October 16, 2024 • 41 mins
On a Monday afternoon, Brad Simpson receives a call from his youngest child’s school.
Staff are concerned because his wife, Suzanne, is nearly 30 minutes late picking up their kindergartener and isn’t answering her phone. Simpson picks up his daughter and makes several calls, but no one has heard from Suzanne. Her co-workers confirm she wasn’t at the office. Brad Simpson reports his wife missing.
Olmos Park police are searching for Suzanne Simpson, a 51-year-old mother of four. She is described as a white female, approximately 5’5” tall, weighing 140 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair that falls just below her shoulders.
Suzanne was last seen outside her East Olmos Drive home on Sunday evening after having dinner at The Argyle, a private club in Alamo Heights. She was wearing a black short-sleeved dress, nude chunky heels, and a watch or bracelet on her right wrist.
The night before, Suzanne and Brad had dinner at The Argyle. Nothing seemed unusual during the meal. However, when they returned home around 9 p.m., Suzanne called her mother, describing a physical argument with Brad. About an hour later, a neighbor heard loud arguing from the house.
The noise grew louder, prompting the neighbor to look outside. They saw the Simpsons physically fighting. Suzanne, still dressed from dinner, appeared to be trying to get away, but Brad kept pulling her back. The couple eventually moved out of the neighbor’s view.
Suzanne Simpson now missing.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
- Ben Powers – Attorney with Legal Powers PLLC, IG: legal powers/Facebook: Legal Powers PLLC
- Dr. Lisa Long - Forensic Psychologist and Owner of Dr. Long and Associates; FB: Dr.LongAndAssociates YouTube: @Dr.LongandAssociates IG: @dr.lisalong
- Brian Fitzgibbons – VP of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security; Instagram: @uspa_nationwide_security, Kingsman Philanthropic’s 2022 rescue missions of women and children in Ukraine, Iraq War Veteranide_security
- Joe Scott Morgan – Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, “Blood Beneath My Feet,” and Host: “Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan;” X: @JoScottForensic
- Mariza Mendoza - Reporter at News 4 San Antonio / Fox San Antonio; FB: Mariza Mendoza TV; IG: @marizamendozatv
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, a gorgeous Texas mother of four,
a luxury realtor missing after a visit to a ritzy
private club. Screams then silence, according to neighbors, I'm Nancy Grace.
(00:21):
This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.
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?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
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 in common. 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 her children
and her family and her friends.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Where is Suzanne?
Speaker 1 (01:03):
What you just heard is from our friends at WAI
News for and that was the almost PD chief del
vi Legas.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Everyone, thank you for being with us tonight.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Tonight, the search has been excruciating for a beautiful mom,
Suzanne Clark Simpson.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
This is what we know.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
She and husband go to a ritzya club, they have dinner.
Video evidence has emerged of her leaving the last known
shot of her wearing a black, short sleeved apparently wrap
around dress, a pair of nude heels.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
There we go, a.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Chunky bracelet or watch on her right hand, her shoulder
length hair down. And notice it's in daylight, the early
evening hours.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Why is it that in the last hours a.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Search through a dump full of trash is being conducted?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Again, thank you for being with us. What do we know?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
First of all, take a listen again to almost Pdchiefy
delvi Legas.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Would love for her to be alive. 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 distressed, lost, troubled,
hiding away, all of those things are possible.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yes, possible, true, but probable.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Not from our friends at WAI News for with me
an all star panel to make sense of what we
know tonight, straight out first to a renowned forensic psychologist,
owner doctor Long and associates, doctor Lisa Long joining us,
Doctor Lisa Long, I hear what the chief is saying,
(03:08):
and he's right, But can we just be practical for
one moment, not one time in Susanne Clark Simpson's history
has she left her children alone.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
And some of these are small children.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Right, That's certainly what makes it most concerning is that
it's not characteristic of her.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Guys, this is what we know.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
We know that she was last seen on surveillance outside
that Ritzy Argyle club members only very posh, but then
screams were heard later, chilling screams.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
There's the Argyle. So what do we know?
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Straight out to Marisa Mendoza joining us investigative reporter at
News for San Antonio, who has been on the case
from the very beginning. And of course I don't say
the story. This is not a story.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
This is real.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
There are children looking for mom, and right now we
know that LA law enforcement is digging through and this
is so hard to do. This an art and a
science to it. I'm going to go to Brian Fitzgibbons
on that in a moment searching through a landfill a dump,
can you imagine three four five feet tall of trash
(04:26):
in certain areas there you see they are coming through
it with rakes. That's from our forends at kabb and
Wai and that's just the beginning.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Many of the workers have to wear. Oh, dear Lord
in Heaven, that's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Three four feet deep of trash from all over the area,
rotting food, baby diapers that have been out in the
sun for weeks.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Refuse everything.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
There's probably rodents in there, rats and they are How
in the day are they gonna find Suzanne and all
of that too. Marisa Mendoza Masa, thank you so much
again for being with us and needs for San Antonio.
Let's start at the beginning. Tell me about the night
(05:22):
that she and her husband are at the Argyle. What
is the Argyle?
Speaker 5 (05:27):
Well, Nancy, the Argyle is a very exclusive club in
San Antonio. Only members joined there. It's a very high
membership to join that club. Suzanne and Brad were invited
to a party there they attended. I spoke to her
mother over the weekend and the mother said that Suzanne
had initially called her saying, hey, can you come and
(05:48):
watch the kids? Her youngest is five, and her mom
may have said I'm busy. Suzanne said, I'll figure it out.
She figured it out. She went to the party and
then Brad followed or vice versa from a.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Wet just on moment, I want to circle back to
the argyawin moment, I understand that they devote all the
money they make from fees and events to research medical research.
Now you look at this and it looks amazing. It
looks like you might see Prince William and Kate there.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
But here's the reality, isn't it true?
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Brian Fitzgibbons joining me, Director Operations, USPA Nationwide Security Specialty
finding Missing People. Brian, you can be rolling in money,
you are still not insulated from.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Crime, Nancy.
Speaker 6 (06:49):
It's a common misperception that your status or wealth insulates
you from this type of event happening, and all too
often we see it in all types of communities.
Speaker 7 (07:02):
So you can be be the poorest.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Of the pitches of the rich, you know. Marisa Mendoza
again joining US News for San Antonio. I want to
go back to that evening.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
So she's there at this event, everything's going beautifully.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Then we see her leaving.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Now, that, as I said, was the last video surveillance
or photo that happened to catch her leaving, But it
wasn't quite the last time she was spotted.
Speaker 8 (07:30):
Listen almost Park PD are desperately searching for a missing
mom of four. Suzanne Simpson fifty one, is a white female,
approximately five foot five, one hundred and forty pounds, with
hazel eyes and brown hair hitting just below her shoulders.
Suzanne was last seen outside her East Almost drive home
Sunday evening after having a dinner at the Argyle, a
private club in Alamo Heights. Suzanne was last seen wearing
(07:51):
a black short sleeve dress, nude chunky heels, and a
watcher bracelet on her right wrist.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
So actually Marisa neighbors saw her after she came home
from the Argyle, is that correct?
Speaker 5 (08:03):
So a neighbor from across the street heard arguing and fighting,
so he looked out his widow and saw the couple
fighting outside of their home. He had said to police
that I saw them. They were Brad was like trying
to hold her down, and then he couldn't see because
(08:24):
it was late at night. Then there was silence, and
then he went outside and followed them and that's when
he heard the screams. And that's all that happened that
he told police about that night.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
What was the neighbor doing up?
Speaker 1 (08:39):
What attracted the neighbor's attention because there wasn't anything loud.
How did the neighbor look out and happened to see
this altercation, this verbal argument.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
Well, Nance, you have to imagine a neighborhood like almost Park.
It's very quiet and usually when you hear something arguing,
loud arguing, you will hear it. Because that neighbor lived
in a very small apartment building. There's probably it's two levels,
(09:14):
maybe for four or five units. So it's a very
quiet area. And he was curious enough to go outside
with a flashlight. He found nothing.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Tell me about the neighborhood, Nancy.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
The neighborhood is upper class neighborhood. The homes they arrange
it over half a million to probably upwards of two million,
if not more. I know that the Simpsons home is
valued at about one point three million dollars, so it's
an area that is coveted. It's very well to do.
(09:49):
Most of the folks there are like the Simpsons. They
are upper class. They take very much pride in their community,
their families. They're very involved in church, in school. Just
like Suzanne, she was involved in the PTA. She was
very involved in her children's lives. It's very very disheartening
(10:14):
for her little girl. I have a little girl that's
the same age, so I can't imagine what her children
are going through.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Ry So where did they get all the money? Where
did the money come from to have that nice, you know,
million and a half dollar home.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
We've been told by community members that both families are
very well to do. When I did a search on them,
there were leans on the couple over the past few years.
They were sued by American Express. So not all that
glitters is gold.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
With me right now.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Joseph Scott Morgan, professor of forensics at Jacksonville State University,
author of Blood Beneath My Fate on Amazon and Starve
Here series Body Bags with Joe Scott Morgan, WHOA, I
just heard something new. They had a lean from American Express.
You know those American Express spending limits can be thirty
(11:06):
forty fifty thousand dollars, so when you get a lien
that means you're over that limit. I believe it's you,
Joe Scott that has often said murders can be about
sex or money. Essentially, that's it. I disagree with that,
(11:26):
by the way, but money. Who would know somebody living
in a nearly two million dollar mansion, having their evening
at the Argyle has a lien on them from AMEX.
Speaker 7 (11:40):
Living beyond their means when you think about that, if
you're loading up credit cards in order to maintain a
certain status, and as our colleague just mentioned, to go
painting this picture of this environment in which they live,
this home, this nice home one point five I guess
one point two million dollar home. And then on top
(12:01):
of the all of the wealth that they're surrounded by,
simply based upon this party that they attend. You know,
they're not going to invite somebody like me to a
party like that. You know, you're going to have to
have wealth, status, that sort of thing. So in order
to maintain that lifestyle, maybe you're using the plastic a lot,
And of course that can create tension and nancy. As
(12:23):
you well stated, I've worked cases involving certainly passion, we've
covered those, but money many times is a driver. There's
a lot of anger, tension that comes along with that,
and sometimes sometimes those events can turn quite violent.
Speaker 9 (12:45):
Neighbors, here's screams, then a mama for goes missing. What
happened to Suzanne Simpson? Monday afternoon, Brad Simpson gets a
call from his youngest child.
Speaker 10 (12:59):
School staff are concerned because his wife, Suzanne is now
almost thirty minutes late picking up their kindergartener and isn't
answering her phone. Simpson picks up his daughter, then makes
several calls. No one has heard from Suzanne, and coworkers
say she wasn't in the office.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Brad Simpson reports his wife missing. Ben Power is joining me.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
High profile criminal defense attorney joining us out of Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Ben, Thank you for being with us. Ben. Why is
it that so many dads don't know when pickup is?
That's a good question.
Speaker 11 (13:31):
I don't know when my own child's pickup is, But
I think that when you're ever seens like it sounds
like the Simpsons had that was miss Simpson's responsibility or
something that she did regularly. So obviously it was uncommon
that she was not there on time and that her
child was still waiting there to the point that they
had to call it.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I can't hear anything you're saying because of what you
blurted out at the beginning.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
How old are your children, Ben Powers?
Speaker 11 (14:00):
I have a twelve year old and a four year old.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Okay, the twelve year old probably gets out around three
point fifteen, Just just so you know. Now the younger one,
you'll have to ask your wife. I guess so, Ben Powers.
I'm very curious. Why do I keep hearing, Oh, I
didn't know she was gone till they call me from
the school.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Nobody picked up the kid. How can you not know
she's gone? Does that mean she was home that morning
and made some wopples? Does that mean you saw her
run out of the door to go to work. Where's
her card? As you have a crash? What he doesn't
know she's gone? How can that be?
Speaker 11 (14:36):
I think one explanation would be that they did have
this argument on Sunday night and hadn't seen each other since,
because as I understand that, mister Simpson left the home
that night, and he may have just assumed that the
normal routine would still be in place. And then when
this phone call came from the school, that's what first
ted him up that I need to make some phone calls.
(14:57):
I need to find Suzanne. And then ultimately he reported
to the police that she was missing.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
After you made those.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Phone calls and wait, like that's normal, Empowers, that the husband,
the dad just leaves and just says, I'm not gonna
worry about the four children. I'm sure she'll take care
of everything to hay with them.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
See, I have a problem right that I don't know.
I don't know him, but I already don't like him.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
If anything you just said is true. So if you
have to defend this case, please do not work that
out in front of a jury.
Speaker 12 (15:30):
Okay, that he had no idea, He just assumed they'd
get to school. But I got a question, Marisa Mendoza
joining us from news for San Antonio, if she was
supposed to pick the children up, and he just.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
Went, why where is she at three o'clock? Who took
the children that morning?
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Well, I'm glad you asked me because your mom mentioned
the fact that Brad had called her and said I
took the kids to school in the morning. So it's
interesting that he got a call from the school saying
that Suzanne had not been by to pick up their
youngest child. Her mother.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
You know much. You know what I bet, Marisa?
Speaker 1 (16:14):
I bet you not a betting person, So I go
with one hundred dollars.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I bet you one hundred dollars.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
He didn't normally take them to school, so if he
takes him to school, which it would be an odd occurrence,
especially has been powers pointed out. He left a home
and a huff the night before after the argument. How
did he know to come take the children to school?
He came back home?
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Was she there then? Okay?
Speaker 1 (16:41):
The whole drop off pickup thing is something to be examined.
But Marisa Mendoza question, so he realizes the piano hits
some of the head. Where is Suzanne at pickup time?
When did he report her missing?
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Shortly after? I guess he picked up his child.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Okay, Brian Fitzgibbons, that is to his credit, because so often, Brian,
we see cases where the missing mom is not reported
missing for hours and hours, even days. Okay, days go
by and then finally, usually coworkers report the mom missing.
(17:26):
But you have the dad here or the husband reporting
her missing as soon as he says he realizes.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
She's gone at pickup time. So that's something, right.
Speaker 6 (17:35):
I don't see it as a good mark in his case, Nancy,
because what we have is an immovable object. Suzanne was
set to be seen on the afternoon of Monday, October seventh.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
He would have known that, all right, So she.
Speaker 6 (17:50):
Was expected at that time and at that location.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Now the neighbor thinks he sees her out the window.
He thinks that here's an argument. But let's circle back
to that moment.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Listen.
Speaker 8 (18:06):
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 window, 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
(18:26):
moves out of the neighbor's sight line.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
So they're having somewhat of physical altercation right there in
the driveway. And I want to ask again, Marisa, is
the neighbors places you have a balcony?
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Was he looking out the window? It was at night?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Could he see and what does he mean by they
moved out of his sight line?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
I want to make sure he had a sight line.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
To start with, because, oh, Maurice, I'm sure you've seen
it before. How eyewitnesses are attacked. Tell me about what
would have been his sight line and what does he
mean that they moved out of it.
Speaker 5 (19:04):
He is probably one of the residents that faces the
Simpsons home, so he says that he was looking outside
of his bedroom window when they moved out of his sightline.
They probably that's when they went into the wooded area,
which is across the street. In that wooded area, there's
a trail that residents typically like to walk, So maybe
(19:25):
that's I'm assuming where they went. That's why police searched
that area extensively last week.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Benpowers, veteran criminal defense attorney, joining us tonight. Then there
are so many attacks on eyewitnesses by the other side.
It can be either side that In many jurisdictions, that
attack is actually codified. In other words, it's in the code,
the official annotated criminal code of the jurisdiction. For instance,
(19:56):
an eyewitness can be attacked on the vision, the lighting,
the distance from which they see the individual, or the
event their history. Had they ever had incidance before where
they could not see something they claimed.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
That they saw. It's in the criminal code. It's so
often done, is so typical.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So I want to nail down everything I can about
this eyewitness how would you attack the eyewitness if.
Speaker 11 (20:30):
What they saw was so concerning and so certain? And
why didn't they do anything at a more fresh point
that same night? Why they wait for police to come
to them with questions instead of going to police to
report this instant that they say that they saw with
such detail. And so that's where I think their most
vulnerable is just the fact that they're now saying this
(20:51):
was so obvious, this was so concerning, but they didn't
do anything at all. They went out, I think that
the flashlight and then just went home and went to bed,
And so I think that's where I first would bring
out the questions about this witness. But then also the distance,
the lighting, the lack of lighting, any objects like trees
(21:13):
or bushes or vehicles that are in the way. You know,
what did they actually see and where are they filling
in with what they think they saw?
Speaker 9 (21:21):
An extensive search underway in the woods surrounding Susanne Simpson's home,
where is the mom of four?
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Suzanne and I had an opportunity to.
Speaker 13 (21:33):
Talk for an hour before a lot.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Of this has happened. My speculation is.
Speaker 13 (21:40):
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, I
came up with an alternative plan for her, and I
hope that she'd move in with me and have her
little coddler go to the elementary school in my neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
But I never got to tell her the plan.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
The single most dangerous for a time for a woman
is when she attempts to leave. You just heard from
Suzanne's mother, Barbara Clark from our friends at WAI News
for doctor Lisa Long is joining me psychologist at doctor
(22:26):
Lisa Long dot com.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Doctor Lisa.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Other than when you're pregnant, which is one of the
top two most dangerous times in a woman's life when
you're pregnant, So much violence occurs on women when they
are pregnant, when they announce they're pregnant during the pregnancy.
(22:52):
The other time that it's equally as dangerous is when
the woman attempts to leave an argument or a bad relationship.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
True false, Yes, that.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Is true, Nancy, that is true. And we hear now
that there were other stressors in the couple's relationship, including
financial stressors. All of those things are concerning.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Explain to me, doctor lay so long, renowned psychologist, forensic psychologist.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Why is it?
Speaker 1 (23:21):
And of course I don't expect you to crawl into
the mind of a perpetrator, but why is it that
during the pregnancy and when a woman tries to leave
either the relationship or an argument, why are those two
times the single most dangerous times in a woman's life statistically?
Speaker 14 (23:42):
Well, I mean we can look at the cycle of abuse,
and so typically when a woman makes that choice and
she's making motions to actually to actually leave, that is
when the perpetrator or the partner oftentimes anti ups, you know,
and the abuse in increases.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
So that is why it's often more dangerous. The perpetrator
or the spouse feels that they're losing control and that's
what makes the situation much more dangerous.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
And doctor Lisa, in this case, we have two incidents.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Number one, the neighbor.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
If the neighbors to be believed, and I see no
reason why the neighbors should not be believed. Contrary to
what Ben Powers is saying, what power is brought up
about a line of questioning across examining is absolutely correct.
But that said, under our jurisprudence, individuals do not have
(24:40):
a duty under the law to be a good samaritan
or report wrongdoing. You hear a gunshot, you hear a screen,
You're not under a legal or criminal duty to call
nine to one one.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
If you don't, then your crud.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
If you do, then you're a good samaritan, but you
will not be prosecuted if you don't. However, he's got
a good point and a great line of cross examination.
My point here is, doctor Lisa Long, is that there
were two things happening. Number one, she was trying to
leave an argument, according to the neighbor. And number two,
(25:16):
when a woman puts a plan in place to actually leave,
to really do it, not just say I'm so tired
of you, I want out, but to really do it.
Here you see the mother, Barbara Clark state, we've talked
about this, and we've talked about this. I came up
with a plan for her. She would move in with me,
(25:39):
and we had planned to have her little toddler, her daughter,
go to the elementary school in my neighborhood. That is
a plan. That is a hard plan, doctor Lisa, right.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
And so what you know, we could we could speculate
that Brad may have perceived himself as losing even more,
that Suzanne had made a choice that her she was
moving forward with.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
With moving in with her mom.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
It's my understanding that she also had the conversation with
her mom shortly before she went missing, so this may
have been the first time that her mother was aware
of the domestic violence.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Plus, as Marisa Mendoza told us earlier from News for
San Antonio, the couple had been sued by American Express.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
And they settled that.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Now they had a lean on them by some contractors.
So they're having one financial problem after the next, and
now they're having an argument in the driveway and she
wants to leave. He grabs her by the arm to
pull her back, and they move out of the neighbor's sideline.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
What happens next?
Speaker 15 (26:50):
Listen The Simpsons neighbor steps outside to see where the
couple went. There's no sign of Bread or Suzanne. Then
the neighbor freezes when they hear a scream from across
the street in Almost Basin Park, the neighbor hears two
more screams than silence.
Speaker 9 (27:07):
The quiet, upscale neighborhood of Almost Park, Texas rocked by
chilling screams. What happened to mom of four Suzanne Simpson.
Speaker 15 (27:20):
After giving an initial statement Monday, almost Park PD schedule
a second interview with Brad Simpson on Tuesday. Alarm bells
ring when Simpson doesn't show up. Family members say they
haven't heard much from Simpson since he left the home
he shares with Suzanne for his ranch in Bendera, about
an hour's drive away.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
So he owns a ranch in Mandera an hour's drive away,
and I want to point something out what he heard
just before we went to break Maurice Mendozo joining US
News for San Antonio. So the neighbor goes back inside
after hearing the scream and silence, But then about an
hour later, what happens.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
About an hour later, he the neighbor went back into
his apartment, and I guess Brad went on his merry
way to do whatever he needed to do. The interesting
thing that I wanted to add is we spoke to
that neighbor again last week off camera. He didn't want
to go on camera, but basically we asked him, why
did you not report what you heard and what you
(28:20):
saw Sunday night? And he said point blank that we
don't do that in this neighborhood. We don't say those
things to the police. And I said, well, when you
don't report those things, things like this happen, people end
up missing. I don't know if he regrets it. He
didn't say that, but that's what he said. We don't
(28:43):
do those things here.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Moason, isn't Mendoza, isn't it true that when the neighbor
goes back inside an hour later he hears he must
have a very change sense of hearing. He hears the
neighbor's garage door open. He says, Simpson back out and
black truck alone, and he returns.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Two hours later. This truck. Isn't that true, Marisa?
Speaker 5 (29:10):
Yes, that's what he told police, and police had released
that picture a few days later, asking for the public
for help, asking them if you've seen this truck someplace,
please let us know. Reporters, We've asked police, have you
found anything in the truck anything related to Suzanne? They
(29:32):
have not commented if any DNA or anything of hers
was found in the truck.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Okay, this is what we know.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Just got Morgan, professor forensic Jacksonville State University. Police have
Brad Simpsons Black twenty nineteen GMC Sierra at four A
Sira at.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Four black in color? Can we show that please?
Speaker 1 (29:53):
The tag number is M mother D Dakota W windsor
seven zero five zero repeat M Mother D Dog W
windsor seven zero five zero.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
And right now.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Police are asking if you have seen this vehicle, please
let us know. And Joe Scott, it wouldn't be the
first time a vehicle has cracked a case. Do you
recall the case of Cherish Perrywinkle that was kidnapped from
a superstore? Listen, Joe Scott.
Speaker 16 (30:30):
Jackson one, No one's fine. Hi were calling about a
suspicious vent over how a white van. It's not there anymore.
But we don't know if he don't do me thin
because we heard to grow just got to do different Walmart, right,
So we're not sure besty van. But a white van
was pushed all the way to the back of the bushes,
right behind the church.
Speaker 9 (30:50):
Behind es now and how long ago do you see it?
Speaker 16 (30:54):
Seven twenty? We didn't know anything until it is now.
Do you think he may have dumped something? Right? We
don't know if they looked suspicious. It was away to
the bay.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Okay, So there was that case.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
And of course when the PERPS vehicle was found, the
child was found nearby, half submerged in water, and did
And then of course does Scott who can forget the truck,
the Ford Transit and the Gabby Potito murder.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
Remember, listen, we came across a white van that had
Florida plates, a small white van.
Speaker 15 (31:29):
This is most definitely Gabby Potito's board transit van.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
So does Scott?
Speaker 1 (31:35):
What what are they doing with Simpson's black truck right
now going over.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
From Stem to Stern. If they have their hands on it,
they're going to look and listen, the fact that her
DNA would be found in the vehicle is no grand surprise.
They're married, so she would have occupied that space. The
key here, though, is the source of the DNA. And
what I mean by that particular is their blood on
(32:03):
any of those surfaces in there that can be tied
back to this mama. And we think about you know,
you couple that with this idea that they have gone
on this search and a landfill, Well, how are you
going to transport a grown woman's body anywhere? And would
there have been harm done to her?
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Look?
Speaker 7 (32:24):
I don't have to go very far to remind you that, right,
now we're in the middle of the Quentin Simon case,
and you know there was you know, a landfill involved
in that particular case. But you're talking about a precious
little boy here and easily moved about. With this, We're
talking about a full grown woman. So how do you
accomplish this task? There is something that the police know
(32:48):
that has driven them to the point where they're going
to assemble a team of cadets. And this is not
a lot undertaking, Nancy. This is a lot of heavy
lifting in order to facilitate this. You just don't do
this on a whim. So they have some kind of
biological evidence I would think that might tie this case
(33:09):
to maybe a disposal in a local dumpster or perhaps
in some bind somewhere that they can track, because tracking
is the key to anything involving a landfill.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 10 (33:34):
After Almost Park PD speaks with the Simpsons neighbor, they
focus their searches on a wooded area in Almost Basin Park,
just across the street from the Simpsons home. Texas Rangers
and Texas Search and Rescue join Almost Park officers, bringing
several dog teams to comb the area. Meanwhile, a search
warrant is also executed at the Simpsons home. Police say
(33:54):
they have recovered several evidence items that have yet to
be analyzed, and are also trying to obtain digital evidence
from both Brad and Suzanne Simpson's devices.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Earlier, we heard Joe Scott Morgan opining on what has
led law enforcement to this dump. He thinks there's some
sort of DNA type evidence. I disagree. I think it's
very possible. Maria Mendoza Marisa Mendoza joining us. I assume
that police got search warrants and access the husband's cell
(34:25):
phone and laptops, all of his devices, and I'm wondering
if there he may have searched for the location of landfill.
If there is a possibility, they've already triangulated it and
gotten a ping near the landfill. What can you tell
us about the landfill search is going on right now?
Speaker 5 (34:46):
What I can tell you is that they've been at
the landfill for the past few days. It was yesterday
when the chief went with a letter to almost Park
residents and said he felt confident that Suzanne's body was
going to be found in that area. When they initially
went to the landfill on Monday, it was a search.
(35:10):
We weren't really sure that it was one of four
searches in a search warrant four properties. I guess that
the search warrant called for, But the focus has really
been now on this southeast Beer County landfill in certain
parts of it. So it's really horrific to see what
(35:31):
people are going through all this trash and that she
could possibly be there.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Ravi As Gibbons joining us Director Operations USPA Nationwide Security, Brian,
I don't know if you've ever been part of or
tangential to a landfill search, but they are agonizing, they're tedious.
You have to look through every bit of trash, sometimes
three four feet tall, and you could be looking for
(35:58):
something as tiny as a digit.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Are part of a.
Speaker 6 (36:01):
Digit, absolutely, Nancy, and these searches are done in a
very systematic way. And just like Joe Scott Morgan said,
these landfills are typically done on a grid system, so
they're going to have pretty accurate data as to where
to search, and then they begin going layer by layer,
setting up a secondary grid where the searchers will comb
(36:24):
through one layer of that debris to look for the remains.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
Just got Morgan way in on landfill searches.
Speaker 7 (36:33):
Yeah, and so it is a grid search, and you
can't just so folks understand kind of the layer of
the land with a landfill, they are broken into grids,
and you can't continue to dump in the same spot
every time, so they rotate these around. The trick is
And what they do understand is every time you see
a truck go down your street that collects a garbage bin,
(36:56):
there is an assigned location that that truck will go
to at said land and they will begin filling that
particular grid and then they will begin to run over
it with the heavy equipment. That's a great shot. Our
production team does a great job with this, Nancy. Those
big steel tires that you see with the knobs, they're
compressing all this. We call this stratification of this debris.
(37:18):
So you'll have remains that are co mingled with all
of the household garbage and everything else. And this thing
is being compressed over and over and over again until
they're done with that grid. When you're doing a landfill search,
you block that grid off of the area that you
suspect that that truck may have dumped something in that location.
(37:39):
That's why I think they have information about this, and
you're going to go over this very painstakingly, and it
is not an easy undertaking. You can see these guys
out there in taivex suits. It's hot, it's miserable, and
you're trying to look for the finest detail that you
possibly can. Because once a human remain gets into this location,
whether something has happened to them like this memberment beforehand,
(38:02):
even if the body is intact, the body is going
to be greatly, greatly affected and it just it all
looks the same when you're out there. You really have
to adjust your focus when you're there.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
I wonder, Joe Scott, how effective cadaver dogs would be.
Speaker 3 (38:18):
In this scenario.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
There's scent dogs which pick up on a live human,
then there's cadaver dog that picks.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
Up on you know, disposed Yeah, well how would that work?
Speaker 7 (38:34):
Yeah, their spectrum is is greater than ours to be
able to sense things through scent. However, when you get
into a landfill, you've got all of this organic material,
which means this biological material that's co mingled out there,
and I think that they could still get a hit Nancy,
but is going to add another layer of complication to
(38:58):
this even utilizing a cadap dog out there. A lot
of this is going to be accomplished through eyesight and
good old fashioned elbow grease. They're going to be taking
that debris that you're seeing right there, They're going to
take it to a separate location, and they're going to
sift through every bit of it. So you've got multiple
jobs that are being done out here. We're just seeing
right now them doing an assessment, a raking, and then
(39:21):
you don't really see them gathering the specific material and
taking it to a location and then's sifting through it
because all of it can again begin to merge, and
it's very confusing for anybody that's trying to identify anything
by sight.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
And another thing, Brian Fitzgibbons, you see them wearing hazmat outfits.
Can you imagine out in that heat, digging through all
of that filth. It could absolutely make you pass out,
oh for sure.
Speaker 6 (39:48):
And you know, this reminds me of my days in
the Marine Corps, Nancy. This is like what we would
call mop gear wearing chemical suits. These cadets from sant Anto,
they're working really hard out.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
There and sweating.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
Having to breathe through has Matt and imagine just a moment,
if you can, that somewhere, somewhere in all of that
could be Suzanne's body, and somewhere right now her children
are wondering, where's mom. If you know or think you
(40:29):
know anything about the disappearance of Suzanne, or if you
believe you saw the husband's black vehicle, please call it
Detective Hector Ruis two one zero two zero nine to
seven zero one repeat two one zero two zero nine two.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
Seven zero one.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
Thank you to all of our guests being with us
as we hope and pray for the best and the
search for Suzanne. Nancy Grace signing off, goodbye friend,
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, a gorgeous Texas mother of four,
a luxury realtor missing after a visit to a ritzy
private club. Screams then silence, according to neighbors, I'm Nancy Grace.
(00:21):
This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.
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?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
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 in common. 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 her children
and her family and her friends.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Where is Suzanne?
Speaker 1 (01:03):
What you just heard is from our friends at WAI
News for and that was the almost PD chief del
vi Legas.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Everyone, thank you for being with us tonight.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Tonight, the search has been excruciating for a beautiful mom,
Suzanne Clark Simpson.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
This is what we know.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
She and husband go to a ritzya club, they have dinner.
Video evidence has emerged of her leaving the last known
shot of her wearing a black, short sleeved apparently wrap
around dress, a pair of nude heels.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
There we go, a.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Chunky bracelet or watch on her right hand, her shoulder
length hair down. And notice it's in daylight, the early
evening hours.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Why is it that in the last hours a.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Search through a dump full of trash is being conducted?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Again, thank you for being with us. What do we know?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
First of all, take a listen again to almost Pdchiefy
delvi Legas.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Would love for her to be alive. 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 distressed, lost, troubled,
hiding away, all of those things are possible.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yes, possible, true, but probable.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Not from our friends at WAI News for with me
an all star panel to make sense of what we
know tonight, straight out first to a renowned forensic psychologist,
owner doctor Long and associates, doctor Lisa Long joining us,
Doctor Lisa Long, I hear what the chief is saying,
(03:08):
and he's right, But can we just be practical for
one moment, not one time in Susanne Clark Simpson's history
has she left her children alone.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
And some of these are small children.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Right, That's certainly what makes it most concerning is that
it's not characteristic of her.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Guys, this is what we know.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
We know that she was last seen on surveillance outside
that Ritzy Argyle club members only very posh, but then
screams were heard later, chilling screams.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
There's the Argyle. So what do we know?
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Straight out to Marisa Mendoza joining us investigative reporter at
News for San Antonio, who has been on the case
from the very beginning. And of course I don't say
the story. This is not a story.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
This is real.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
There are children looking for mom, and right now we
know that LA law enforcement is digging through and this
is so hard to do. This an art and a
science to it. I'm going to go to Brian Fitzgibbons
on that in a moment searching through a landfill a dump,
can you imagine three four five feet tall of trash
(04:26):
in certain areas there you see they are coming through
it with rakes. That's from our forends at kabb and
Wai and that's just the beginning.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Many of the workers have to wear. Oh, dear Lord
in Heaven, that's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Three four feet deep of trash from all over the area,
rotting food, baby diapers that have been out in the
sun for weeks.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Refuse everything.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
There's probably rodents in there, rats and they are How
in the day are they gonna find Suzanne and all
of that too. Marisa Mendoza Masa, thank you so much
again for being with us and needs for San Antonio.
Let's start at the beginning. Tell me about the night
(05:22):
that she and her husband are at the Argyle. What
is the Argyle?
Speaker 5 (05:27):
Well, Nancy, the Argyle is a very exclusive club in
San Antonio. Only members joined there. It's a very high
membership to join that club. Suzanne and Brad were invited
to a party there they attended. I spoke to her
mother over the weekend and the mother said that Suzanne
had initially called her saying, hey, can you come and
(05:48):
watch the kids? Her youngest is five, and her mom
may have said I'm busy. Suzanne said, I'll figure it out.
She figured it out. She went to the party and
then Brad followed or vice versa from a.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Wet just on moment, I want to circle back to
the argyawin moment, I understand that they devote all the
money they make from fees and events to research medical research.
Now you look at this and it looks amazing. It
looks like you might see Prince William and Kate there.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
But here's the reality, isn't it true?
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Brian Fitzgibbons joining me, Director Operations, USPA Nationwide Security Specialty
finding Missing People. Brian, you can be rolling in money,
you are still not insulated from.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Crime, Nancy.
Speaker 6 (06:49):
It's a common misperception that your status or wealth insulates
you from this type of event happening, and all too
often we see it in all types of communities.
Speaker 7 (07:02):
So you can be be the poorest.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Of the pitches of the rich, you know. Marisa Mendoza
again joining US News for San Antonio. I want to
go back to that evening.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
So she's there at this event, everything's going beautifully.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Then we see her leaving.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Now, that, as I said, was the last video surveillance
or photo that happened to catch her leaving, But it
wasn't quite the last time she was spotted.
Speaker 8 (07:30):
Listen almost Park PD are desperately searching for a missing
mom of four. Suzanne Simpson fifty one, is a white female,
approximately five foot five, one hundred and forty pounds, with
hazel eyes and brown hair hitting just below her shoulders.
Suzanne was last seen outside her East Almost drive home
Sunday evening after having a dinner at the Argyle, a
private club in Alamo Heights. Suzanne was last seen wearing
(07:51):
a black short sleeve dress, nude chunky heels, and a
watcher bracelet on her right wrist.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
So actually Marisa neighbors saw her after she came home
from the Argyle, is that correct?
Speaker 5 (08:03):
So a neighbor from across the street heard arguing and fighting,
so he looked out his widow and saw the couple
fighting outside of their home. He had said to police
that I saw them. They were Brad was like trying
to hold her down, and then he couldn't see because
(08:24):
it was late at night. Then there was silence, and
then he went outside and followed them and that's when
he heard the screams. And that's all that happened that
he told police about that night.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
What was the neighbor doing up?
Speaker 1 (08:39):
What attracted the neighbor's attention because there wasn't anything loud.
How did the neighbor look out and happened to see
this altercation, this verbal argument.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
Well, Nance, you have to imagine a neighborhood like almost Park.
It's very quiet and usually when you hear something arguing,
loud arguing, you will hear it. Because that neighbor lived
in a very small apartment building. There's probably it's two levels,
(09:14):
maybe for four or five units. So it's a very
quiet area. And he was curious enough to go outside
with a flashlight. He found nothing.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Tell me about the neighborhood, Nancy.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
The neighborhood is upper class neighborhood. The homes they arrange
it over half a million to probably upwards of two million,
if not more. I know that the Simpsons home is
valued at about one point three million dollars, so it's
an area that is coveted. It's very well to do.
(09:49):
Most of the folks there are like the Simpsons. They
are upper class. They take very much pride in their community,
their families. They're very involved in church, in school. Just
like Suzanne, she was involved in the PTA. She was
very involved in her children's lives. It's very very disheartening
(10:14):
for her little girl. I have a little girl that's
the same age, so I can't imagine what her children
are going through.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Ry So where did they get all the money? Where
did the money come from to have that nice, you know,
million and a half dollar home.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
We've been told by community members that both families are
very well to do. When I did a search on them,
there were leans on the couple over the past few years.
They were sued by American Express. So not all that
glitters is gold.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
With me right now.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Joseph Scott Morgan, professor of forensics at Jacksonville State University,
author of Blood Beneath My Fate on Amazon and Starve
Here series Body Bags with Joe Scott Morgan, WHOA, I
just heard something new. They had a lean from American Express.
You know those American Express spending limits can be thirty
(11:06):
forty fifty thousand dollars, so when you get a lien
that means you're over that limit. I believe it's you,
Joe Scott that has often said murders can be about
sex or money. Essentially, that's it. I disagree with that,
(11:26):
by the way, but money. Who would know somebody living
in a nearly two million dollar mansion, having their evening
at the Argyle has a lien on them from AMEX.
Speaker 7 (11:40):
Living beyond their means when you think about that, if
you're loading up credit cards in order to maintain a
certain status, and as our colleague just mentioned, to go
painting this picture of this environment in which they live,
this home, this nice home one point five I guess
one point two million dollar home. And then on top
(12:01):
of the all of the wealth that they're surrounded by,
simply based upon this party that they attend. You know,
they're not going to invite somebody like me to a
party like that. You know, you're going to have to
have wealth, status, that sort of thing. So in order
to maintain that lifestyle, maybe you're using the plastic a lot,
And of course that can create tension and nancy. As
(12:23):
you well stated, I've worked cases involving certainly passion, we've
covered those, but money many times is a driver. There's
a lot of anger, tension that comes along with that,
and sometimes sometimes those events can turn quite violent.
Speaker 9 (12:45):
Neighbors, here's screams, then a mama for goes missing. What
happened to Suzanne Simpson? Monday afternoon, Brad Simpson gets a
call from his youngest child.
Speaker 10 (12:59):
School staff are concerned because his wife, Suzanne is now
almost thirty minutes late picking up their kindergartener and isn't
answering her phone. Simpson picks up his daughter, then makes
several calls. No one has heard from Suzanne, and coworkers
say she wasn't in the office.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Brad Simpson reports his wife missing. Ben Power is joining me.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
High profile criminal defense attorney joining us out of Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Ben, Thank you for being with us. Ben. Why is
it that so many dads don't know when pickup is?
That's a good question.
Speaker 11 (13:31):
I don't know when my own child's pickup is, But
I think that when you're ever seens like it sounds
like the Simpsons had that was miss Simpson's responsibility or
something that she did regularly. So obviously it was uncommon
that she was not there on time and that her
child was still waiting there to the point that they
had to call it.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I can't hear anything you're saying because of what you
blurted out at the beginning.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
How old are your children, Ben Powers?
Speaker 11 (14:00):
I have a twelve year old and a four year old.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Okay, the twelve year old probably gets out around three
point fifteen, Just just so you know. Now the younger one,
you'll have to ask your wife. I guess so, Ben Powers.
I'm very curious. Why do I keep hearing, Oh, I
didn't know she was gone till they call me from
the school.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Nobody picked up the kid. How can you not know
she's gone? Does that mean she was home that morning
and made some wopples? Does that mean you saw her
run out of the door to go to work. Where's
her card? As you have a crash? What he doesn't
know she's gone? How can that be?
Speaker 11 (14:36):
I think one explanation would be that they did have
this argument on Sunday night and hadn't seen each other since,
because as I understand that, mister Simpson left the home
that night, and he may have just assumed that the
normal routine would still be in place. And then when
this phone call came from the school, that's what first
ted him up that I need to make some phone calls.
(14:57):
I need to find Suzanne. And then ultimately he reported
to the police that she was missing.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
After you made those.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Phone calls and wait, like that's normal, Empowers, that the husband,
the dad just leaves and just says, I'm not gonna
worry about the four children. I'm sure she'll take care
of everything to hay with them.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
See, I have a problem right that I don't know.
I don't know him, but I already don't like him.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
If anything you just said is true. So if you
have to defend this case, please do not work that
out in front of a jury.
Speaker 12 (15:30):
Okay, that he had no idea, He just assumed they'd
get to school. But I got a question, Marisa Mendoza
joining us from news for San Antonio, if she was
supposed to pick the children up, and he just.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
Went, why where is she at three o'clock? Who took
the children that morning?
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Well, I'm glad you asked me because your mom mentioned
the fact that Brad had called her and said I
took the kids to school in the morning. So it's
interesting that he got a call from the school saying
that Suzanne had not been by to pick up their
youngest child. Her mother.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
You know much. You know what I bet, Marisa?
Speaker 1 (16:14):
I bet you not a betting person, So I go
with one hundred dollars.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
I bet you one hundred dollars.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
He didn't normally take them to school, so if he
takes him to school, which it would be an odd occurrence,
especially has been powers pointed out. He left a home
and a huff the night before after the argument. How
did he know to come take the children to school?
He came back home?
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Was she there then? Okay?
Speaker 1 (16:41):
The whole drop off pickup thing is something to be examined.
But Marisa Mendoza question, so he realizes the piano hits
some of the head. Where is Suzanne at pickup time?
When did he report her missing?
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Shortly after? I guess he picked up his child.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Okay, Brian Fitzgibbons, that is to his credit, because so often, Brian,
we see cases where the missing mom is not reported
missing for hours and hours, even days. Okay, days go
by and then finally, usually coworkers report the mom missing.
(17:26):
But you have the dad here or the husband reporting
her missing as soon as he says he realizes.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
She's gone at pickup time. So that's something, right.
Speaker 6 (17:35):
I don't see it as a good mark in his case, Nancy,
because what we have is an immovable object. Suzanne was
set to be seen on the afternoon of Monday, October seventh.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
He would have known that, all right, So she.
Speaker 6 (17:50):
Was expected at that time and at that location.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Now the neighbor thinks he sees her out the window.
He thinks that here's an argument. But let's circle back
to that moment.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Listen.
Speaker 8 (18:06):
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 window, 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
(18:26):
moves out of the neighbor's sight line.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
So they're having somewhat of physical altercation right there in
the driveway. And I want to ask again, Marisa, is
the neighbors places you have a balcony?
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Was he looking out the window? It was at night?
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Could he see and what does he mean by they
moved out of his sight line?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
I want to make sure he had a sight line.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
To start with, because, oh, Maurice, I'm sure you've seen
it before. How eyewitnesses are attacked. Tell me about what
would have been his sight line and what does he
mean that they moved out of it.
Speaker 5 (19:04):
He is probably one of the residents that faces the
Simpsons home, so he says that he was looking outside
of his bedroom window when they moved out of his sightline.
They probably that's when they went into the wooded area,
which is across the street. In that wooded area, there's
a trail that residents typically like to walk, So maybe
(19:25):
that's I'm assuming where they went. That's why police searched
that area extensively last week.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Benpowers, veteran criminal defense attorney, joining us tonight. Then there
are so many attacks on eyewitnesses by the other side.
It can be either side that In many jurisdictions, that
attack is actually codified. In other words, it's in the code,
the official annotated criminal code of the jurisdiction. For instance,
(19:56):
an eyewitness can be attacked on the vision, the lighting,
the distance from which they see the individual, or the
event their history. Had they ever had incidance before where
they could not see something they claimed.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
That they saw. It's in the criminal code. It's so
often done, is so typical.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So I want to nail down everything I can about
this eyewitness how would you attack the eyewitness if.
Speaker 11 (20:30):
What they saw was so concerning and so certain? And
why didn't they do anything at a more fresh point
that same night? Why they wait for police to come
to them with questions instead of going to police to
report this instant that they say that they saw with
such detail. And so that's where I think their most
vulnerable is just the fact that they're now saying this
(20:51):
was so obvious, this was so concerning, but they didn't
do anything at all. They went out, I think that
the flashlight and then just went home and went to bed,
And so I think that's where I first would bring
out the questions about this witness. But then also the distance,
the lighting, the lack of lighting, any objects like trees
(21:13):
or bushes or vehicles that are in the way. You know,
what did they actually see and where are they filling
in with what they think they saw?
Speaker 9 (21:21):
An extensive search underway in the woods surrounding Susanne Simpson's home,
where is the mom of four?
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Suzanne and I had an opportunity to.
Speaker 13 (21:33):
Talk for an hour before a lot.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
Of this has happened. My speculation is.
Speaker 13 (21:40):
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, I
came up with an alternative plan for her, and I
hope that she'd move in with me and have her
little coddler go to the elementary school in my neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
But I never got to tell her the plan.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
The single most dangerous for a time for a woman
is when she attempts to leave. You just heard from
Suzanne's mother, Barbara Clark from our friends at WAI News
for doctor Lisa Long is joining me psychologist at doctor
(22:26):
Lisa Long dot com.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Doctor Lisa.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Other than when you're pregnant, which is one of the
top two most dangerous times in a woman's life when
you're pregnant, So much violence occurs on women when they
are pregnant, when they announce they're pregnant during the pregnancy.
(22:52):
The other time that it's equally as dangerous is when
the woman attempts to leave an argument or a bad relationship.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
True false, Yes, that.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Is true, Nancy, that is true. And we hear now
that there were other stressors in the couple's relationship, including
financial stressors. All of those things are concerning.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Explain to me, doctor lay so long, renowned psychologist, forensic psychologist.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Why is it?
Speaker 1 (23:21):
And of course I don't expect you to crawl into
the mind of a perpetrator, but why is it that
during the pregnancy and when a woman tries to leave
either the relationship or an argument, why are those two
times the single most dangerous times in a woman's life statistically?
Speaker 14 (23:42):
Well, I mean we can look at the cycle of abuse,
and so typically when a woman makes that choice and
she's making motions to actually to actually leave, that is
when the perpetrator or the partner oftentimes anti ups, you know,
and the abuse in increases.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
So that is why it's often more dangerous. The perpetrator
or the spouse feels that they're losing control and that's
what makes the situation much more dangerous.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
And doctor Lisa, in this case, we have two incidents.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Number one, the neighbor.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
If the neighbors to be believed, and I see no
reason why the neighbors should not be believed. Contrary to
what Ben Powers is saying, what power is brought up
about a line of questioning across examining is absolutely correct.
But that said, under our jurisprudence, individuals do not have
(24:40):
a duty under the law to be a good samaritan
or report wrongdoing. You hear a gunshot, you hear a screen,
You're not under a legal or criminal duty to call
nine to one one.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
If you don't, then your crud.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
If you do, then you're a good samaritan, but you
will not be prosecuted if you don't. However, he's got
a good point and a great line of cross examination.
My point here is, doctor Lisa Long, is that there
were two things happening. Number one, she was trying to
leave an argument, according to the neighbor. And number two,
(25:16):
when a woman puts a plan in place to actually leave,
to really do it, not just say I'm so tired
of you, I want out, but to really do it.
Here you see the mother, Barbara Clark state, we've talked
about this, and we've talked about this. I came up
with a plan for her. She would move in with me,
(25:39):
and we had planned to have her little toddler, her daughter,
go to the elementary school in my neighborhood. That is
a plan. That is a hard plan, doctor Lisa, right.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
And so what you know, we could we could speculate
that Brad may have perceived himself as losing even more,
that Suzanne had made a choice that her she was
moving forward with.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
With moving in with her mom.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
It's my understanding that she also had the conversation with
her mom shortly before she went missing, so this may
have been the first time that her mother was aware
of the domestic violence.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Plus, as Marisa Mendoza told us earlier from News for
San Antonio, the couple had been sued by American Express.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
And they settled that.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Now they had a lean on them by some contractors.
So they're having one financial problem after the next, and
now they're having an argument in the driveway and she
wants to leave. He grabs her by the arm to
pull her back, and they move out of the neighbor's sideline.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
What happens next?
Speaker 15 (26:50):
Listen The Simpsons neighbor steps outside to see where the
couple went. There's no sign of Bread or Suzanne. Then
the neighbor freezes when they hear a scream from across
the street in Almost Basin Park, the neighbor hears two
more screams than silence.
Speaker 9 (27:07):
The quiet, upscale neighborhood of Almost Park, Texas rocked by
chilling screams. What happened to mom of four Suzanne Simpson.
Speaker 15 (27:20):
After giving an initial statement Monday, almost Park PD schedule
a second interview with Brad Simpson on Tuesday. Alarm bells
ring when Simpson doesn't show up. Family members say they
haven't heard much from Simpson since he left the home
he shares with Suzanne for his ranch in Bendera, about
an hour's drive away.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
So he owns a ranch in Mandera an hour's drive away,
and I want to point something out what he heard
just before we went to break Maurice Mendozo joining US
News for San Antonio. So the neighbor goes back inside
after hearing the scream and silence, But then about an
hour later, what happens.
Speaker 5 (27:58):
About an hour later, he the neighbor went back into
his apartment, and I guess Brad went on his merry
way to do whatever he needed to do. The interesting
thing that I wanted to add is we spoke to
that neighbor again last week off camera. He didn't want
to go on camera, but basically we asked him, why
did you not report what you heard and what you
(28:20):
saw Sunday night? And he said point blank that we
don't do that in this neighborhood. We don't say those
things to the police. And I said, well, when you
don't report those things, things like this happen, people end
up missing. I don't know if he regrets it. He
didn't say that, but that's what he said. We don't
(28:43):
do those things here.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Moason, isn't Mendoza, isn't it true that when the neighbor
goes back inside an hour later he hears he must
have a very change sense of hearing. He hears the
neighbor's garage door open. He says, Simpson back out and
black truck alone, and he returns.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Two hours later. This truck. Isn't that true, Marisa?
Speaker 5 (29:10):
Yes, that's what he told police, and police had released
that picture a few days later, asking for the public
for help, asking them if you've seen this truck someplace,
please let us know. Reporters, We've asked police, have you
found anything in the truck anything related to Suzanne? They
(29:32):
have not commented if any DNA or anything of hers
was found in the truck.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Okay, this is what we know.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Just got Morgan, professor forensic Jacksonville State University. Police have
Brad Simpsons Black twenty nineteen GMC Sierra at four A
Sira at.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Four black in color? Can we show that please?
Speaker 1 (29:53):
The tag number is M mother D Dakota W windsor
seven zero five zero repeat M Mother D Dog W
windsor seven zero five zero.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
And right now.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Police are asking if you have seen this vehicle, please
let us know. And Joe Scott, it wouldn't be the
first time a vehicle has cracked a case. Do you
recall the case of Cherish Perrywinkle that was kidnapped from
a superstore? Listen, Joe Scott.
Speaker 16 (30:30):
Jackson one, No one's fine. Hi were calling about a
suspicious vent over how a white van. It's not there anymore.
But we don't know if he don't do me thin
because we heard to grow just got to do different Walmart, right,
So we're not sure besty van. But a white van
was pushed all the way to the back of the bushes,
right behind the church.
Speaker 9 (30:50):
Behind es now and how long ago do you see it?
Speaker 16 (30:54):
Seven twenty? We didn't know anything until it is now.
Do you think he may have dumped something? Right? We
don't know if they looked suspicious. It was away to
the bay.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Okay, So there was that case.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
And of course when the PERPS vehicle was found, the
child was found nearby, half submerged in water, and did
And then of course does Scott who can forget the truck,
the Ford Transit and the Gabby Potito murder.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
Remember, listen, we came across a white van that had
Florida plates, a small white van.
Speaker 15 (31:29):
This is most definitely Gabby Potito's board transit van.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
So does Scott?
Speaker 1 (31:35):
What what are they doing with Simpson's black truck right
now going over.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
From Stem to Stern. If they have their hands on it,
they're going to look and listen, the fact that her
DNA would be found in the vehicle is no grand surprise.
They're married, so she would have occupied that space. The
key here, though, is the source of the DNA. And
what I mean by that particular is their blood on
(32:03):
any of those surfaces in there that can be tied
back to this mama. And we think about you know,
you couple that with this idea that they have gone
on this search and a landfill, Well, how are you
going to transport a grown woman's body anywhere? And would
there have been harm done to her?
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Look?
Speaker 7 (32:24):
I don't have to go very far to remind you that, right,
now we're in the middle of the Quentin Simon case,
and you know there was you know, a landfill involved
in that particular case. But you're talking about a precious
little boy here and easily moved about. With this, We're
talking about a full grown woman. So how do you
accomplish this task? There is something that the police know
(32:48):
that has driven them to the point where they're going
to assemble a team of cadets. And this is not
a lot undertaking, Nancy. This is a lot of heavy
lifting in order to facilitate this. You just don't do
this on a whim. So they have some kind of
biological evidence I would think that might tie this case
(33:09):
to maybe a disposal in a local dumpster or perhaps
in some bind somewhere that they can track, because tracking
is the key to anything involving a landfill.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 10 (33:34):
After Almost Park PD speaks with the Simpsons neighbor, they
focus their searches on a wooded area in Almost Basin Park,
just across the street from the Simpsons home. Texas Rangers
and Texas Search and Rescue join Almost Park officers, bringing
several dog teams to comb the area. Meanwhile, a search
warrant is also executed at the Simpsons home. Police say
(33:54):
they have recovered several evidence items that have yet to
be analyzed, and are also trying to obtain digital evidence
from both Brad and Suzanne Simpson's devices.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
Earlier, we heard Joe Scott Morgan opining on what has
led law enforcement to this dump. He thinks there's some
sort of DNA type evidence. I disagree. I think it's
very possible. Maria Mendoza Marisa Mendoza joining us. I assume
that police got search warrants and access the husband's cell
(34:25):
phone and laptops, all of his devices, and I'm wondering
if there he may have searched for the location of landfill.
If there is a possibility, they've already triangulated it and
gotten a ping near the landfill. What can you tell
us about the landfill search is going on right now?
Speaker 5 (34:46):
What I can tell you is that they've been at
the landfill for the past few days. It was yesterday
when the chief went with a letter to almost Park
residents and said he felt confident that Suzanne's body was
going to be found in that area. When they initially
went to the landfill on Monday, it was a search.
(35:10):
We weren't really sure that it was one of four
searches in a search warrant four properties. I guess that
the search warrant called for, But the focus has really
been now on this southeast Beer County landfill in certain
parts of it. So it's really horrific to see what
(35:31):
people are going through all this trash and that she
could possibly be there.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Ravi As Gibbons joining us Director Operations USPA Nationwide Security, Brian,
I don't know if you've ever been part of or
tangential to a landfill search, but they are agonizing, they're tedious.
You have to look through every bit of trash, sometimes
three four feet tall, and you could be looking for
(35:58):
something as tiny as a digit.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
Are part of a.
Speaker 6 (36:01):
Digit, absolutely, Nancy, and these searches are done in a
very systematic way. And just like Joe Scott Morgan said,
these landfills are typically done on a grid system, so
they're going to have pretty accurate data as to where
to search, and then they begin going layer by layer,
setting up a secondary grid where the searchers will comb
(36:24):
through one layer of that debris to look for the remains.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
Just got Morgan way in on landfill searches.
Speaker 7 (36:33):
Yeah, and so it is a grid search, and you
can't just so folks understand kind of the layer of
the land with a landfill, they are broken into grids,
and you can't continue to dump in the same spot
every time, so they rotate these around. The trick is
And what they do understand is every time you see
a truck go down your street that collects a garbage bin,
(36:56):
there is an assigned location that that truck will go
to at said land and they will begin filling that
particular grid and then they will begin to run over
it with the heavy equipment. That's a great shot. Our
production team does a great job with this, Nancy. Those
big steel tires that you see with the knobs, they're
compressing all this. We call this stratification of this debris.
(37:18):
So you'll have remains that are co mingled with all
of the household garbage and everything else. And this thing
is being compressed over and over and over again until
they're done with that grid. When you're doing a landfill search,
you block that grid off of the area that you
suspect that that truck may have dumped something in that location.
(37:39):
That's why I think they have information about this, and
you're going to go over this very painstakingly, and it
is not an easy undertaking. You can see these guys
out there in taivex suits. It's hot, it's miserable, and
you're trying to look for the finest detail that you
possibly can. Because once a human remain gets into this location,
whether something has happened to them like this memberment beforehand,
(38:02):
even if the body is intact, the body is going
to be greatly, greatly affected and it just it all
looks the same when you're out there. You really have
to adjust your focus when you're there.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
I wonder, Joe Scott, how effective cadaver dogs would be.
Speaker 3 (38:18):
In this scenario.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
There's scent dogs which pick up on a live human,
then there's cadaver dog that picks.
Speaker 3 (38:27):
Up on you know, disposed Yeah, well how would that work?
Speaker 7 (38:34):
Yeah, their spectrum is is greater than ours to be
able to sense things through scent. However, when you get
into a landfill, you've got all of this organic material,
which means this biological material that's co mingled out there,
and I think that they could still get a hit Nancy,
but is going to add another layer of complication to
(38:58):
this even utilizing a cadap dog out there. A lot
of this is going to be accomplished through eyesight and
good old fashioned elbow grease. They're going to be taking
that debris that you're seeing right there, They're going to
take it to a separate location, and they're going to
sift through every bit of it. So you've got multiple
jobs that are being done out here. We're just seeing
right now them doing an assessment, a raking, and then
(39:21):
you don't really see them gathering the specific material and
taking it to a location and then's sifting through it
because all of it can again begin to merge, and
it's very confusing for anybody that's trying to identify anything
by sight.
Speaker 1 (39:34):
And another thing, Brian Fitzgibbons, you see them wearing hazmat outfits.
Can you imagine out in that heat, digging through all
of that filth. It could absolutely make you pass out,
oh for sure.
Speaker 6 (39:48):
And you know, this reminds me of my days in
the Marine Corps, Nancy. This is like what we would
call mop gear wearing chemical suits. These cadets from sant Anto,
they're working really hard out.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
There and sweating.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
Having to breathe through has Matt and imagine just a moment,
if you can, that somewhere, somewhere in all of that
could be Suzanne's body, and somewhere right now her children
are wondering, where's mom. If you know or think you
(40:29):
know anything about the disappearance of Suzanne, or if you
believe you saw the husband's black vehicle, please call it
Detective Hector Ruis two one zero two zero nine to
seven zero one repeat two one zero two zero nine two.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
Seven zero one.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
Thank you to all of our guests being with us
as we hope and pray for the best and the
search for Suzanne. Nancy Grace signing off, goodbye friend,
Host
Nancy Grace
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