Husband of Missing Texas Real Estate Agent Faces Additional Charges

More charges have been filed against Brad Simpson following an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of his wife, San Antonio real-estate agent Suzanne Simpson. Charges have also been filed against Simpson’s work associate, James Valle Cotter, who was arrested on Tuesday.

Nix Realty’s Suzanne Simpson has been missing since October 7. The CLEAR alert issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety was discontinued on Tuesday, after Olmos Park Police declared that their investigation had shifted to a recovery effort, WAIO reported.

Simpson was originally arrested on October 10 on family violence charges, after one of the couple’s children reported to school staff that Mr. Simpson had hit his wife in the face and confiscated her phone. He now faces charges of tampering or fabricating physical evidence, a 3rd degree felony, and unlawful possession of a firearm that was discovered during a warranted police search of the Simpson home.

Valle Cotter, 65, has also been charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair an ongoing investigation, according to Bexar County Court records. His bond has been set at $500,000. Cotter is under full house arrest and must surrender his passport to authorities.

According to a police report obtained by WAIO, a neighbor overheard the Simpsons arguing on the night of Oct 6, when he allegedly grabbed her in an attempt to prevent her from fleeing. The same neighbor reported hearing screaming from nearby woods and Brad Simpson’s truck leaving an hour later.

Simpson and Valle Cotter were also recently listed together in a lawsuit against Cotter’s company, Cotter & Sons, Inc.

Court records show that Simpson worked with one of Cotter’s sons to establish and operate janitorial company Premiere Facilities Services, after being dissatisfied with cleaning service standards at Cotter and Sons facilities.

When executives found the services provided by Premiere Facilities subpar, Simpson and his co-founders opted to sell the business to the National Business Services, with a promise to provide new janitorial contracts to Cotter’s facilities as a condition of the sale.

The National Business Service eventually sued Simpson and Cotter for breach of contract, after Cotter & Sons purposely dragged their feet on paying out submitted invoices. A jury found Simpson and Cotter guilty, and awarded the National Business Service $850,000.