Bay Area man who disappeared on Super Bowl Sunday found dead near Levi’s Stadium
The family of a Bay Area man is searching for answers after he was found dead in a creek next to Levi’s Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday, nearly a week after he went missing.
Thomas Simpkins, 44, of Santa Clara, was discovered in San Thomas Aquino Creek next to the 49ers’ stadium on the afternoon of Feb. 14, according to his sister, the Santa Clara County coroner’s office and Santa Clara police.
Brandi Stroud said her brother’s cell phone and wallet were missing and police are investigating Simpkins’ death as a possible homicide.
The Santa Clara Police Department did not confirm the nature of the investigation, only describing it as an ongoing death investigation. The cause and manner of Simpkins’ death have not yet been determined, the medical examiner’s office said, adding that “further investigation” is pending.
Stroud told the Chronicle that his brother went to a friend’s barbecue in south San Jose on Feb. 8, Superbowl day. He did not attend the match at Levi’s Stadium. He said he took an Uber ride after the party and returned home around 9 p.m.
The next day Simpkins was nowhere to be found. When his 19-year-old son stopped by the Palo Alto fine dining restaurant where Simpkins worked, he learned Simpkins hadn’t called or showed up.
Stroud, 34, and her husband traveled to the Bay Area from Oregon, where they lived; Stroud called the police, posted fliers about her brother’s disappearance, flooded social media with posts about the mystery and filled hiking trails in both San Jose and Santa Clara.
The family of Thomas Simpkins is searching for answers after he went missing on February 8th. His body was found a week later near 49ers stadium. (Courtesy of Brandi Stroud)
Police in two neighboring cities turned down the case for three days until San Jose police picked up the case, Stroud said. “There was a huge delay,” he said. “They never took my brother’s case seriously.”
Neither police department responded to the Chronicle’s requests for comment Wednesday.
Santa Clara police took action after Simpkins’ body was found.
Stroud said he learned of his brother’s fate after a woman contacted him on Feb. 14 and shared a recording of scanner traffic that showed authorities had found a body in the creek behind Levi’s Stadium, the site of the Super Bowl six days earlier. When Stroud called the coroner’s office, he identified the man as his brother by a tattoo that read “Simpkins” running from his left shoulder blade to his right shoulder blade.
Stroud felt mixed emotions, including a sense of relief. “I was praying that we would at least find him if he didn’t come home alive,” he said. On the other hand, he said he was disturbed that it took six days to find his brother, and that it would not have taken so long if the police “had taken their job more seriously.”
There are still unanswered questions, including how he ended up in the creek about six miles from his brother’s home. “That’s the part that killed my family,” Stroud said.
He said the closure was suspended because questions remained unanswered.
Thomas Simpkins disappeared on February 8. His body was found a week later in San Thomas Aquino Creek near the 49ers stadium. (Courtesy of Brandi Stroud)
Stroud described his brother as a hard-working man and a caring father. Stroud said Simpkins, who was in the midst of a divorce from his wife of more than 20 years, “always kept his food on the table, always kept his clothes on his kids’ backs.”
He was also a reliable and supportive brother. “He and I had our little disagreements, we were 10 years apart, but I always knew I could call him when I needed him.”
Simpkins loved going to the beach; He goes on trips with his boxer dog named Kobe; and plays basketball with his 19-year-old son, who considers his father his best friend.
“That was their whole relationship,” Stroud said. “They loved playing basketball together.”
Stroud last saw his brother five years ago. Simpkins was planning to visit him and his mother in Oregon this spring. “Unfortunately, we will bury him this spring,” he said.
He thanked social media users who shared his posts about his brother’s disappearance.
“If it wasn’t for social media, I wouldn’t have found my brother in time,” he said.
This article was first published at: Bay Area man who disappeared during Super Bowl Sunday was found dead near Levi’s Stadium.
