California Dad, 44, Vanishes After Super Bowl Party; Body Found Near Levi’s Stadium

Thomas Simpkins, 44, was found dead near Levi's Stadium six days after he was reported missing following a Super Bowl barbecue in San Jose, family members and local authorities said.

Simpkins attended a friend's barbecue on Sunday, Feb. 8, to watch the NFL championship game and is believed to have returned home around 9 p.m. that night, his sister, Brandi Stroud, told the San Francisco Chronicle. He did not show up for work the next day, and his 19-year-old son reported him missing.

Six days after he was first reported missing, a body was discovered behind Levi's Stadium — roughly six miles from Simpkins' home in the San Tomas Aquino Creek neighborhood, the Santa Clara Police Department confirmed to local outlets. Family members identified him using a large tattoo of his last name across his back, Stroud said.

In a GoFundMe post, the family wrote that they were mourning the "unexpected passing" of "our beloved Tommy," and described him as a deeply loved son, brother, husband, father and friend. The page says he is survived by his wife, Claudia Simpkins, three stepchildren and one biological son.

Stroud told NBC Bay Area she first learned a body had been recovered after a stranger sent her a Facebook link. She said she contacted the medical examiner's office to confirm the identification. Stroud questioned how her brother ended up near the stadium and said she did not believe he would have purposely entered the creek where he was found.

Before the body was found, the family alleged a delay in the missing-person investigation and said the case had been transferred between jurisdictions. The San Jose Police Department responded that it understood the family's distress and said the case was never dismissed or ignored. The Santa Clara Police Department, which led the investigation after the body was located, said investigators followed required protocols and investigative steps.

No official cause of death has been released. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and declined to release further details while inquiries continue.

Timeline

Feb. 8: Simpkins attends a Super Bowl barbecue in San Jose and returns home that night.
Feb. 9: He fails to show up for work; his 19-year-old son reports him missing.
Six days later: A body is found behind Levi's Stadium and later identified as Simpkins.

The family has set up a fundraising page to help with arrangements and called for answers about the circumstances surrounding Simpkins' disappearance and death.