The search for a missing Texas mother enters its third week as police continue to investigate her disappearance, which led to the arrest of her husband and his business partner.
Suzanne Simpson, a 51-year-old mother of four, was last seen outside her San Antonio home on October 7 by her neighbor. According to NBC News affiliate WOAI, police were called by neighbors after they saw her arguing with her husband, Brad Simpson.
A police report obtained by WOAI stated that a neighbor saw the couple physically fighting, with Brad Simpson “grabbing her upper body to gain control of her body.” The neighbor later heard screams coming from a nearby wooded area and Brad Simpson's truck left an hour later.
Barbara Clark, Suzanne Simpson's mother, told WOAI last week that she was aware of a previous physical altercation between the couple. Clark said she didn't understand what happened before her daughter's disappearance.
“It wasn't part of their lives, or part of his behavior, and I've known him for a long time,” Clark said.
She told the news station during a candlelight vigil that she does not believe her daughter is still alive.
Brad Simpson was arrested on October 10 and is facing two domestic violence charges, according to court records. The San Antonio Public Defender's Office, which is representing Simpson, declined to comment on the case to NBC News on Wednesday.
The day after his arrest, a federal complaint was filed against him in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas. He is accused of unlawfully possessing a short-barreled rifle, identified as a Grand Power Stribog SP9 A3, which was not registered to him, according to the complaint.
This firearm was found during a search warrant executed at Simpson's home on Oct. 9 and was shown to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of the investigation, the complaint said.
James Vallee Cotter, Brad Simpson's business partner, was arrested on charges of tampering with evidence. The Texas Department of Public Safety announced his arrest Tuesday but declined to comment further.
Court records show that Cotter's bond was set at $500,000, and conditions were imposed, including house arrest and an order that Cotter surrender his passport to law enforcement. His attorney was not immediately available to comment on the case to NBC News.
Olmos Park police are looking for Suzanne Simpson with the help of the state's Public Safety Department, even searching a landfill in an attempt to find any trace of her, but come up short.
“After conducting an extensive search consisting of digging and sifting through the municipal waste, no evidence was found,” the Texas Department of Public Safety said Thursday.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
