Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #14

[Seattle1]

PS: The comment of BM's that 10 people touched the bike and ruined the crime-scene .... total rubbish, hey, these are professional crime scene examiners; there would have been photos, accident investigation experts looking on, the whole kit and caboodle. What professional police member would destroy a crime scene as he said .... total nonsense.

^^SBM

Absolute nonsense indeed but I think BM probably thought it was a great distraction to pivot to when he seemingly caught himself sharing more about a subject that he allegedly had no or limited knowledge of.

I've said before that BM seems very proud of that '10 persons touched the bike' allegation (and destroyed evidence). I'm glad that BM came by that nugget but I'm really happy that he likes to use it! Just can't help himself...

MOO

 

[Alethea]

Oops I’m 40 pages behind, carry on

 

[Bridger]

I think if a passerby propped up the bike we would have heard by now, but yes, maybe LE are keeping that to themselves.

I think many on this site overestimate the general public’s interest in the stories we follow so closely. I’m picturing a busy bike path on one of the warmest days of the spring, an overturned, possible damaged bike, and a young rider from a city an hour away, who stops and props it up. S/he goes back to their home and life and has no reason to come forward to say s/he propped up a bike on a trail. Certainly LE has made no effort to find out if anything like this could have happened or if any bikers on the trail that day saw anything. They've never even released a description of the bike.

 

[LietKynes]

I disagree that that would be enough probable cause for a search warrant.

Any theories as to what would constitute enough evidence for a SW to dig up the homeowner's foundation ?
Agreed that I'm guessing there was more to it than the homeowner seeing BM and Co. working on that area.
So, what ?

Speculation :

Warning-- some of it graphic :

• There was a HRD dog hit on the equipment BM uses for his landscaping.
• The bike was found in an odd location or state (cleaned, fingerprints wiped, wheel/brakes locked in a way that shows it was never ridden that day...etc.)
• Evidence on her phone or his, that showed an act of violence that LE is withholding until later.
• There was blood or brain matter found at the house that would indicate Suzanne is no longer alive.
• HRD dog hit on the vehicle(s).
• Anything else ?

 

[Seattle1]

I think if a passerby propped up the bike we would have heard by now, but yes, maybe LE are keeping that to themselves. I guess it depends on what side of the road the item was on, left or right, if she was coming or going, I just find it odd ..... but hey, I agree with you, there was no bike ride that day.
Hopefully through CCTV checks, dashcam, etc, every car that entered and left that area of County Road 225 from the 8th to 10th will be checked out by LE.

Given that LE has never confirmed that a bike exists apart from the missing person report tendered by SM's neighbor on 5/10/20, I believe bike against the tree made SillyBilly's list of rumors not allowed on the main thread along with the bike located on a bridge and jammed brakes.

If a bike was recovered, I think it was most likely recovered from a ravine somewhere around Fooses Creek. But I also think time will tell that the bike was a red herring.

MOO

ETA: Add @sillybilly link from thread #3 that bike against a tree, bridge, and brakes jammed are rumor and posts were deleted.

CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #3

 

[LietKynes]

^^SBM

Absolute nonsense indeed but I think BM probably thought it was a great distraction to pivot to when he seemingly caught himself sharing more about a subject than he allegedly had no or limited knowledge of.

I've said before that BM seems very proud of that '10 persons touched the bike' allegation (and destroyed evidence). I'm glad that BM came by that nugget but I'm really happy that he likes to use it! Just can't help himself...

MOO

bbm
No, I don't think he can.
Like in Gannon Stauch's case ---"T-splaining".
Or in this case, "BM-splaining".
I don't understand whom he thinks is buying this ?
MOO

 

[rainbowshummingbird]

Any theories as to what would constitute enough evidence for a SW to dig up the homeowner's foundation ?
Agreed that I'm guessing there was more to it than the homeowner seeing BM and Co. working on that area.
So, what ?

Speculation :

• There was a HRD dog hit on the equipment BM uses for his landscaping.
• The bike was found in an odd location or state (cleaned, fingerprints wiped, wheel/brakes locked in a way that shows it was never ridden that day...etc.)
• Evidence on her phone or his, that showed an act of violence that LE is withholding until later.
• There was blood or brain matter found at the house that would indicate Suzanne is no longer alive.
• HRD dog hit on the vehicle(s).
• Anything else ?

Speculation: LE may have uncovered information that BM lied; lied about when he saw Suzanne for the last time, lied about their communication, lied about his location at a given time. Perhaps something like that.

 

[Tate123]

dbm

 

[Seattle1]

I disagree. And I've explained why I think we can infer that there was no visible damage to the bike several times. See comments #655, #663 and #697.

Respectfully, I don't think it's necessary to depend on the blogger when MSM has never stated or alluded to the bike sustaining damage, visible or otherwise.

 

[IceIce9]

Ahhh, but the problem is, we don't know what shape the bike was in.

We don’t even know that she had been on the bike.

 

[Moonchime]

This makes sense to me.

I wonder, however, how many no body murders go unsolved, with no arrest. Playing the odds...are no body cases more or less likely to end in a conviction?

MOO

An 18-year-old Gina Renee Hall went missing in Virginia in 1980. Prosecutors got their first conviction of murder without a body in VA's landmark case: Murder, but no body: Three W&M alums and their role in a landmark Virginia case | Williamsburg Yorktown Daily

 

[Lilypad13]

It's actually 2 drowned bodies we were considering (one on the Arkansas in Wichita and one on the Ninnescah), but then I went and messed up the conversation by adding a third one (a male, the only one ID'd) from an irrelevant date.
Just be glad I didn't have a mix up with the (at least) 5 (I'm probably exaggerating, but I dunno) other bodies found in the Arkansas River in Wichita in the last few months. Evidently, it's quite the thing.

That’s not good when there are too many bodies in rivers to keep track of! Drowned? Wasn’t at least one a homicide? Well I guess you could drown someone to death duh. Anyway thanks for clearing that up that there was a THIRD body added to the mix. I was getting confused and thinking maybe I mixed them up. Apparently it’s the preferred method of body disposal in that neck of the woods. (jk - no disrespect we gotta keep our sense of humor!)

 

[Moonchime]

I don't know. My guess is many go without an arrest. Like poor Kyron Horman.

If there was evidence found inside the home that SM was murdered there, and if the Prosecutor can present a strong case, it's very possible that whoever killed her can be charged. It all depends on the case they have.

 

[Moonchime]

We don’t even know that she had been on the bike.

This is so very true. The entire bike ride scenario seems like a ruse, IMHO.

 

[JnRyan]

Yes and no. The trail through town is a road bike trail. There are three major mountain bike trail systems in the Salida area, which make it one of the premier venues for the sport in North America. All of the trail systems, both road and mountain bike, connect in some way, to US Highway 50 or US Highway 24, which criss-cross...........so it is possible to ride the entire trail system of Chaffee county without ever getting an automobile lift. Seriously, many bikers do it. The only road bike usage on Monarch Pass is Highway 50, and in the summer time the full crossing of the pass is popular with long-distance road bikers. SM is a mountain biker, and the trails of the Monarch Crest system are shown at the link below. You should land on the map. Left click once and it will go full page. Place your mouse pointer exactly on the top end of the squiggly yellow line that is a little left of center of the map, right click again, and it will zoom in to detailed topo map of the area of SM's house.
MONARCH CREST TRAIL SYSTEM

I had forgotten about the Monarch Crest Trail System. There is also two segments of the Colorado Trail, an extensive trail used by mountain bikers, that runs north and south in Colorado. It crosses Hwy 50 not far from Suzanne's house and the intersection of that trail to Hwy 50 sounds like an area where LE performed one of their extensive searches. Suzanne could ride the Colorado Trail north of Hwy 50 for about 15-21 miles and have some additional trails to ride.
Salida Mountain Trails

 

[Cassady]

I checked with my significant other ( a Judge) and got his opinion...

Here the police have consent from the property owner- one assumes in a written form the police always carry. A consent search can be stopped by the consenter unequivocally withdrawing his/her consent. It must be a clear and unambiguous withdrawal of consent. Expressions like.. this is taking a long time or too long a time are insufficient. Also, if a person withdraws consent the police may keep, and a court will admit, what was found up until revoking consent...CAVEAT, NY is quite liberal with respect to standing, searches and permitting hearings when other jurisdictions are less inclined. In NY, trial judges often grant a hearing in order to get testimony when memories are fresh a year or more before a plea of guilty or a jury conviction because, on appeal, there often are appellate rulings holding the appeal in abeyance pending a judge conducting a hearing to make findings of fact and conclusions of law which in part are the basis of the appeal. A hearing means taking testimony from one or more witnesses some of whom might have retired in the interim. The judge then makes factual findings and a legal ruling. Here, the defendant might have an affidavit from the property owner challenging his/her having given consent or claiming the police started to search before consent or continued after a supposed withdrawal of consent. The appeals court cannot resolve those questions and if the trial judge had not conducted a hearing the case would be paused until the trial judge did so....Having a murder conviction overturned and a new trial ordered occurs if clearly critical evidence were incorrectly admitted for the jury’s use.
The grounds on which to challenge a SW are quite difficult to meet and some benefit is given to law enforcement for getting one even if it is not perfect.

Even with an affidavit from the landowner questioning the consent search, the spouse of the missing person would not have standing to challenge the job site search.

Here the existence of a SW for the job site has not been verified. LE could have lawfully conducted the search without a SW and with consent.

Also, LE could have conducted consensual search with ground penetrating sonar, found an anomaly and then used that to establish PC for a SW.

We simply do not know, but the existence or not of a sealed SW at the Chaffee County Courthouse would answer the question?

 

[Itsapuzzle]

Given that LE has never confirmed that a bike exists apart from the missing person report tendered by SM's neighbor on 5/10/20, I believe bike against the tree made SillyBilly's list of rumors not allowed on the main thread along with the bike located on a bridge and jammed brakes.

If a bike was recovered, I think it was most likely recovered from a ravine somewhere around Fooses Creek. But I also think time will tell that the bike was a red herring.

MOO

Okay, no worries, will check out SillyBilly's list of rumours that are not allowed, thanks Seattle1, haven't read through everything here.

 

[tmar]

Updated to include the latest press release (removed reference to comment "it's too soon" can't find a MSM source for this - can anyone?
------------------------
Timeline

Sorry that was so long, but it sort of had to be, to answer your question.

Ontario Mom, Yesterday at 9:42 AMReport
#117Like+ QuoteReply"

Edited for brevity.

Wow.
Thanks for all your continual work, here, and in many other cases.
It certainly helps, those like me, who can only follow.

 

[tmar]

Good question.
A possible answer to that is, she's a local, and she does ride her bike in the local area.
Even if she didn't actually go for a bike ride on Mother's Day, it's entirely possible someone local might have seen her before, wearing that helmet, and that might jog their memory of maybe the last time they did see her, out and about.
Having that information might help LE pin down a tighter timeline.

Entirely speculation.
LE always have a reason for doing what they do.
Because we have literally zero idea of what evidence they already have, all we're all doing, is a lot of speculation, based on what we've seen LE do in past cases.

I agree.
It is similar, to someone walking their dog daily, along the same route: habit.
You would check that out.

 

[JnRyan]

Dave F. mentions the Amy Wroe Bechtel case.
Disappearance of Amy Wroe Bechtel - Wikipedia
I also thought of the similarities between this and Suzanne's case. In the case Amy Wroe case, her husband Steve was rock climbing with another climber several miles away at the time Amy was supposedly running. Amy's body has never been found and the case is unsolved. To this day her husband is still suspected in her disappearance even though another person provided LE with an alibi that Steve Bechtel was elsewhere at the time Amy went for a run. However, the details of where Amy was that day and where her car was found are known. In Suzanne's case LE still has not confirmed the location of Suzanne's bike or even its condition OR if she was actually seen bike riding.