The husband of a Texas real estate agent who disappeared a month ago has been charged with her murder.
Brad Simpson, 53, was already in jail pending $3 million in bonds on other charges related to his wife’s disappearance. His bail was set at $2 million for the murder charge, the San Antonio Express News reported.
Suzanne Simpson, a 51-year-old luxury real estate agent for Nix Realty Company, was last seen Oct. 6. Her husband was arrested three days later on charges of unlawful restraint and assault causing bodily injury to a family member. He also faces a federal felony charge of possessing an unregistered firearm, which was filed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Authorities have searched through wooded areas near the Simpson home in Olmos Park, as well as a landfill in San Antonio, but her remains have not been found.
Brad Simpson’s longtime business associate, James Cotter, was arrested Oct. 21, accused of tampering with evidence and possessing a prohibited weapon, both third-degree felonies. Authorities claim Cotter concealed an AK-47 firearm at his home in the Dominion Country Club on Brad Simpson’s behalf.
Cotter’s bail was reduced from $1 million to $100,000, and he is out of jail.
Several family members have spoken out following Suzanne Simpson’s disappearance, including her 20-year-old daughter Chandler.
“My mom was a victim of abuse from my father,” she wrote on Instagram. “My father took my mother’s life in a state of rage and control.”
Brad Simpson’s brother said the family is concerned with caring for the couple’s four children; the youngest is 5.
“It brings our family some peace to know that authorities have gathered sufficient evidence,” the brother, Barton Simpson, said. “This also helps us to come to terms with the reality that Suzanne is no longer with us, allowing us to begin a difficult grieving process and focus on rebuilding our lives, especially for the sake of the children and our extended family.”
— Andrew Terrell
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