Thomas Simpkins was remembered as "a deeply loved son, brother, husband, father and friend"
Credit: Thomas Simpkins/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- A California dad was found dead near Levi’s Stadium after he went missing following a Super Bowl party on Feb. 8
- Thomas Simpkins, 44, attended a friend’s barbecue to celebrate the sporting event and vanished shortly after
- The man was remembered as “a deeply loved son, brother, husband, father and friend”
A California dad was found dead, days after he went missing following a Super Bowl party.
Thomas Simpkins, 44, attended a friend’s barbecue in San Jose to celebrate the annual sporting event on Sunday, Feb. 8, his sister, Brandi Stroud, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The man is believed to have left the party and returned home around 9 p.m. local time that same night, but he failed to show up for work the following day. His 19-year-old son then reported him missing soon after, the outlet reported.
“Me and my brother text messaged a lot," Stroud told NBC Bay Area. "I had talked to him on Feb. 8 before he had went to this barbecue."
Six days after his disappearance, Simpkins’ body was discovered near Levi’s Stadium, nearly six miles from his home in San Tomas Aquino Creek, the Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) confirmed to NBC Bay Area and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Credit: Thomas Simpkins/Facebook
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the unexpected passing of our beloved Tommy,” Simpkins' family wrote on GoFundMe. “He was a deeply loved son, brother, husband, father, and friend. His kindness, strength, and unwavering love for his family touched everyone who knew him.”
Simpkins is survived by his wife, Claudia Simpkins, three stepchildren and one biological son, per the fundraising page.
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Stroud told NBC Bay Area that she only became aware of her brother's death when a “random lady on Facebook sent me a link" that authorities recovered a body behind Levi’s Stadium.
After contacting the medical examiner’s office, Stroud was able to confirm her brother's identity through the large tattoo of his last name that stretched across his back, the outlet reported.
Credit: GoFundMe
“When he got home, we have no idea who picked him up or how he got all the way to Levi’s Stadium,” Stroud told NBC Bay Area of the mysterious circumstances surrounding her brother's death. “I don’t believe that my brother just decided to throw himself into a creek. I don’t have any answers when it comes down to really what happened to him.”
Before her brother’s body was found, Stroud told the San Francisco Chronicle “there was a huge delay” in his missing person’s case, claiming it bounced in between jurisdictional boundaries. She also claimed authorities "didn’t take my brother’s case seriously at all.”
“I was praying that at least if he didn’t come home alive, that we’d find him,” Stroud said, adding the unanswered questions about Simpkins' death continue to be “the part that’s killing my family.”
The San Jose Police Department (SJPD) said in a statement, per the San Francisco Chronicle, “We understand how incredibly difficult and emotional this situation is for the family. When a loved one is missing, every moment feels critical, and we recognize the fear and frustration that can come with that uncertainty. At no point was this case dismissed or ignored.”
The Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD), which took the lead on the investigation after Simpkins’ body was found, added, “This case was not delayed and was investigated with the protocols and investigative steps required.”
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