done. I'll tell you that. I'll tell you because
once he admits he knows where is her body, that
means he put her there, That means he killed her.
And right now, cops don't have a body, and many
people believe no body, no case. He's actually sitting in
(39:52):
a cell right now thinking he's going to beat this
thing if he and his buddy can keep there. Yet shut.
He may just be right, that's why. And just like
in his last sentence, I don't have much time. It's
all about me, Me, me, me, help me. Forget about Susanne,
Forget about her decomposing body. Forget about the little five
(40:16):
year old girl wanting mommy, seeing mommy beaten up with
bruises and taking her cell phone away. That's her last
memory of mommy. And he is sitting in a cell
right now, gnashing his teeth and switching his tail, wondering
how can I beat this rap? That's why. If you
(40:38):
know or think you know anything about the disappearance of
Susanne Clark Simpson, we beg you to call Detective Hector
Ruiz to one zero to zero, nine to seven zero one,
repeat to one zero two zero nine two seven zero one,
(40:59):
Nancy Grace ending off, goodbye friend,
Host
Nancy Grace
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