Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 *Case dismissed w/o prejudice* #108

[waldojabba]

Balzer said that, when police had contacted her about the Sept. 22 discovery of Morphew’s remains, “emotions flooded my soul… then relief, peaceful relief.” She thanked local police for their diligent work on the case, adding that “the truth will prevail for Suzanne.” Balzer said she believes that Morphew would “tell her own story of the tragic loss of her own life” in an autopsy at the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, which positively identified her remains earlier this week. “I sure miss you Suzanne,” Balzer added, “and I am glad you are found.”

Suzanne Morphew’s Sister Says ‘The Truth Will Prevail’ After Remains Found

“In over 3 years, I have by God’s grace kept the faith that someday Suzanne would be found,” said Melinda Moorman Balzer.

www.thedailybeast.com

I had not seen this posted yet but apologies if it’s a duplicate imo

 

[Vern]

here is what I have in my notes. Taken from early articles.

CBI agents located human remains (dry bones found in a shallow grave (3 ft. deep) in a dry field of sagebrush on east side of Saguache County) in the area of Moffat in Saguache County (which is 45 miles south of Salida) near mile marker 113 on Hwy 17 on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 during an unrelated investigation (CBI was searching for 55-year-old Edna Quintana who had gone missing in the region on May 3, 2023) . The El Paso County Coroner’s Office identified the remains as Suzanne Morphew (dental records & her cancer port) on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023.

Does this look correct? Had to skip a few posts... do not have all day to read the 300 plus since last night!

Linked newscast has them walking the ground next to tattered crime scene tape at Mile Marker 103. South of Moffat.

I've linked the intersection of 17 and Road 'R' (linked below) ... white house up the road matches with footage / stop sign / dead end sign /phone poles/ fence posts etc.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.ca

Moffat · Colorado

Colorado

www.google.ca

 

[Megnut]

Linked newscast has them walking the ground next to tattered crime scene tape at Mile Marker 103. South of Moffat.

I've linked the intersection of 17 and Road 'R' (linked below) ... white house up the road matches with footage / stop sign / dead end sign etc.

Moffat · Colorado

Colorado

www.google.ca

I wonder if those tattered ribbons are actually markers, for where bones were located, and not the area of the grave.

JMOO

 

[Boxer]

Things being unlikely don't prove a crime, but a perpetrator grabbing a victim off a bike in broad day light, then taking a trip to a remote place and digging a grave in difficult rocky soil isnt likely.

Bob Cats
Sexual assault predators
Marijuana dealers
Husband's about to be divorced

 

[mrjitty]

No kidnapper is going to bury a body 3 feet.
They may throw some tumbleweed or plywood over the victim..but in that remote location.. I would doubt they would bother with any concealment.
Just incredible how transparent BM’s big picture he painted remains. What are the odds that a man who’s wife wanted a divorce just happened to be alone on Mother’s Day..her daughters both away,her husband away …decides to go for a bike ride and ends up an hour away under 3 feet of dirt. All whilst her busy husband is carrying shovels into a hotel lobby then leaving his room smelling like bleach & stopping at numerous trash bins to discard & discard.
Ugh.
I want to see his red botox face back behind bars. May justice be sure & swift.

MOO

During the Knox and Pistorius trials I went down the rabbit hole on crime scene staging.

There should never be any staging at a crime scene. It is a red flag which points back at the real offender (a fact that is counter intuitive for our first time show runner in his first ever crime drama).

For the abductor, the logical aim is to obscure forensics, and to secure his own exit. For this reason a true abductor often has multiple crime scenes. The abduction site, the murder site, and the disposal site. The murder site is often an unknown location, that the abductor knows well and feels safe in. He dumps the body elsewhere to avoid compromising that place.

So why conceal a body?

Sometimes it might be to conceal forensics, but this burial seems a lot of work for a random killer who is not connected to the victim.

One feels all this work is to conceal the relationship between the killer and victim. Especially when one adds the other evidence of staging.

 

[mrjitty]

I really don’t think she was buried 3 feet down. Looking at the soil, that would be an incredibly difficult task and would take a while. I can understand CBI excavating a deeper hole though, just to collect evidence. Are they sure the agent wasn’t on his knees? I would imagine also that any lookyloos would not have had a clear view of what was going on.

Filling in a hole like that is also a lot of work - if you dig a lot of ditches you know this

 

[Vern]

I wonder if those tattered ribbons are actually markers, for where bones were located, and not the area of the grave.

JMOO

The reporter does a little walk-about in the footage. At one point you can clearly see a footprint impression in the sunken earth (recently disturbed soil).

(See footage at 1m17s & 1m52s)

 

[kittythehare]

not a fan but it's out there

 

[kittythehare]

 

[mrjitty]

Based on what little we know it's interesting to evaluate how this might impact the known case against Morphew if it were re-charged (Note - I believe prosecution had proof to Bard standard or close).

Proof of the murder is a huge plus - that no longer needs to be inferred. Big big gain.

Any grave evidence that reinforces the bike staging is fatal to the defence IMO e.g the wrong clothes.

Hard to say what other evidence might be found.

In terms of reasonable doubt, the defence is probably now most reliant on the transport aspect. How did the body get there, relying (as IE already states) that telematics and phone stayed at PP until 3am

On that front, not having recovered any useful evidence from any of the vehicles might be the prosecutors biggest problem. In the original theory of the case, they could somewhat rely on SM being missing somewhere close enough. Now they can't do that.

 

[Boxer]

I really don’t think she was buried 3 feet down. Looking at the soil, that would be an incredibly difficult task and would take a while. I can understand CBI excavating a deeper hole though, just to collect evidence. Are they sure the agent wasn’t on his knees? I would imagine also that any lookyloos would not have had a clear view of what was going on.

Probably not. They take all the soil below a burial as a body's fluids seep down. Body fluids signatures were found in the Kristin Smart case at the suspect' parent's home and was significant evidence.

 

[Niner]

Linked newscast has them walking the ground next to tattered crime scene tape at Mile Marker 103. South of Moffat.

I've linked the intersection of 17 and Road 'R' (linked below) ... white house up the road matches with footage / stop sign / dead end sign /phone poles/ fence posts etc.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.ca

Moffat · Colorado

Colorado

www.google.ca

Thank you - I shall change my notes to mile marker 103.

 

[Megnut]

Based on what little we know it's interesting to evaluate how this might impact the known case against Morphew if it were re-charged (Note - I believe prosecution had proof to Bard standard or close).

Proof of the murder is a huge plus - that no longer needs to be inferred. Big big gain.

Any grave evidence that reinforces the bike staging is fatal to the defence IMO e.g the wrong clothes.

Hard to say what other evidence might be found.

In terms of reasonable doubt, the defence is probably now most reliant on the transport aspect. How did the body get there, relying (as IE already states) that telematics and phone stayed at PP until 3am

On that front, not having recovered any useful evidence from any of the vehicles might be the prosecutors biggest problem. In the original theory of the case, they could somewhat rely on SM being missing somewhere close enough. Now they can't do that.

All true, but with this development, those in BM's inner circle may be having their own rough awakenings, finding it harder to hold any allegiance. Perhaps they have reason now to suspect he used their truck, for instance. He got there somehow. This gives LE a whole new angle to investigate, looking for linkage. New telematics.

This will be one careful autopsy.

I predict an arrest following the completion of that (autopsy/toxicology/full report), around Thanksgiving.

JMO

 

[Inthedetails]

Proba

Probably not. They take all the soil below a burial as a body's fluids seep down. Body fluids signatures were found in the Kristin Smart case at the suspect' parent's home and was significant evidence.

If he moved the body in the last three years, the soil would also tell that tale too, I'm assuming.

jmo

 

[Observer33]

Thank you. So true.

West Mesa in Albuquerque is another one like that. Black rock, moonless night, it's impossible to see anyone unless they turn their lights on. I used to practice driving with my lights off on the mesa. After one's eyes adjust, it's easy to see what's right in front of one's face. In this case, the background is lighter than black rock, so can see a bit more.

The only people out at 3 am are people racing to get home, sleep and go back to work. They aren't staring out at the prairie, looking for murderers.

It wasn't a moonless night.

 

[Poedelini]

I wonder what evidence they can still find in skeletal remains. Hopefully something powerfull.

 

[Boxer]

I wonder what evidence they can still find in skeletal remains. Hopefully something powerfull.

OP up the thread mentioned looking for evidence of tranquilizer in the remains of body fluids at the burial site.

 

[girlhasnoname]

"It's very hurtful to lose your reputation and your integrity," Barry said.

Suzanne Morphew's Husband Barry: Where He Is Now That Missing Colorado Mom's Body Has Been Found

The remains of Suzanne Morphew, the Colorado mother of two last seen alive on Mother's Day 2020, were discovered last week, authorities revealed Wednesday – more than a year after a murder charge against her husband Barry Morphew was dismissed.

themessenger.com

Well BM had a crappy reputation and no integrity to begin with.

MOO

 

[Birmingplumb]

Did Barry ever take a polygraph?

 

[Lyanna]

Did Barry ever take a polygraph?

Iirc - Barry told family he had, LE said otherwise

Until I find source will say JMO, MOO, IMO

Scrap that! Just found an article saying he'd refused - but it's the Sun, is that approved?