Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #16

[Birmingplumb]

Right.

This is LE's standard line.
Nobody's a suspect, and everybody's cooperating.

Right up until the time when the nobody who was never a suspect cooperatively puts his/her hands behind their back so that LE can slap the steel bracelets on them.

JMO.

Strongly agree, I would add L.E. officially naming a person of interest in order for them to be sleuthed here is probably not a priority. IMO

 

[gitana1]

Excellent question. 2 hours and 20 minutes by the shortest route, 3 hours via Leadville (if cruising to find recreational bikers on the weekend, the perp might have gone up around Breckenridge and Leadville). (That's from the Deer Creek area mentioned in the article).

There are at least 2 men doing this (I believe one has been arrested), but if memory serves, there's also someone else putting nails into boards and booby-trapping bike trails between Colorado Springs and Salida.

By that I mean "attacking bikers." I'm pretty sure they caught the guy who shot the biker a couple of years ago. Maybe more recent, can't recall.

The guy in Crete attacked a woman bicyclist. My college roommate was attacked by a crazy man on campus (not a student), that same man attacked several other women on bikes, and also body-slammed women in the quad (including me, I think he recognized me as the person who turned him in for assaulting a woman in a restroom in the library). He may also have been responsible for attacking women joggers.

Holy smokes.

They must have caught this guy because they have clear photos of his van.

 

[AugustWest]

The actual words that LE said were "no connection at this time." Let's say they found something but it needed forensic testing (perhaps extensive) to confirm the connection.

That would mean they have nothing at this time. LE did not say "nothing was found in relation to Suzanne's disappearance." There was no period at the end of the statement.

In fact, the addition of the "at this time" clause makes me think they found something but need more study to figure out its relationship (if any) to the case. A tooth would be a perfect example.

I agree it's unlikely they found anything, but as the Frazee case shows, it's still possible.

Two semantic phrases, "at this time" and "we hope he continues to do so," could mean absolutely so much or so very little.

 

[AugustWest]

Holy smokes.

They must have caught this guy because they have clear photos of his van.

I thought so too upon my first reading. Then I went back, and thought of the possibility of a citizen taking the photo, sending the same to police, then JeffCo. simply publishing the citizen's photo. Dude may have ditched or hidden the van and they might be hoping he is dumb enough to roll it out again or someone may notice it.

ETA: would be nice for a follow up on the story.

 

[branmuffin]

ITA. I'm such an anxious person that if my husband went missing, I'd likely look like a loon as I tried to find him!!!

When our daughter was younger, we couldn't find her for about 15 minutes and oh my goodness! We were running outside like totally lunatics screaming her name. Thank God she heard us and came running home--safe and sound. Then, we grounded her.

When my daughter was 11 she went missing. Her school was just a block and a half away. She usually got home around 3:30 and had a key to get in. When I got home around 6:00 pm she wasn't home. The cats hadn't been fed and no evidence of her being home after school was evident.

I went 5 houses down the block to her best friend's house to see if she was there. Her friend went to a different school and hadn't seen her all day. I called a girl in her class who said she hadn't see her in school that day. That was when my heart sank and I called 911.

In less than 5 minutes three patrol cars from the Toronto Police Services pulled up. I can't even begin to explain the feelings you have when someone is missing. I felt like I was looking through the wrong end of a telescope. Everything sounded like it was being filtered through a sea shell. Just a rushing of blood in your ears. I remember a tremor in my chin that I couldn't control.

I do remember giving a description of her clothing and yet for the life of me, I wasn't really sure. I didn't lay her clothes out; she was 11 and had her own thing going on. The cops were so calm while they took down all the details. While I recounted when I'd left for work (before her) and when I got home, I was screaming inside: Find her! Why are you still here!

By that time, a crowd had appeared outside; the neighbours and their kids including her friends and the curious. Everyone was interviewed by the police. It was old hat for some of them because in that area years before several murders of young children had occurred, Lizzie Tomlinson and Emmanuel Jacques. I remember opening my door to let LE look in my basement when Lizzie went missing and now they were asking my neighbours to do the same. Just the most terrible feeling you could imagine.

There were still a lot of people outside my house around 7:30 pm when a cab pulled up in front of my house. Everyone stopped to look at the person getting out of the car. It was my daughter! As soon as I saw her, my mind just had this moment of clarity. OMG, what have I done? My daughter had won a prize for collecting the most money in her school for a charity. The prize was dinner at Mr. Greenjean's and a movie.

I think I collapsed on the ground in relief. My daughter burst into tears. Everyone outside started to clap. She ran up to her bedroom and slammed the door. A cop talked to her teacher who had brought her home in a cab and sent her on her way.

We went back inside and I couldn't stop crying. I kept saying, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But every single one of those cops were elated. Because they had been on the other side of those investigations. Not one faulted me for my memory lapse. It was a victory.

Of course, my daughter was mortified and wouldn't speak to me for about 2 days.

And if you're wondering about the girl who said she hadn't seen her that day in school. She didn't because she was home sick. She just didn't explain that to me.

 

[10ofRods]

I'm curious as to how adolescent/young adult children are typically dealt with in a case like this. The reason I ask is because of how small of a circle it seems (small community, private residence) would have insight into what actually went on in the marriage behind the curtain - and nobody has a better view of that than the kids. Young children in this situation, I assume, would have some kind of court-appointed advocate? But would that typically be the case with teenagers? Would it be typical for them to fall under the same legal counsel as BM? I can't imagine how difficult/frustrating and possibly confusing/conflicting this all could be if they are being questioned with their father as a likely POI. I'm sure LE would want to hear from them, but also would be aware of how difficult of a position they are in.... I'm curious to know if, based on other cases, what might be the norm? Obviously we know nothing about this case specifically, so I'm asking in a general sense how LE might deal with a situation like this with a SO as a possible POI and young adult/teenage children in the picture. It seems straightforward that they would have been asked fact-based questions re: when they last talked to their mom, etc. - but taking questioning down a path of "tell me what it's like in the house" is another thing....

So maybe, LE goes and talks to the parents of friends of the daughters, just to see if any common threads come up. Or to the friends themselves, if they volunteer. It's not a big town.

In fact, one person who is in the immediate friend group of Morphews has talked to media, so I presume she would also talk to LE. That person is in a position to know quite a bit, IMO. But LE would want to have confirmation from others in the community, I'm sure.

Somewhere, Suzanne also has friends and family. So, that's another avenue for LE to use for that type of information.

As to whether crime victims automatically get court-appointed advocates, the answer is "no, not if there is no actual criminal case." And right now, there isn't.

Can juveniles be questioned without a parent's permission? We need a lawyer to speak to that situation in Colorado. Obviously, juveniles have a right to speak to the police if they wish. They do not *have* to have parental permission, but if the parent is a suspect, I don't know what the best practice is concerning juveniles. But if a child wants to tell the police about criminal conduct, they may do so - and do tell resource officers at schools many things.

 

[FelicityLemon]

I read this article from KKTV in Colorado Springs recently, and thought it relevant. It's probably just coincidental, but gives us something else to discuss if nothing else:
Information sought on man reportedly posing as an officer in Colorado and approaching cyclists
Here's a Jefferson County Sheriff's tweet regarding the same:
https://twitter.com/jeffcosheriffco/status/1266162786247172096?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1266162786247172096&ref_url=https://www.kktv.com/content/news/WANTED-Suspect-reportedly-posing-as-a-police-officer-in-Colorado-and-approaching-cyclists-570852481.html

Yikes! SUV with tinted windows is the newer version of our youth's era of windowless van. It's amazing that they have those photos and seeing the that the license plate is blacked out, they must have the number, too. Now, I'm curious.

I wonder what the demographics are of the cyclists he goes for and what he tells them. I want to know more. I want to know what the cyclists have said and what made them suspicious enough to report him to LE.

 

[FelicityLemon]

Why were CBI & FBI brought in so quickly?
Many posts asked about ^ . I have no basis for wondering if SM & BM were living in separate homes. I recall in other cases, when one of a married couple living in separate homes has gone missing, that 'living separately' stoked LE's investigation. If, a big IF, that was true, it would tend to support local LE's seeking assistance from state & federal agencies.
I doubt if WS ToS allow any further discussion. Just my 2 cts.

I remember how odd it was that the first news articles I read referred to the house as "her" house.

 

[Tate123]

When my daughter was 11 she went missing. Her school was just a block and a half away. She usually got home around 3:30 and had a key to get in. When I got home around 6:00 pm she wasn't home. The cats hadn't been fed and no evidence of her being home after school was evident.

I went 5 houses down the block to her best friend's house to see if she was there. Her friend went to a different school and hadn't seen her all day. I called a girl in her class who said she hadn't see her in school that day. That was when my heart sank and I called 911.

In less than 5 minutes three patrol cars from the Toronto Police Services pulled up. I can't even begin to explain the feelings you have when someone is missing. I felt like I was looking through the wrong end of a telescope. Everything sounded like it was being filtered through a sea shell. Just a rushing of blood in your ears. I remember a tremor in my chin that I couldn't control.

I do remember giving a description of her clothing and yet for the life of me, I wasn't really sure. I didn't lay her clothes out; she was 11 and had her own thing going on. The cops were so calm while they took down all the details. While I recounted when I'd left for work (before her) and when I got home, I was screaming inside: Find her! Why are you still here!

By that time, a crowd had appeared outside; the neighbours and their kids including her friends and the curious. Everyone was interviewed by the police. It was old hat for some of them because in that area years before several murders of young children had occurred, Lizzie Tomlinson and Emmanuel Jacques. I remember opening my door to let LE look in my basement when Lizzie went missing and now they were asking my neighbours to do the same. Just the most terrible feeling you could imagine.

There were still a lot of people outside my house around 7:30 pm when a cab pulled up in front of my house. Everyone stopped to look at the person getting out of the car. It was my daughter! As soon as I saw her, my mind just had this moment of clarity. OMG, what have I done? My daughter had won a prize for collecting the most money in her school for a charity. The prize was dinner at Mr. Greenjean's and a movie.

I think I collapsed on the ground in relief. My daughter burst into tears. Everyone outside started to clap. She ran up to her bedroom and slammed the door. A cop talked to her teacher who had brought her home in a cab and sent her on her way.

We went back inside and I couldn't stop crying. I kept saying, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But every single one of those cops were elated. Because they had been on the other side of those investigations. Not one faulted me for my memory lapse. It was a victory.

Of course, my daughter was mortified and wouldn't speak to me for about 2 days.

And if you're wondering about the girl who said she hadn't seen her that day in school. She didn't because she was home sick. She just didn't explain that to me.

Oh my gosh.. I'm a mess now reading that story. Thank God she was ok. I can't imagine.

 

[branmuffin]

Oh my gosh.. I'm a mess now reading that story. Thank God she was ok. I can't imagine.

I had a little bit of PTSD relating that story.

 

[Puzzles8]

The actual words that LE said were "no connection at this time." Let's say they found something but it needed forensic testing (perhaps extensive) to confirm the connection.

That would mean they have nothing at this time. LE did not say "nothing was found in relation to Suzanne's disappearance." There was no period at the end of the statement.

In fact, the addition of the "at this time" clause makes me think they found something but need more study to figure out its relationship (if any) to the case. A tooth would be a perfect example.

I agree it's unlikely they found anything, but as the Frazee case shows, it's still possible.

I agree with you, that was definitely a qualifying statement by LE.

I would be curious to know if construction on that site has resumed. If it has, I'd venture to guess LE is doubtful more evidence might be found there.

If construction is still halted, LE may still have some doubts.

 

[Tate123]

dbm

 

[MassGuy]

I agree with you, that was definitely a qualifying statement by LE.

I would be curious to know if construction on that site has resumed. If it has, I'd venture to guess LE is doubtful more evidence might be found there.

If construction is still halted, LE may still some doubts.

I really don’t think they found anything at all. There’s definitely the possibility of a surprise, but my money is on them finding nothing is evidentiary value.

 

[AugustWest]

Yikes! SUV with tinted windows is the newer version of our youth's era of windowless van. It's amazing that they have those photos and seeing the that the license plate is blacked out, they must have the number, too. Now, I'm curious.

I wonder what the demographics are of the cyclists he goes for and what he tells them. I want to know more. I want to know what the cyclists have said and what made them suspicious enough to report him to LE.

Authorities cordon off home of missing Chaffee County woman

Probably not the vehicle Mr. Bach of the preceding video was referencing, as he mentions car rather than van. But that van is the very definition of a "very suspicious" vehicle.

 

[10ofRods]

MOO, because, I highly doubt they were looking at suspicious activity of someone else.

<modsnip>

I am certainly LE looked under that slab for anything they could find. I suspect that this action also involved talking to the other workers involved in the dirt and the pouring. If there's more than one person involved in this, LE should certainly take heed to any statements from any member of a social group to which any POI belongs.

Must be fun, being a worker on a job like that and finding yourself interviewed by LE about a missing person. (Not fun at all).

 

[FelicityLemon]

I derped and duped

 

[FelicityLemon]

nope. I goofed. Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

Oookay, my bad. This is dated January 2020. Different guy? Same guy doing it again? Hard to know that there might be two guys independently doing the same thing in the same area.

 

[10ofRods]

When my daughter was 11 she went missing. Her school was just a block and a half away. She usually got home around 3:30 and had a key to get in. When I got home around 6:00 pm she wasn't home. The cats hadn't been fed and no evidence of her being home after school was evident.

I went 5 houses down the block to her best friend's house to see if she was there. Her friend went to a different school and hadn't seen her all day. I called a girl in her class who said she hadn't see her in school that day. That was when my heart sank and I called 911.

In less than 5 minutes three patrol cars from the Toronto Police Services pulled up. I can't even begin to explain the feelings you have when someone is missing. I felt like I was looking through the wrong end of a telescope. Everything sounded like it was being filtered through a sea shell. Just a rushing of blood in your ears. I remember a tremor in my chin that I couldn't control.

I do remember giving a description of her clothing and yet for the life of me, I wasn't really sure. I didn't lay her clothes out; she was 11 and had her own thing going on. The cops were so calm while they took down all the details. While I recounted when I'd left for work (before her) and when I got home, I was screaming inside: Find her! Why are you still here!

By that time, a crowd had appeared outside; the neighbours and their kids including her friends and the curious. Everyone was interviewed by the police. It was old hat for some of them because in that area years before several murders of young children had occurred, Lizzie Tomlinson and Emmanuel Jacques. I remember opening my door to let LE look in my basement when Lizzie went missing and now they were asking my neighbours to do the same. Just the most terrible feeling you could imagine.

There were still a lot of people outside my house around 7:30 pm when a cab pulled up in front of my house. Everyone stopped to look at the person getting out of the car. It was my daughter! As soon as I saw her, my mind just had this moment of clarity. OMG, what have I done? My daughter had won a prize for collecting the most money in her school for a charity. The prize was dinner at Mr. Greenjean's and a movie.

I think I collapsed on the ground in relief. My daughter burst into tears. Everyone outside started to clap. She ran up to her bedroom and slammed the door. A cop talked to her teacher who had brought her home in a cab and sent her on her way.

We went back inside and I couldn't stop crying. I kept saying, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But every single one of those cops were elated. Because they had been on the other side of those investigations. Not one faulted me for my memory lapse. It was a victory.

Of course, my daughter was mortified and wouldn't speak to me for about 2 days.

And if you're wondering about the girl who said she hadn't seen her that day in school. She didn't because she was home sick. She just didn't explain that to me.

I needed a good cry. TY. I'm so glad everything worked out for you and I guess I understand your daughter's mortification as an 11 year old. But one day she will laugh about it and thank you.

 

[10ofRods]

I really don’t think they found anything at all. There’s definitely the possibility of a surprise, but my money is on them finding nothing is evidentiary value.

I tend to agree with you. Almost any bit of ground has some kind of "deformity" in it and so many things that are natural could look like evidence (or even be evidence, like a rock -although obviously ridiculous to do in this case). At any rate, I suspect LE got that warrant to put someone on alert, and to also rope in a bunch of other people who know BM. The people who were involved in that pour and that dirt pouring probably all spoke to LE willingly on the heels of that slab dig, and it's possible they got something from that.

"BM usually hung around all day when we were moving dirt, but he wasn't there." Stuff like that. I would expect that his "friends" who were so quick to gather at his new digs when he couldn't go home...are all now talked to about far more than just the dig site. Once the dig began, I bet people were more willing to spend time with the police. It's a good psychological tactic. What if LE did find something? What if you, a coworker, have been sticking up for a murderer and now the police suspect you're part of a cover-up? These things do go through people's heads. Some are going to spill everything they know about BM, and if their stories are taken independently, but overlap, that's always interesting.

Good times for all BM's friends and acquaintances.

 

[vaporlass]

Agree with Seattle. When LE didn't buy what he was selling, it appears he quickly turned on them. Understandably. Then the stories of lions and abduction and raging rivers began to be spread to all who would buy it. I think that the number of people that believe those stories is dwindling. When I watched the YouTube guy interview, I got the impression that BM was very frustrated that LE didn't read all of the clues the way that they were supposed to. Can it be that someone would be so sure that criminal investigations can be directed by planted clues, and be astonished that they are indeed being investigated? Moo

It’s almost as if he considered EVERY possible way that she might be killed ... there are so many options, so many legitimate ways that could be the cause of her disappearance...
Criminals seem to always believe they will get away with it because there are so many actual dangers in the world.
A Con convinces himself that no one would ever believe he would do it.
BM has made such a concerted effort to appear as if he’s the caring husband “honey do you mind if I go ahead and head to Denver?”
But for some reason he just can’t take a chance on appealing to the public for help...
As if... you look into his eyes for more than 30 seconds ... you might see the truth. MOO.