SAN ANTONIO – Brad Simpson, the man charged with the murder of his wife, Suzanne Clark Simpson, was seen driving with a “large bulky item” wrapped in a blue tarp and buying cement after his wife’s disappearance in October, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The affidavit obtained by KSAT on Tuesday detailed Suzanne Simpson’s whereabouts in the hours before she disappeared and pinpointed Brad Simpson’s actions afterward — including the efforts he took to disguise his movements.
Suzanne Simpson has yet to be found. Investigators told the media they believe Suzanne Simpson is dead and that her remains could be in the Bandera area, where Brad Simpson’s family has property.
>> Read the full affidavit for Brad Simpson’s murder charge here
Read below for a detailed look at the couple’s whereabouts on Oct. 6 in Alamo Heights and Olmos Park, as well as Brad Simpson’s movements on Oct. 7 in Boerne and Bandera County. Click here for a full timeline of the month-long investigation.
Sunday, Oct. 6:
- At 6 p.m., the couple was at a party at The Argyle, a private dinner club on Patterson Avenue in Alamo Heights, and had a verbal altercation at the event, the affidavit states.
- At 8:30 p.m., Suzanne Simpson and her young child left The Argyle. They went to the H-E-B on Olmos Drive, where they stayed between 8:40 and 8:51 p.m., surveillance videos showed. Brad Simpson claimed that his wife lost her cell phone while at the store.
- Suzanne Simpson and her young child arrived at their home shortly thereafter.
- At 9:15 p.m., Suzanne Simpson called a family friend and went to their house.
- At around 9:16 p.m., she also called her mother to say that Brad Simpson had just assaulted her, causing pain to her arm, back and neck, the affidavit states. The duration of the phone call was from 9:16 p.m. to 9:24 p.m.
>> DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES
- Authorities later learned that Suzanne Simpson’s cellphone was suspended “at the request of the subscriber” at around 9:16 p.m., contradicting Brad Simpson’s initial statements that she lost her phone at an H-E-B, the affidavit states.
- It is unclear when Suzanne Simpson returned from her friend’s home.
- A neighbor told police that between 10-11 p.m., he heard an argument outside his bedroom window that became louder and “seemed closer to his window.” When the neighbor looked out his window, he saw the Simpsons in a physical altercation, an arrest warrant affidavit stated. He said Suzanne Simpson was trying to get away from Brad Simpson as he tried to pull her down.
- Suzanne Simpson’s daughter said that according to her “Find My” application, the last location of her mother’s phone was at their home at 10:22 p.m.
- The neighbor told authorities he saw Suzanne Simpson running away from Brad Simpson, heading west. The neighbor went outside to investigate, and a short time later, he heard two to three screams from a brushy area east of his home, the affidavit states.
- About an hour later, the neighbor saw Brad Simpson start his black GMC pickup truck and leave his house. The neighbor told authorities he saw Brad Simpson return one to two hours later. The neighbor did not call the police but told them the account when he was questioned at a later date.
Monday, Oct. 7:
- At 12:30 a.m., Brad Simpson’s truck was seen on surveillance video at the H-E-B on Olmos Drive. The bed of his truck was clear of any cargo except for a large ice chest, the affidavit stated.
- Brad Simpson told police he saw his wife at home at 6:30 a.m., as he was leaving to drop off his young child at school, the affidavit stated.
- The last activity on Suzanne Simpson’s phone was around 7:15 a.m., according to police. The coordinates showed the phone was in a business parking lot in Olmos Park.
- At 7:53 a.m., Brad Simpson dropped off his young child at school. The bed of his truck contained at least two white trash bags and what appeared to be a large ice chest.
- At 9:12 a.m., Brad Simpson went to a Whataburger on Bandera Road in Boerne. Surveillance video showed that the bed of his truck contained three white trash bags, a large heavy-duty trash can, an ice chest and a large, bulky item wrapped and secured in a blue tarp, the affidavit states. A firewood rack was placed on top of the blue tarp.
- At around 9:50 a.m., geolocation data pinned Brad Simpson at a Home Depot in Boerne, where video surveillance showed he purchased two bags of cement, a construction bucket with a lid, a box of 32-count heavy-duty trash bags, one bottle of Clorox disinfectant spray and insect repellent, according to the affidavit. While in the parking lot of the Home Depot, he asked a man for directions to the nearest dump in Boerne, the affidavit states.
- After leaving the store at around 10 a.m., Brad Simpson intentionally placed his phone in “lock down” mode after he spoke with the man in the parking lot, the affidavit states.
- At some point, Brad Simpson’s truck was seen leaving the waste site in Boerne.
- At 11:15 a.m., he headed to a gas station in Boerne and bought two one-gallon jugs of water, according to the affidavit. Surveillance footage showed the trash bags were no longer in the bed of the truck, but he still had the blue tarp, firewood rack and trash can. He had also changed his shoes from sandals to cowboy boots, the affidavit added.
- After he left the gas station, he headed westbound from Boerne in Kendall County to Bandera County, the affidavit states. He intentionally entered an on/off cycle for his cellular device while traveling toward Medina, the affidavit states.
- Brad Simpson stayed in Medina for about 13 minutes before heading eastbound back to Kendall County.
- Around 1:41 p.m., a license plate reader captured Brad Simpson’s truck entering Boerne. At that time, the blue tarp was no longer visible in the bed of his truck, with the fire rack repositioned, according to the affidavit.
- At 3 p.m., a school where the Simpson’s children are students called Brad Simpson and advised him that their child had not been picked up, the affidavit from Oct. 9 states. Suzanne Simpson typically picks up their child from school, Brad Simpson told police, according to the affidavit.
- At around 3:27 p.m., Brad Simpson picked up his child at the school. The bed of his truck did not contain the firewood rack, surveillance video showed. He did have a heavy-duty trash can and ice chest at that time, according to an affidavit from Nov. 12.
- At 4:07 p.m., Brad Simpson went to the Bubble Bath Car Wash on San Pedro Avenue and cleaned the inside of his truck, the affidavit states. The video showed “dried cement splashes” near the rear passenger compartment and bed. Only the ice chest was visible inside the bed of the truck. A Clorox bottle was seen in the rear passenger compartment of the truck.
- In the evening, friends of Suzanne Simpson met to discuss her disappearance. One friend informed Brad Simpson about her concerns with her missing friend, but at that time, Brad Simpson had not called the police.
- At 9:57 p.m., a friend of Suzanne Simpson called the police to report her missing.
- At 10:11 p.m., Brad Simpson reported his wife missing. He called the police and left a voicemail for Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas. He reported that he had not heard from his wife since 11 p.m. on Oct. 6.
WATCH BELOW: KSAT breaks down evidence in Brad Simpson’s murder arrest
Brad Simpson was initially arrested on Oct. 9 on charges of assault-family violence and unlawful restraint. He was arrested in Kendall County but was later transferred to the Bexar County Jail, where he remained in custody.
He was charged with murder on Nov. 7. The affidavit for the murder charge was unsealed on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
KSAT has redacted all identifying information from the affidavit, which is a public document.
Minutes after a judge unsealed the warrant, two of Simpson’s family violence charges were dropped. Court records show the cases were closed after the court rejected them for an extraneous offense.
>> Read the full timeline in this article
Domestic violence resources
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there is a long list of resources on KSAT’s Domestic Violence page, which includes a breakdown of what abuse is, and how it builds gradually.
If you are in crisis, you can:
- call or text 911
- call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233
- call the local Family Violence Prevention Services, which runs the shelter (Crisis Number: 210-733-8810, Programs and Administration: 210-930-3669)
- call the Bexar County Family Justice Center at 210-631-0100.