Nearly two weeks after Texas mom of four and luxury real estate agent Suzanne Simpson disappeared, her husband is being held on an unusually high bond in what one expert said was a tactic by investigators to keep him behind bars as they continue their search.
"Brad Simpson is being held on a $2 million bond. For what? Definitively all misdemeanors. So I'm deeply troubled by that. I can tell you from a legal perspective that they are just trying to hold him," attorney and former homicide detective Ted Williams told Fox News Digital.
"$2 million for misdemeanors is just something that is rarely, rarely ever done. And the only reason that it would be done is that they are trying to keep him incarcerated while they find out, while they conduct their recovery operation."
Suzanne, 51, disappeared on Oct. 6 after reportedly fighting with her husband of 22 years in Olmos Park, outside San Antonio. Police have been searching the area, including at a landfill this week.
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Brad Simpson was arrested in Kendall County on a family violence charge in relation to his wife's disappearance, Olmos Park police said. The $2 million bond was set for him, but a federal detainer placed on him by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on a gun charge is keeping him behind bars.
The federal charge is for illegally owning a firearm, according to an affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.
Investigators searched Simpson’s house in Olmos Park on Oct. 9 after executing a search warrant related to the disappearance of his wife, according to the document.
On Oct. 10, a family member informed law enforcement officers that Simpson owned multiple firearms they wanted to surrender. The family member recovered several firearms from a locked room in the Simpson home and then transported the firearms to the Olmos Park Police Department, records show.
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A short-barreled rifle that was surrendered to police was not registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Records. Owning a short-barreled rifle that is not registered with the feds is illegal, and Simpson faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the affidavit.
This charge is the reason Brad Simpson has a federal hold on his release from the Bexar County Jail. He was originally charged with assault causing bodily injury, family violence and unlawful restraint for the Oct. 6 incident.
According to jail records, Brad Simpson was originally sent to the Kendall County Jail on a combined $2 million bond. He was later transferred to the Bexar County Jail.
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On Sunday night, Oct. 6, there was a "disturbance" between the Simpsons at the Argyle, a club near San Antonio, Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas said at a previous press conference. Police have tried to interview Brad, but he has been "uncooperative," Villegas said.
"Normally, when a person is not involved in criminal activity, they voluntarily will talk to law enforcement," Williams said. "But if the individual feels that law enforcement suspect them specifically are being involved in the criminal activity, such as his wife, Suzanne Simpson, having been involved in some form of foul play, then quite naturally, he's not going to talk to them whether he's engaged a lawyer or not or he's not going to talk to them."
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Brad's family has condemned his lack of cooperation with law enforcement.
"Until Brad chooses to cooperate, we will continue to cooperate for him, as we have from the very beginning of this heartbreaking ordeal," Suzanne Simpson's brother-in-law, Barton Simpson, wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday morning. "This is not how he was raised, and this is not who we are. Our parents instilled in us the values of honoring and protecting others, and they are truly remarkable people.
"The devastation this has caused to our family is overwhelming. Brad's refusal to cooperate is unacceptable. My sister and brother-in-law have stepped up to take care of the children, but the impact on our parents has been shattering. Our lives have been irreparably changed. We will not rest until we find Suzanne."
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Prior to Suzanne's disappearance, Brad relocated to his ranch property in Bandera County, Texas and appeared to be separating himself from his family, according to the arrest affidavit. Barton Simpson told police that Brad had called him and apologized for all the problems he had caused.
A neighbor told police he saw Brad and Suzanne physically fighting each other on the night of Oct. 6 and later heard screams coming from a nearby wooded area, according to the arrest affidavit. The neighbor observed that "Ms. Simpson was attempting to get away from Mr. Simpson's grasp as he tried to pull her downwards," the report continued.
"That night we think she was in distress … it's very suspicious, though, that obviously she's not going to work, and she's not checking in on her children," Villegas said.
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Suzanne's mother, Barbara Clark, told News 4 San Antonio on Sunday that she does not believe her daughter is alive.
"The manner in which they are now conducting their investigation leads one to believe that it's more likely than not that she's not alive," Williams said. "For instance, their investigation right now is focused on a landfill. And if they're looking into the landfill, quite naturally, they are not looking for someone who's alive."
Sgt. Deon Cockrell of the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed with Fox News Digital that authorities were searching the landfill.
In a post on X, San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus said the Olmos Park police asked for SAPD’s help in the search. McManus said 25 cadets assisted on Tuesday.
Suzanne was last seen on Oct. 6 at 11 p.m. in the 500 block of East Olmos in Olmos Park. She is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.
