The dead body of a California man missing since a Super Bowl party was discovered a week later in a creek alongside the game’s venue.
Now his family is desperately searching for answers.
Thomas Simpkins, 44, did not attend Super Bowl LX, but Santa Clara police say his body was found on February 14 in San Tomas Aquino Creek abutting Levi’s Stadium. The cause of death remains unclear and a medical examiner’s inquiry could take months. Meanwhile, police say they are conducting an active investigation into the mysterious death.
Simpkins, a Santa Clara resident, attended a February 8 barbeque in San Jose, where he planned to watch the football game, according to his sister.
‘Me and my brother text messaged a lot,’ Brandi Stroud told NBC Bay Area. ‘I had talked to him on February 8 before he had went to this barbecue.’
After the game, Simpkins told her he was going to grab an Uber home and relax for the rest of his night. But when he failed to show up for work the following day, his 19-year-old son reported him missing.
In the days since, Stroud drove down from Oregon to help search for her brother as family filed a missing persons report, posted flyers and shared desperate pleas for help on social media. It wasn’t until a stranger contacted Stroud on Facebook days later that she learned about the body discovered in San Tomas Aquino Creek.
Thomas Simpkins, 44, did not attend Super Bowl LX, but Santa Clara police say his body was found on February 14 in San Tomas Aquino Creek abutting Levi’s Stadium
Levi’s Stadium sits along San Tomas Aquino Creek, where Simpkins’ body was found
As Stroud told NBC Bay Area, Simpkins’ cell phone and wallet were missing when he was found.
Mysteriously, the area surrounding the creek was under surveillance during and after the Super Bowl, yet nobody can seem to explain how Simpkins’ body ended up in the creek.
Santa Clara police have not released any further details about their investigation.
‘When he got home, we have no idea who picked him up or how he got all the way to Levi’s Stadium,’ she said. ‘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.’
Simpkins was going through a divorce, according to Stroud. He leaves behind his biological son and three stepchildren.
The family started a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for funeral costs. As of Saturday, they had nearly reached their goal of $14,000.