The quiet, oak-lined streets of Olmos Park aren't usually where you'd expect a high-stakes murder mystery to unfold. But for over a year, the disappearance of Suzanne Simpson has been the only thing anyone can talk about in this affluent San Antonio enclave. Suzanne was a mother of four and a successful realtor. She was the kind of person who didn't just miss picking up her five-year-old from school. Yet, on October 7, 2024, that’s exactly what happened.
Honestly, it’s one of those cases that feels like a movie script, but the reality is much darker. We are now in January 2026, and the legal gears are finally grinding toward a trial.
The Night Everything Vanished
It all started on a Sunday night, October 6, 2024. Suzanne and her husband, Brad Simpson, attended a party at The Argyle, a private, members-only club in Alamo Heights. They were seen arguing. Witnesses say it wasn't just a small tiff; it was a visible, verbal altercation.
By 10:00 p.m., the fight had moved to their home on East Olmos Drive. A neighbor heard screams. Not just shouting, but high-pitched shrieks coming from a wooded area near the property. This neighbor actually looked out and saw Brad and Suzanne in a physical struggle. He told investigators that Brad was basically trying to keep her from running away.
Then, the silence.
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Suzanne hasn't been seen since.
Why the Case Against Brad Simpson is So Intense
The police didn't find a body, but they found enough to charge Brad with murder. It’s a "no-body" prosecution, which is notoriously difficult but not impossible. The evidence trail they've pieced together is, frankly, chilling.
- The Truck and the Tarp: On the morning of October 7, surveillance footage caught Brad’s GMC pickup at a Whataburger. In the back? Three white trash bags, a heavy-duty trash can, and a bulky item wrapped in a blue tarp, weighed down by a metal firewood rack.
- The Home Depot Trip: Later that morning, he was at a Home Depot in Boerne. He bought two bags of cement, a construction bucket, heavy-duty trash bags, and Clorox. He even asked a stranger for directions to the nearest dump.
- The DNA Evidence: This is the big one. Investigators found an electric handheld saw. When they tested it, they found Suzanne's DNA.
- The Phone Suspension: Right around the time Suzanne was calling her mother to report an assault that night, her cell service was suspended. The account subscriber—Brad—was the one who made the request via the AT&T app.
The Role of James Cotter
You can't talk about Suzanne Simpson missing without mentioning James Cotter. He was Brad’s long-time business associate. Prosecutors say that just days after Suzanne vanished, Brad texted Cotter asking him to "haul ass" and meet him.
Cotter ended up facing charges for tampering with evidence and possessing a prohibited weapon. Why? Because authorities found an illegally modified AK-47 hidden behind a wall-mounted TV in Cotter’s bedroom. They believe he was helping Brad hide the weapon during the heat of the investigation. It adds a layer of conspiracy to an already messy situation.
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A Sister’s Search and a Family Divided
The fallout has been brutal for the family. Suzanne’s sister, Teresa Clark, has been incredibly vocal. Maybe too vocal for the legal system’s liking—she was actually arrested in late 2025 on harassment charges after allegedly sending a barrage of accusatory emails to Brad's family.
On the other side, Brad’s brother, Barton Simpson, has expressed a mix of grief and confusion. He’s been public about his heartbreak, saying Brad "does not seem like the same person." It’s a mess. Four children are caught in the middle of a battle between two families who used to be one.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Case
A lot of folks assume that without a body, there’s no way to get a conviction. That’s just not true in 2026. "No-body" cases have a surprisingly high conviction rate when the circumstantial evidence is this heavy.
One thing people often overlook is the "outcry." Suzanne actually told her personal banker months before she disappeared that if she ever went missing, they should "look for her in a lake." She knew the danger she was in. She had also reported domestic violence incidents to friends and family as far back as August 2023.
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What's Next: The 2026 Trial
As of right now, Brad Simpson is sitting in the Bexar County Jail with a $5 million bond. His legal team tried to get the murder indictment dropped because there's no body, but the judge wasn't having it.
The timeline looks like this:
- Late January 2026: Final pre-trial hearings to hash out what evidence the jury actually gets to see.
- February 13, 2026: Jury selection and the start of the murder trial.
This trial is going to be a media circus. The prosecution will rely heavily on the GPS data from Brad's truck and the forensic evidence from the saw and the "burn site" found on his ranch property.
Actionable Insights for Following the Case
If you're following the Suzanne Simpson missing story, keep your eyes on the evidentiary hearings this month. The "discovery" phase is almost complete.
- Watch the Tip Line Evidence: Prosecutors mentioned "voicemails from a tip line" that haven't been fully disclosed yet. These could contain vital witness accounts from the night of October 6.
- The FBI's Forensic Report: Some items are still being processed by the FBI. If they find more DNA on the trash bags or the tarp, the case becomes a lock.
- The Cement Factor: Pay attention to where the cement ended up. Investigators searched landfills and construction sites for months. Any discovery of a "pour" that matches the cement Brad bought could be the smoking gun.
The reality is that Suzanne is gone, and her family is just looking for the truth at this point. Whether the trial brings a "guilty" verdict or not, the community of Olmos Park has been changed forever by what happened on that October night.