Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #15

[gitana1]

Jumping off your post, IceIce9, because you mentioned a mountain lion. Yesterday, near me, a four-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion. He was with his parents, walking in a nature preserve. He was scratched on his back and thigh, and is expected to recover. The lion was found and killed later by a fish and game officer:

Wildlife officials confirm mountain lion linked to attack on child

4:18 PM PDT June 13, 2020

>>>snip

SAN DIEGO — A 4-year-old child was recovering Saturday from minor injuries following an attack by a mountain lion at the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve in Poway, according to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson.

That incident happened Friday afternoon at about 2:40 p.m., when the boy was walking in the reserve with several family members. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officers responded to the scene ...

(article continues)

<<<snip

Not much help for us fence-sitters

, I'm afraid, but this story did tilt me little bit backwards. I know, no evidence of such an attack here. But, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence...right?

IMO, it is.

The child is four. He wasn’t terribly injured. The lion was quickly located and killed.

That’s the reality of the very few mountain lion attacks we have had in this country.

Again, only one fatal attack in all of CO’s history despite a cougar population of 5,000-7,000 in the state.

Most attacks on humans involve juvenile lions that aren’t great at hunting yet and are starving due to not having their own territory. Most attacks involve small children.

There would be a lot of evidence if a woman that size was thrown off her bike or attacked and dragged as she rested or whatever. There always is. Drag marks. Blood. Torn clothing. Paw prints.

Pumas typically take their large prey nearby and guard it. They will feed off it for days.

For that reason, adult attack victims are quickly found. And so are the lions, typically.

There have only been 24 confirmed fatal attacks by mountain lions anywhere, (Canada, US, Mexico) in 130 years.

9 were adults 18 and over. 14 were kids.

I think only super small kids could be attacked and carried off without much evidence.

 

[FelicityLemon]

Strange and unimaginable things really DO happen. They're rare, but true. A woman was kidnapped from her boyfriend's bed. She was made to tie him up and they were both drugged before she was taken. She was taken to northern California (I think there) held for two days, raped and then she was driven back and released near her home. A ransom was demanded in two installments. Nobody believed her. It happened to her and she was recently awarded $2.5m. Abductor confessed and is serving 40 years.

The boyfriend was of course, suspected and turned out to be a victim, too.

After her kidnapping was initially called a hoax, woman in so-called 'Gone Girl' case recounts her 'nightmare'

Edited: removed duplicate words

 

[IceIce9]

No, and it sounds like his injuries were relatively minor.

And he was a young child, not an adult woman.

 

[gitana1]

Strange and unimaginable things really DO happen. They're rare, but true. A woman was kidnapped from her boyfriend's bed. They were both drugged, she was made to tie him up and they were both drugged before she was taken. She was taken to northern California (I think there) held for two days, raped and then she was driven back and released near her home. A ransom was demanded in two installments. Nobody believed her. It happened to her and she was recently awarded $2.5m. Abductor confessed and is serving 40 years.

The boyfriend was of course, suspected and turned out to be a victim, too.

After her kidnapping was initially called a hoax, woman in so-called 'Gone Girl' case recounts her 'nightmare'

Yes. That’s true. It happened. He was some crazy stalker type. You never know.

I guess for me it’s that certain things are mentioned a lot as if they’re statistically common or viable, when they’re not.

Of course almost anything is possible. And that’s what we do here- discuss. I just try to analyze every possibility - pros and cons and viability. If a possibility is mentioned I try to figure out how it may apply to the case or whether it’s more remote.

The focus of LE after the CBI and FBI got involved is super telling to me. The fact that LE had probable cause to get a search warrant in this case is also very telling to me. That means they have some indication that a crime was committed.

Search For Suzanne Morphew: Sheriff Says Search Warrant Is Sealed

 

[Moonchime]

Speaking of that perfectly good foundation, on what strong premise could LE have gotten a SW? We know they didn't find her body so they wouldn't have told a judge they have strong evidence her body is there. I wonder what convinced a judge to sign a SW. Of course, I'm assuming there was a SW.
We don't know if they did find something tho but obviously not enough for an arrest.
jmo

This is just my opinion...My belief is that LE found something during the search of the Morphew home to indicate that SM is no longer living. They can't prove who caused her death, yet, but the findings in her home were enough to get a Judge to issue them a SW to search BM's previous worksite. MOO

 

[rainbowshummingbird]

Jumping off your post, IceIce9, because you mentioned a mountain lion. Yesterday, near me, a four-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion. He was with his parents, walking in a nature preserve. He was scratched on his back and thigh, and is expected to recover. The lion was found and killed later by a fish and game officer:

Wildlife officials confirm mountain lion linked to attack on child

4:18 PM PDT June 13, 2020

>>>snip

SAN DIEGO — A 4-year-old child was recovering Saturday from minor injuries following an attack by a mountain lion at the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve in Poway, according to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson.

That incident happened Friday afternoon at about 2:40 p.m., when the boy was walking in the reserve with several family members. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officers responded to the scene ...

(article continues)

<<<snip

Not much help for us fence-sitters

, I'm afraid, but this story did tilt me little bit backwards. I know, no evidence of such an attack here. But, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence...right?

List of fatal cougar attacks in North America - Wikipedia

Wikipedia lists two fatal mountain lion attacks on humans in Colorado in the last 70 years. It does happen, but so rarely as to be a virtual impossibility. A mountain lion doesn’t gobble up the entire body. They don’t eat things like shoes, gloves and bike helmets.

 

[Cindizzi]

Welcome! (Love your name, now I have to go make something - yay!). I don't know if this will lessen or heighten concern, but the saying "If you see something, say something" began about terrorism in general. I think it came from or about Homeland Security. We have that saying on posters in public transportation where I live (suburban southern Ca) fwiw, Ted Kazinsky lived in tiny cabin or shed out in the woods...I imagine others are, too.

And another note about joining a wagon train assuming a person guilty without evidence, doxxing (not here) berating, making fun of and casting aspersions and ruining his life and the life of his mother: RICHARD JEWEL. That still gets me so angry and so incredibly sad to remember what happened to him.

Again, I have no idea about SM's spousal involvement either way.

In the one and only press conference on May 15th Sheriff says something about “ see something, say something “ and likens it to National security. At around 4:40.

 

[FelicityLemon]

The Safer-at-home months have created a new space for wildlife to feel comfortable. Many articles with pictures of groups of animals roaming roads and towns because of lack of humans. It didn't take long at all before the animals began appearing – a couple of weeks in some places. If attacks were happening before, imagine how emboldened some animals might be feeling.

These are some random finds unrelated to the recent Covid:

Travis Kauffman, the Colorado jogger who fought off a mountain lion that attacked him during a run on Feb. 4, 2019.

Mountain lion killed after attacking Colorado resident, deputy
March 11, 2020 A mountain lion attacked a Colorado resident and a responding deputy Wednesday afternoon in Larimer County, the sheriff’s office said.

Mountain bikers in fatal cougar attack did everything right, authorities say

What Really Caused Washington’s Cougar Attack
May 20, 2018 “...The cougar ran off but returned and attacked when the men got back on their bikes. It bit one – the survivor – on the head and shook him....”

A quote from one of the articles: “Cullens agrees the cat likely thought the riders were prey. “I think it’s likely that it mistook the [riders] for deer,” she says. “Mountain lions don’t see well in bright sunlight.” Deer were seen on the road eating the food from the plastic bag found by the youtuber.

 

[FelicityLemon]

derp dup

 

[gitana1]

Found the local Salida newspaper: The Mountain Mail. They posted a short article on the community canvass plus a timeline.

I used a proxy site (daproxy.biz) so as not not create an account.

Investigators conduct community-wide canvass in Suzanne Morphew case

“Timeline of the Susan Morphew disappearance:
May 10: Morphew is reported missing to Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s deputies and Chaffee County Search and Rescue South and North search for the missing woman. Department of Corrections (DOC) is contacted to join search with tracking dogs.

May 11: Members of Chaffee County Tac Team join the search with DOC search parties. More than 100 people participate in the search.

May 13: Drones and eight tracking and scent dogs from DOC and Search and Rescue Dogs of Colorado are deployed to assist in the search. Colorado Parks and Wildlife and South Arkansas Swiftwater Rescue Team search area watersheds. REACH Air Ambulance flies search missions. Investigators from 11th Judicial District, CBI, Salida Police Department, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and FBI join the search effort. A tip line is set up at 719-312-7530.

A $200,000 reward for information leading to Morphew’s safe return is offered by her family.

May 15: A personal item belonging to Morphew is reported found by Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, focusing the search in a 2.5-mile area near CR 225 and U.S. 50. U.S. 50 is closed as 90 searchers from multiple agencies comb the targeted area.

May 17: Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Dive Rescue team investigates water sites in the search area.

Chaffee County residents are asked by law enforcement to preserve “any and all” video footage from devices such as Ring doorbells, security cameras, game cameras and similar for the period of May 8-12.

Morphew’s husband, Barry Morphew, releases a video plea for Morphew’s return: “Oh, Suzanne, if anyone is out there that can hear this, that has you, please, we’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back. We love you. We miss you. The girls need you. No questions asked. However much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back, ‘cause honey, I love you and I want you back so bad.”

May 20: Law enforcement continues to search Morphew home under a sealed search warrant for clues to Morphew’s disappearance. Sheriff John Spezze states, “This is an open investigation and all possibilities surrounding Morphew’s disappearance are being considered.”

May 22: A property on CR 105 becomes a focus for the investigation. The property owner is reported as fully cooperative.

May 24: The search at the CR 105 property is concluded. Investigators are unable to make a connection to the Morphew case.

May 26: More than 400 calls had been made to the tip line.”

Thanks so much for that.

 

[gitana1]

IME, people who are innocent and whose loved one is missing, try every method possible to find the person. For example, if there's even a slight chance that a mountain lion is involved, they want lots of trail cams and multiple dog searches.

If the Morphew family (the three remaining close kin of Suzanne) believe it's a mountain lion, that would be a good plan. If they are torn between mountain lion and crazy stalker, IME, it would still be a good plan, along with cooperating with LE to create anxiety and strain for the crazy stalker.

So. We out here in the public do not know enough. But it's not like there are infinite possibilities, either.

It’s odd that the FB page they set up hasn’t been updated at all. Again, I contrast with the page done by friends/family of Amanda Eller.

 

[gitana1]

^^^^ Thanks for these clips and links, @Janeumayer !

Where do I start ?

The first larger banner says "...left for a bike ride..." etc.
Her own family questions the bike ride and no one has been able to say that they saw her leave on Mother's Day.

And the third with the pic of the flyer : "...Last seen in this helmet..."
No, that's a fabrication.
LE never said she was seen in any helmet.
And as far as we know, no one saw her in any helmet or on her bike.

Who is promoting the : "she was last seen in this helmet..." ?
TN ?
How would he know ?

BM ?
Well great, then he saw her on MD and he knows what she was wearing as well !
Do tell us, BM.
So why isn't he getting that information out to the media ?
On and on.... what a load of hogwash.
Imo.

Who in the family is questioning the bike ride?

 

[gitana1]

Which speaks volumes about the sleuthing process. People propose absolutely anything. So we've had "sex trafficking" for Barbara Thomas, but also for women who appear to have disappeared for other reasons entirely.

I don't think BT was sex trafficked, myself.

In the absence of better evidence, I take a null hypothesis derived from statistics. If we had one shred of evidence indicating that Barbara was sex trafficked or that 69 year olds are sex trafficked, I'd perk up my ears.

But, there are these really antisocial people (either a man or men, or a man and a woman) who pick up vulnerable women for no reason at all, except that they can. What they do with them later is variable.

In Suzanne's case, it's either the husband or a lover or someone locally with a beef, either with Suzanne or some person close to her, IMO.

Or somehow, she disappeared into the wild, without leaving a scent that dogs could follow and without leaving any kind of note or evidence that that's what she did. Very hard on the family, if true.

Heck voluntary missing would be a far greater possibility.

 

[LietKynes]

Who in the family is questioning the bike ride?

I'll check back to see who it was.
The only time the family of Suzanne has said anything and it's just one article.

 

[gitana1]

BBM

I'm admittedly on the fence. There could be a plethora of reasons that there's been silence from BM, the family, and LE, and not all of them are because BM is guilty of murdering his wife.

I have no idea how I would react in a similar position. I can say that if I were being accused all over the internet of murdering my loved one, and I was innocent and haven't been named a POI, that I would be scared to death to speak publicly. I'm camera shy but even a phone interview would give me pause. I can't imagine being innocent and under that kind of scrutiny. Everything I'd say or do would be conceived as a sign of guilt. My private life would become public record and would not be judged kindly or without bias.

Many suspected SC in Heidi's murder, and he was blasted online. (Not here) Not only was he accused of murder, but he was ridiculed for the way he spoke, his facial expressions, what many perceived as lack of intelligence, accused of being on drugs during interviews, and accused of (badly) faking his grief. And here he was, just this poor young dude bereft with worry and anguish that his fiancee and unborn child are missing with very little trace.

Having said all that, would I still give interviews or public pleas? I would like to think so but I'd probably speak through my lawyer if he advised me to make any statements at all at that point. I know to many that may still point to my guilt but at least my body language and physical features wouldn't be analyzed by you tube body language "experts" and commenters who have the gift of knowing a murderer by the way I dress. (Not to mention I have ADHD and tend to be awkward; I don't always display emotions "appropriate" for some situations.)

One last note:. I truly believe that if I were suspected of harming my child in any way that it would not stand in my way of doing anything I could to find him, including live interviews.

I don't necessarily believe this is why BM is silent, but I also don't necessarily believe his silence equates guilt either. I am guilty of often suspecting the SO. But we know
so very little about this case and about these people. I can't publicly accuse a man of killing his wife without one shred of even circumstantial evidence. We don't know who's searching or anything going on behind the scenes. LE stated 6+ searches had happened and we didn't know until they told us. Look how much we didn't know that had gone for so long in Mr. Gannon's murder.

I have a feeling this will either go cold or there's some twist to it that no one could have suspected. I don't think stranger abduction and definitely not an animal attack.

I like to go off human behavior in these situations. It’s not always perfect but when added to the whole picture, it gives me a feeling.


And when you really love someone and they go missing, nothing else matters. Not shyness. Not worry about anyone thinking you’re guilty. Nothing.

It’s just desperation.

 

[gitana1]

I apologize for my walls of text. I just get going...‍ And can't sleep. I have something else to add but it's regarding another aspect of this case so I am writing a separate post.

The discussion about cancer:
I'm curious as well as to the type, the severity, and treatment. I recently went through treatment for breast cancer. I lost one breast and all my hair (one thing about Stay at Home is no one had to see me through that awkward growing out stage!) I didn't look much different or "bad" even after 40 weeks of chemo. Granted I'm fairly young and healthy otherwise, but Suzanne seemed healthy and fit. She may have tolerated chemo well too. She might have used a "cold cap" and didn't experience much hair loss, or she just had a great wig like I did.

Also, as others have said, she may not have required chemo. And we don't know the type of cancer. Some cancers don't require intense or prolonged treatment depending on stage/location, etc. A friend had thyroid cancer, it was removed without a hospital stay, radiation therapy a few times and barely has a scar. My aunt had a malignant tumor in her calf muscle removed and had radiation, but appeared healthy.

The cancer thing made me wonder too where was she living during her treatment. IN or CO?
It also got me thinking about Suzanne, and where she may have been in her life. Something like car, especially when it's a "female" cancer, can change a person a lot, and change how they view their lives. It can also cause relationships to change and sometimes suffer. It can also cause emotional turmoil and oftentimes depression. It can also cause you to reevaluate your entire existence.

I don't believe she would commit suicide, and especially on mother's day. Not an impossibly, but still where is she?

Could she have faced the possibility of death in her late 50s and come out feeling unsatisfied with what may have been a perfect life and wonderful marriage and family? She was with BM since she was a teen I believe. I'm sure she loved him but maybe after that many years the passion was gone. Did she have her own career outside the home? Her daughters are both pretty much grown and she probably felt the bittersweet loss of their presence growing each passing year. Maybe Barry was loving and a good husband but it'd been a long time since he made her feel beautiful or really engaged with her. Maybe she met a man in CO, maybe through bicycling or something else she was involved in who made her feel beautiful, interesting, etc. Especially if she had also been feeling "ugly" during her bouts with cancer. She finally felt alive!
It's not completely out of the realm of possibilities that she ran off with some dude or the guy turned out to be someone dangerous. Maybe BM leaving for Denver and her girls still being gone, this was her one big
opportunity to go. If she were to leave her family I don't see her picking Mother's Day for that either. Not unless her family was a bunch of Ahos and that was her big FU, which I doubt but you never know.

I won't be surprised if BM did have a role in her disappearance yet my instinct is trying to lead me hard in another direction. I just don't know which direction that is. I think it's his eyes in that 23 second video. I see in them anguish and a bit of helplessness. I see a man who looks to be suffering but like he isn't one to even let someone hear his voice crack let alone make a tearful and passionate plea for his wife's return. While I'm no expert in that area, I was educated in and worked in mental health counseling for several years so I like to think I had developed a good read on people.

If I'm wrong, and I probably am, I bet they'll put the heat on BM sooner than later and he'll be brought in on charges. I don't think he's cunning enough to cover every base and every track. His daughters know if he's involved or not. Not directly, but they've figured it out by now.

Again apologies for the lengthy ramblings of an insomniac. And of course they are all JMO.

Edited to add: I am in no way bashing Suzanne. Just throwing this out there because I can empathize with how she could possibly have felt. Aside from the pain her disappearance has caused, and the cost of LE efforts I wouldn't necessarily think she's a "bad" person.

It’s a thoughtful post. Definitely something to explore.

Glad to know you made it through, by the way!!!!!

 

[Seattle1]

Who in the family is questioning the bike ride?

I'll check back to see who it was.
The only time the family of Suzanne has said anything and it's just one article.

Initially, it was being said that SM's neighbor saw SM riding her bicycle and when she did not see her return home by the end of the day, the neighbor contacted LE.

We later learned that the SM's daughters asked the neighbor to contact LE about their missing mom and that nobody (that's been identified) actually saw SM riding her bike on Sunday.

I believe it was in this context that an unidentified SM family member shared that they questioned if a bike ride ever happened.

 

[gitana1]

That too makes me wonder if she could have gone missing of her own accord and LE has evidence to support that but it's not concrete enough to say for certain so they need to keep looking into it and into other possibilities until they are able to locate or make contact with her. But it could explain the sudden quiet from the family and their urgency in locating her. And not many would publicly gush over their wonderful friend or family member, or want to answer tricky questions when it's probable she is living her best life far from Salida with her lover.
I don't want to believe she'd abandon her children but I don't know what their relationship is. It appears they are close but those pictures are able lie just as well as her photos with BM. < modsnip> Maybe they weren't very close?

The thing that veers me away from that kind of scenario is the apparent focus of LE after days of searching turned up no sign of her except her bike (and/or a “personal” item).

However, is there a scenario where any evidence that points to the husband being involved could also be due to a voluntary disappearance? Like marital trouble. Communications indicating that. Something set up to look like a bike ride occurred but there’s no evidence it really did. Etc.?

 

[LietKynes]

Initially, it was being said that SM's neighbor saw SM riding her bicycle and when she did not see her return home, neighbor contacted LE.

We later learned that the SM's daughters asked the neighbor to contact LE about their missing mom and that nobody (that's been identified) actually saw SM riding her bike on Sunday.

I believe it was in this context that an unidentified SM family member shared that they questioned if a bike ride ever happened.

bbm
Thanks !

I admit I'm curious about this unidentified person... but I'm thinking that LE know who it is and that's good enough for me.

 

[gitana1]

Speaking of that perfectly good foundation, on what strong premise could LE have gotten a SW? We know they didn't find her body so they wouldn't have told a judge they have strong evidence her body is there. I wonder what convinced a judge to sign a SW. Of course, I'm assuming there was a SW.
We don't know if they did find something tho but obviously not enough for an arrest.
jmo

Well we know for sure there was at least one sealed warrant in this case. We don’t know what was included in it.