A family is searching for answers after a Santa Clara man who vanished on Super Bowl Sunday was found dead six days later in a creek near Levi’s Stadium. Thomas Simpkins, 44, was discovered on Feb. 14 in San Tomas Aquino Creek, adjacent to Levi’s Stadium, according to the Santa Clara Police D epartment. Police are calling the case an active death investigation. The cause and manner of death have not yet been determined. Simpkins was last seen on Feb. 8, Super Bowl Sunday. While thousands gathered in Santa Clara for the biggest football event of the year, Simpkins’ sister, Brandi Stroud, said her brother attended a friend’s barbecue in South San Jose. The two had exchanged text messages earlier that day. “Me and my brother text messaged a lot,” Stroud said. “I had talked to him on Feb. 8 before he had went to this barbecue.” According to Stroud, Simpkins took an Uber home to Santa Clara around 9 p.m. He told her he planned to relax for the rest of the night. After that, his family never heard from him again. The following day, Simpkins failed to show up for work and did not call in. His 19-year-old son reported him missing. Stroud drove from Oregon to help search for her brother. The family filed a missing persons report, posted flyers, searched trails, and turned to social media to spread the word. Days later, Stroud said she received a message from a stranger on Facebook containing police scanner audio indicating a body had been found near Levi’s Stadium. “I wasn’t aware that there had even been a body to be recovered behind Levi’s Stadium until some random lady on Facebook sent me a link,” Stroud said. She contacted the medical examiner’s office and identified her brother by a large tattoo of his last name across his back. Authorities later confirmed Simpkins’ body was found in San Tomas Aquino Creek, roughly six miles from his home. Stroud said her brother’s cellphone and wallet were missing when his body was discovered. She questions how he ended up in a heavily secured and surveilled area during Super Bowl weekend. “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.” Police have not released additional details about the investigation. The medical examiner’s office has not yet determined a cause of death. The family said they were told it could take up to four months for final results. Simpkins leaves behind three stepchildren and one biological son. He was in the middle of a divorce, according to his sister. As they prepare for memorial services in the coming days, Stroud said they need closure to start the healing process. “Somebody knows something, maybe seen something,” Stroud said. ...read more read less