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

[Miss77]

It would have been black as pitch at 9 pm in that environment: no street lights, no ambient lighting from other residences or businesses. I don't know for certain, but I'm sure it would have been a waste of man power to search that environment after dark. If anything, finding a bike in those conditions based on BM's intel would have put him at the forefront of my POI for this disappearance.

Not only was it a full moon that weekend, it was a supermoon. Pretty bright! I love full moon hikes at high elevations.

 

[FelicityLemon]

Do we know when BM was called and told that the SM had never contacted the girls?

 

[gitana1]

Sorry, I answered my own question while typing....dog prints visible, no cat, sorry

Wait, are you saying that they found dog prints or that only dog prints would be visible?

 

[PaulaDC]

@DearPrudence, excellent point.

Wouldn't a remote luxury house nestled among mostly AirBnbs during a pandemic in an area with spotty mobile coverage be a shiny target for a home invasion?

moo

Obviously the phone service at the home worked until the day SM went missing. I wonder if the neighbor was a regular back up they had used before for other issues? I'm also curious why they just didn't have the sheriff do a well check? moo

 

[Puzzles8]

It would have been black as pitch at 9 pm in that environment: no street lights, no ambient lighting from other residences or businesses. I don't know for certain, but I'm sure it would have been a waste of man power to search that environment after dark. If anything, finding a bike in those conditions based on BM's intel would have put him at the forefront of my POI for this disappearance.

This is exactly my point. If BM got back to Maysville at 9pm, it would have been pitch dark. I'm assuming LE found her bike while it was still light out and had processed as much of the crime scene as they could before the sun set. It was no secret, the Sheriff didn't want BM or any of his friends/coworkers on the search that night.

Possibly the biggest red flag for me was in BM's "accidental interview" with Tyson D. It doesn't matter whether the interview was set up with BM's knowledge or not. Barry started to very specifically describe the position of the wheel on the bike. He caught himself and changed the subject. Unless BM had meticulously planted the bike there, how would he know such intricate details about the positioning of the bike?

As always, MOO

 

[branmuffin]

ITA and I think her missing date is earlier too
JMO

I agree. Missing for at least three days, IMO.

I'm trying to figure out the circumstances regarding calling home for the girls. I have to presume by the time May 10 rolled around they had been gone for about a week. Camping in Idaho is no small jaunt. At least 800 km to the Idaho border from Maysville. I doubt most people would hop in a vehicle and drive 800 clicks for three days of camping. And considering we don't know where in Idaho they were camping it might have been even further, although there is a state park called Bear Lake straddling the border between Idaho and Utah.

Considering the lack of consistent cell phone service in Maysville CO maybe service in a campsite in Idaho was equally as spotty. So depending on who they went camping with it may not have been considered unusual if they never called at all.

Fast forward to May 10 and the girls are concerned they can't contact their mom. Are they only calling because they are behind schedule or because they actually WERE keeping in contact with her on a daily basis for mutual consideration?

Driving 800 km would probably take about 6 hours, give or take. Maybe even more, looking at the topography of that area. So spending the 'day' with mom on MD you'd think travel would have started early, maybe 7 or 8 am, but they were calling the neighbour around five after several attempts of not contacting mom. What put them on high alert that Suzanne was not answering her phone? The timelines don't make sense to me.

 

[Puzzles8]

dbm - double post.

 

[Moonchime]

In the last 10 years, the jurors who do watch particular shows are very dedicated. TWD, GOT, BB, Vikings and others seem to have some hard-core fans that I did not see in the early years of my practice. In those days people that were really dedicated to something on TV tended to be sports fans. IMO Netflex, other online streaming services and better programming from cable companies is leading to this trend. I always love to hear what jurors watch on TV and it provides interesting data to contemplate during voir dire.

SM is now usuring in a whole new line of inquiry for attorneys picking juries....."so Juror #28, how long have you had an account on Websleuths?"

I have to admit that your last night made me laugh out loud. Thank you for that. It's nice to have an unexpected moment of levity in this discussion.

 

[gitana1]

An interesting analysis would be to examine how many cases are overturned because of ineffective assistance of counsel v. prosecutorial misconduct? Both are hard to prove on appeal. However, IAC can be ethical or a variety of other reasons, like inexperience, etc. PM often involves something nefarious from LE or prosecutor, usually involving Brady material violations or fabricating. Again, both a rarely grounds for a conviction to be overturned, but it would be interesting to study.

Seems like a false equivalency. Inadequate representation isn’t the same as misconduct. Sadly, defense attorneys get that reputation due to being willing to make up any story and/or to accuse any person other than the defendant, no matter how ridiculous or destructive.

 

[oviedo]

I still have Almost daily contact with all my adult children and sisters - either a text, a quick call or a picture of a flower, kid, my garden, the dogs -car- Their choice so I have no idea how long it was between the last contact with family just like I have no idea of when she was last seen by anyone jmo

 

[Holl]

Currently 75% on the fence that BM could have and probably did something to SM . The family house being held did not ring any warning bells to me. The search site with the concrete did, however.
Still for the life of me, I just keep resorting back the suspicious vehicle that was not suppose to be there per the video interview with the cyclist.

AFAIK, the actual PAY FOR RV park / campground was checked out. But out of curiosity , I wonder who was back country camping or "boondocking" aka. dispersed camping, free of charge and often no permit needed from a Ranger , in the area at the time of her mysterious disappearance . There are some free camping sites to use, located only 1.5 to 3 miles away from the family home. Very accessible for bikers, cyclists, hikers, rvs, campers, partyers, creepos, and anyone else you can think of. I have used some of these sites myself in the past, in the Southern states, and unfortunately some are becoming home lands for the strays and vagabonds and addicted hard core drug users. Source : www. free campsites.net - salida colorado. see foose creek primitive camping

With that being said, in backcountry and National Forest areas, cell phone service is obsolete but a good locator emergency beacon device is usually sported .

I wonder if SM carried one during her biking journeys or if these areas have been searched and these types of campers were questioned, as opposed to the campers that pay and physically check in with someone. I doubt there are trail cams in these dispersed areas and even if so, if someone other than BM harmed her ,they are probably long gone by now. I would sure love to know the position of the bike , regardless. Thrown vs lying down. That would change things quite a bit for me , as I could easily see someone tapping her tire from the back , just enough to knock her off, on the berm /side of road or waiting for her on return ride back.

Sorry for any spelling errors or mistakes. Just was giving this all some more thought and wanted to post quick. MOO MOO .

 

[borndem]

First post- been reading since the beginning of this case. I follow a lot of true crime, however, this is my first time on WS.

I find everyone’s thoughts and perspectives helpful and fascinating.

@oviedo thank you for sharing this article. It really touched me how personal these investigators take these cases and helps me understand the current silence.

Glad you like it here!

Welcome to Websleuths,
KimATX !!​

 

[Hatfield]

JMO
Ive been trying to figure out what has been bothering me so much about the TD interview and I think I settled on something.

To me it wasnt so much that BM was mad at LE for trampling all over the evidence, it appeared to me he was more upset that LE did not see the scene as he interpreted it. Like with the tire facing a certain way and all that. He seemed very upset that LE didnt see the bike scene the same way he did.

Its ok to differ with LE but the other thing about it was he did not have one particular theory that he seemed to favor at the moment. It ranged from cougars, to wrecking and being disoriented and ending up in a river, to being abducted by a stranger who left foot prints and tire tracks. The thing that bothers me there is if you differ with LE I would think you would have had a particular theory you would favor. He was all over the place so why is he so mad at them when he did not have a particular single theory of his own of what likely happened to her.

I suppose he could have been just really mad at them for searching his home and taking his truck so maybe it was just built up frustration too.

 

[Truecolors]

I agree. Missing for at least three days, IMO.

I'm trying to figure out the circumstances regarding calling home for the girls. I have to presume by the time May 10 rolled around they had been gone for about a week. Camping in Idaho is no small jaunt. At least 800 km to the Idaho border from Maysville. I doubt most people would hop in a vehicle and drive 800 clicks for three days of camping. And considering we don't know where in Idaho they were camping it might have been even further, although there is a state park called Bear Lake.

Considering the lack of consistent cell phone service in Maysville CO maybe service in a campsite in Idaho was equally as spotty. So depending on who they went camping with it may not have been considered unusual if they never called at all.

Fast forward to May 10 and the girls are concerned they can't contact their mom. Are they only calling because they are behind schedule or because they actually WERE keeping in contact with her on a daily basis for mutual consideration?

Driving 800 km would probably take about 6 hours, give or take. Maybe even more, looking at the topography of that area. So spending the 'day' with mom on MD you'd think travel would have started early, maybe 7 or 8 am, but they were calling the neighbour around five after several attempts of not contacting mom. What put them on high alert that Suzanne was not answering her phone? The timelines don't make sense to me.

I have a family member who lives “out that way”. Driving 7-8 hours for camping is nothing to her, and she’ll be out of phone contact until she gets back.

I don’t have any idea about the M girls’ camping trip, but it would not be surprising to me if they were out of phone contact until on the road and heading back again.

MOO

 

[Tate123]

I still have Almost daily contact with all my adult children and sisters - either a text, a quick call or a picture of a flower, kid, my garden, the dogs -car- Their choice so I have no idea how long it was between the last contact with family just like I have no idea of when she was last seen by anyone jmo

Same with me. And 95% of checking in with my girls is via text...daily.

 

[Cassady]

Seems like a false equivalency. Inadequate representation isn’t the same as misconduct. Sadly, defense attorneys get that reputation due to being willing to make up any story and/or to accuse any person other than the defendant, no matter how ridiculous or destructive.

What reputation is that? Ineffective assistance of counsel or Misconduct? Seems to be a bit of an overbroad generalization? Are you talking civil or criminal?

Insurance defense attorneys point a lot of fingers in trial too...kind of goes with the territory of effectively providing a defense to your client?

I think if we are being honest here the reputation you speak of applies equally across the practice of law in general and not to any particular part of the bar...IMO.

 

[marylamby]

Not anymore. BM could have called 911 and asked to be connected to Salida, dialed the out of area emergency number for Salida, or texted 911 with the Salida suffix code that puts caller through to the same dispatch that answers calls in Salida. There's simply no reason why BM (or daughters) couldn't make the call.

Absolutely!

 

[branmuffin]

Not only was it a full moon that weekend, it was a supermoon. Pretty bright! I love full moon hikes at high elevations.

Partly cloudy, moon on the wane in Maysville on May 10. But I agree that it would have not been as dark as pitch as I previously mentioned.

 

[Deleted member 267005]

Seems like a false equivalency. Inadequate representation isn’t the same as misconduct. Sadly, defense attorneys get that reputation due to being willing to make up any story and/or to accuse any person other than the defendant, no matter how ridiculous or destructive.

This bothers me so much. "The key is the difference between factual guilt (what the defendant actually did) and legal guilt (what a prosecutor can prove). A good criminal defense lawyer asks not, “Did my client do it?” but rather, “Can the government prove that my client did it?” No matter what the defendant has done, he is not legally guilty until a prosecutor offers enough evidence to persuade a judge or jury to convict." quoted from Representing a Client the Lawyer Thinks Is Guilty

My question would be, ethically, how can a defense attorney rigorously defend someone who they know to be factually guilty, but they believe guilt cannot be proven in court of law. I seriously wonder how they sleep at night? Unless, that Defense Attorney lacks ethics? I would clearly not make an effective Defense Attorney!

I think about this often, especially with the advancements in DNA testing, etc. which IMHO make it easier to show factual and court-related guilt. Not trying to go off on a tangent, but this case brings it to the forefront of my mind.

 

[Feistyomi]

Wait, are you saying that they found dog prints or that only dog prints would be visible?

I am sorry, I speculated that even tho the rain could have washed away cat tracks, then the dog tracks from the search also would have been washed away. No tracks, before or after. I believe the sheriff may have explained this or later BM. I was actually rewording your post, and realized that, I’m a bit foggy on the east coast. My post earlier; we have only 4 pieces of evidence over 20 yrs, of bobcats on our property-1 sighting. I think evidence of a mountain lion is going to be hard to track, even w/ dogs. We aren’t dog owners, just dog lovers, but I think dogs would be more accurate following scent on the invisible tracks than the visible tracks. I believe a male lion has a heavier scent. I wouldn’t rule out lion attack on rarity, more on the expert trackers’ , with the dogs , conclusions. the likelihood of lion attack is slim, I certainly can’t prove it from SC IMO.