Southwest
Texas real estate tycoon sent chilling texts to business partner days after wife's disappearance: docs
The husband of Suzanne Simpson, the missing Texas mom of four, sent a series of chilling texts to his business partner just days after his wife vanished.
According to an arrest affidavit, obtained by KENS5, luxury real estate agent Brad Simpson texted his business partner, James Vallee Cotter, on Oct. 8, just two days after his wife went missing.
The ominous texts requested Cotter to “haul a–,” with Simson divulging that he “doesn’t have much time.”
“If you’re in Bandera, can you haul a– to meet me at your house?” Simpson allegedly texted. “I don’t have much time.”
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Missing Texas mom Suzanne Simpson is pictured with her husband Brad Simpson. (Facebook/Suzanne Simpson)
In a second text message, detailed in the affidavit, Simpson allegedly wrote, “Sorry for the urgency, but you’re all I got especially now… social media is destroying me.”
The affidavit said that Cotter agreed to hide a machine gun at his San Antonio home, concealing it in the wall of his home.
The local outlet said that on Monday, Oct. 21, an ATF K-9 team helped locate the AK-47.
According to Bexar County Court records, James Valle Cotter, 65, was charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair an investigation. His bond was set at $500,000. (Bexar County Jail)
Cotter was arrested on Monday for allegedly hiding the gun. He was accused of tampering with evidence and not being truthful with law enforcement.
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Court records show Cotter’s bond was set at $500,000, and conditions were set that included house arrest and an order that Cotter surrender his passport to law enforcement. Fox News Digital has reached out to Cotter’s attorneys for comment.
Brad Simpson, husband of missing Texas mom Suzanne Simpson, has been arrested. (Kendall County Sheriff’s Office)
Simpson is facing a federal gun charge after he was found to be illegally in possession of a short-barreled rifle. He was previously charged with assault causing bodily injury, family violence and unlawful restraint.
Despite the additional charge, authorities have not charged Simpson in relation to his wife’s disappearance. Simpson is being held on a combined $1 million in bonds for his two new charges, upping his total bonds to $3 million.
The Texas Department of Public Safety released a new photo of missing mom Suzanne Simpson from the night she disappeared. (The Texas Department of Public Safety)
Suzanne Simpson has been missing for over two weeks. She disappeared on Oct. 6 after reportedly fighting with her husband of 22 years in Olmos Park, in the San Antonio area.
On Sunday night, Oct. 6, there was a “disturbance” between the Simpsons at the Argyle, a club in the San Antonio area, Olmos Park Police Chief Fidel Villegas said at a previous press conference.
San Antonio police cadets search a landfill in the disappearance of Suzanne Simpson. (Chief Bill McManus/X)
A neighbor told police he allegedly saw Brad and Suzanne physically fighting each other that night 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. About an hour later, the neighbor reportedly saw Brad Simpson’s black GMC pickup drive off and return an hour or two later.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the San Antonio Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Simpson, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Olmos Park Police Department for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Mollie Markowitz contributed to this report.
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A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.
Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.
He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.
At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota.
She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.
Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.
“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.
In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.
On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.
“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”
“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888
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