Laci Peterson, who was 27 years old, went missing on Christmas Eve in 2002. Her husband, Scott Peterson, was later accused of murder shortly after her remains were discovered months later.
In some cases, law enforcement may not necessarily wait to locate a body before charging someone with murder. This approach was evident in situations involving missing individuals like Texas realtor Suzanne Simpson and Massachusetts real estate executive Ana Walshe. Ted Williams, a former homicide detective from Washington, D.C. and contributor to Fox News, elaborated on the reasons behind law enforcement’s decision to pursue charges even without a body.
Brad Simpson, husband of 51-year-old Suzanne Simpson and a father of four, has been held in custody after Suzanne’s disappearance over two months ago. He has been accused of murdering his wife of 22 years. In contrast to the Peterson case, authorities did not delay in charging Brad Simpson with murder before finding Suzanne’s remains.
“Homicides are like a puzzle,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “Investigators are forever putting together pieces of the puzzle, and once they feel that they have enough evidence – circumstantial evidence or physical evidence – they will then move forward.”
The home of Suzanne and Brad Simpson in San Antonio, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. Suzanne Simpson disappeared under suspicious circumstances. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
Investigators tracked Simpson’s unusual behavior in the days after his wife vanished, including shutting down his phone, driving with suspicious items in the bed of his truck, going to a dump site and cleaning his truck at a car wash.
“There is a bottom line and a common thread,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “Among all of these cases . . . they happened in various jurisdictions, and those jurisdictions handle homicides differently, but all homicides are based on the evidence . . . that investigators over a period of time are able to come up with.”
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
