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

[Goldenseal]

It was that well-known charmer Patrick Frazee.

‘After Berreth had vanished .......weeks into national news coverage of the missing young mom, Moore testified that Frazee said he did not understand why Berreth’s case was getting so much attention since people go missing every day.

Moore told the jury that Frazee said: “If I had known it was gonna be this big I never would have....”. According to Moore Frazee then stopped talking’.

Friend offers bombshell testimony about Patrick Frazee's alleged behavior before, after Kelsey Berreth's disappearance

I have only been on this site for the last week or two, so I have only been reading about the Morphew case and don't know the wealth of details about the Berreth case -- only what I read in the news. To read about Frazee's total surprise at the vigorous investigation of her disappearance is very telling, isn't it? Kelsey had a mom who loved her, a tiny baby, friends and students at her work who respected her, etc., etc., and Frazee can't understand why anyone would even notice if she disappeared! Really?

He had so devalued her as a person that he thought that everyone, including the cops and everyone who knew her well, would barely take notice of her disappearance. How monstrous do you have to be to feel like that about someone else? How stupid and deluded by your own anger (she was dumping him, right?) can you be?

I wonder if that same devaluation dynamic happened in this case. I keep going back to the hometown relative who said laughingly that BM 'ran everything his way' and SM just went along.

 

[Birmingplumb]

As I recall, dirtwork reportedly done by BM prior to weekend of Mother's Day then BM was
reportedly seen on the site during weekend of Mother's Day. Dirtwork failed inspection on Monday 5/11 after SM reported missing on 5/10.
'Someone' we don't know who corrected compaction of dirt after inspection failed.
Site (dirtwork) was re-inspected and passed inspection either Wed. or Thurs. 5/13 or 5/14.

This is the best post on the reason for the destructive concrete search. 1000 likes.

 

[MsBetsy]

As I recall, dirtwork reportedly done by BM prior to weekend of Mother's Day then BM was
reportedly seen on the site during weekend of Mother's Day. Dirtwork failed inspection on Monday 5/11 after SM reported missing on 5/10.
'Someone' we don't know who corrected compaction of dirt after inspection failed.
Site (dirtwork) was re-inspected and passed inspection either Wed. or Thurs. 5/13 or 5/14.

Do you remember the source for BM reportedly having been seen at the site on the weekend of Mother's Day?

I thought it was reported that BM had been hired three weeks earlier to do dirt work but I have not seen any reports mentioning him working there or being seen there on any specific day. Imo

 

[enelram]

So many questions on MOTIVE here:

It helps to understand what can motivate
a long standing spouse to kill a spouse and one of those factors seems to be "power and control".
Remember we have a male spouse here who has been described by others as needing to be in "control".
In this article it's caused by a deep, sick dependency on the female victim/spouse.
When, for whatever reason, that female spouse
has threatened or even prepared to leave, the male, dependent spouse looses it, actually looses his power and control.
Here's an explanation of why husbands kill wives when threatened with loosing power and control.
Read the whole article and see if you don't agree, it's a good motive for this situation.
Why Do (Some) Men Murder the Wives They Love?

 

[KLM6]

While hydro excavating is used to tunnel under a concrete slab say n California to repair or replace a drain pipe that collapsed- and workers do go in the tunnel- the job must get re-compacted with dirt undr the slab to prevent future failure. While I have not seen this done, I assume a jack hammer device with a square plate on tip is used to compact, fill, compact , fill until the guy works his way out of the hole. That would have to have been done in the new construction slab referenced, then inspected. Speaking of inspected, the cutting of the slab by L.E. would have to be re-inspected during/after repair and a paper trail should exist .

Right. I dont see LE worrying about the construction aspect at this point. Im sure it all had to be redone anyway. I just wondered if it was possible to get under the whole foundation without digging the whole thing up. I know very little about this so thank you.

 

[Fireflize]

I have only been on this site for the last week or two, so I have only been reading about the Morphew case and don't know the wealth of details about the Berreth case -- only what I read in the news. To read about Frazee's total surprise at the vigorous investigation of her disappearance is very telling, isn't it? Kelsey had a mom who loved her, a tiny baby, friends and students at her work who respected her, etc., etc., and Frazee can't understand why anyone would even notice if she disappeared! Really?

He had so devalued her as a person that he thought that everyone, including the cops and everyone who knew her well, would barely take notice of her disappearance. How monstrous do you have to be to feel like that about someone else? How stupid and deluded by your own anger (she was dumping him, right?) can you be?

I wonder if that same devaluation dynamic happened in this case. I keep going back to the hometown relative who said laughingly that BM 'ran everything his way' and SM just went along.

Good insight, Golden. I speculate along those lines as well. By all accounts, SM was a wonderful kind lady. I imagine that she would have had enormous support from friends back in Indiana when she went through health issues especially. If one is prone to control issues, outside affection and attention for your spouse is threatening. Fast forward to relocating her to a remote Colorado home. Her teenage daughters are fast becoming adults and moving on with their own lives. The empty nest may have been unbearable without her old support system. If indeed her life had been devalued by a controlling husband, that would also be felt on higher magnitude. I suspect that she may have decided that she wanted out of her marriage.
To the point you make about Frazee's surprise that LE cared so much about justice for Kelsey, I can see indications of that in this case. In the video by the youtuber, I felt that he was frustrated and angry that LE didn't buy the picture that he wanted the evidence to paint? I suspect that he was and is shocked that they are so devoted to justice for Suzanne. As always, only my opinion.

 

[rainbowshummingbird]

For me there is a difference between stranger and non-stranger. The first name seems to me to be somewhat "private/intimate". I noticed, that other countries (or people) have other rules, people even calling their Politicians or their Police Officers by the first name. That wouldn't occur to me in my dream!

What’s most strange about the video is Barry’s lack of concern for Suzanne. He never mentions being worried about her or being scared about the outcome. When you think about the scenario, it’s actually terrifying. The notion that a woman is alive and well in the world, and then poof she’s gone. JMO

 

[Fireflize]

So many questions on MOTIVE here:

It helps to understand what can motivate
a long standing spouse to kill a spouse and one of those factors seems to be "power and control".
Remember we have a male spouse here who has been described by others as needing to be in "control".
In this article it's caused by a deep, sick dependency on the female victim/spouse.
When, for whatever reason, that female spouse
has threatened or even prepared to leave, the male, dependent spouse looses it, actually looses his power and control.
Here's an explanation of why husbands kill wives when threatened with loosing power and control.
Read the whole article and see if you don't agree, it's a good motive for this situation.
Why Do (Some) Men Murder the Wives They Love?

Excellent article !

 

[Jo in Calif]

They did search other areas of the property.

But the sheriff’s office said that while details of the search are not available, after combing through several locations on the property, investigators “were unable to make any connection to Suzanne Morphew’s case at this time.”

Officials wrap investigation at Chaffee Co. property; no conclusions in search for missing woman

I’m on the fence a bit about this. I tend to think they didn’t find anything either. What I find perplexing is that out of that whole slab, the search was very concentrated. We have that one section cut out, then 3 days of sifting dirt. Why was the search so precise? What did they expect to find? Why, if they didn’t find anything in the first hole, wouldn’t they have enlarged the hole or checked another area under the slab?

 

[BeachSky]

Money is always a strong motive, but I don't see the connection. The Morphews appeared to be well off, and I haven't heard about any life insurance policy that Barry hopes to collect.

If, however, you mean that Barry was afraid that he'd lose money in a divorce, that's possible. However, we've seen no evidence that Suzanne was wanting to divorce Barry. Rumors have floated around but nothing solid.

Could it be an argument gone wrong...then concealing the remains, staging a story.
One can then be a victim also & continue to have the love of said 2 daughters.

MOO

 

[Dave F.]

As I recall, dirtwork reportedly done by BM prior to weekend of Mother's Day then BM was
reportedly seen on the site during weekend of Mother's Day. Dirtwork failed inspection on Monday 5/11 after SM reported missing on 5/10.
'Someone' we don't know who corrected compaction of dirt after inspection failed.
Site (dirtwork) was re-inspected and passed inspection either Wed. or Thurs. 5/13 or 5/14.

No............the preparation for pour passed inspection on Monday May 11, 2020. The "Caissons/Piers" issue appears to have risen on the re-inspection of the completed pour, but this type of issue generally indicates a problem such as dirt caving into a prepared form or disturbance of the compaction on an area ready to pour. This issue was re-inspected on Friday May 15 and passed, but there is not a subsequent post-pour inspection listed. The "Caissons/Piers" issue, regardless of what it was, appeared after the May 11th inspection.
In my mind, this certainly could indicate that the work was suspended pending the LE search in the period from Friday May 15th thru Monday May 18th, and all future inspection would have been postponed.
Building Department Permit Detail

 

[Blue Amethyst]

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 am so happy your daughter is safe. I had to skip to the end of your story to see if you found her or not. So many are not found and at least you had a happy ending.

 

[Blue Amethyst]

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.

DBM

 

[MsBetsy]

No............the preparation for pour passed inspection on Monday May 11, 2020. The "Caissons/Piers" issue appears to have risen on the re-inspection of the completed pour, but this type of issue generally indicates a problem such as dirt caving into a prepared form or disturbance of the compaction on an area ready to pour. This issue was re-inspected on Friday May 15 and passed, but there is not a subsequent post-pour inspection listed. The "Caissons/Piers" issue, regardless of what it was, appeared after the May 11th inspection.
In my mind, this certainly could indicate that the work was suspended pending the LE search in the period from Friday May 15th thru Monday May 18th, and all future inspection would have been postponed.
Building Department Permit Detail

Do we know which day Barry was seen at the worksite over the weekend of Mothers Day?

This would be significant if true, since he stated he was in Denver on Sunday and made no mention of the other job site.

Also, do we know if it was the homeowner who saw him there or someone else? TIA

 

[Stripehaven]

I agree with you that I dont think there is a clear motive (yet) although we've had plenty of v interesting speculation here.

Re the manslaughter or accident possibility. I think some coincidences dispel this IMO, for instance SM being home alone. That feels pre planned to me, but I may of course be wrong.

V much enjoyed your posts, thank you.

Usually I have an opinion on a case by now but I still waffle on this one. I do think it’s possible something happened that was not premeditated. For example, a fight got out of control - a fight that perhaps would not have happened if the daughters had been home. In other words, someone may have taken that opportunity to address some large issue and discuss it when no one was around. Then later it was convenient the daughters weren’t there, as the scene had to be returned to normal. JMO

I’ve drawn some possible conclusions about the climate of their marriage (can’t discuss here) and think it’s possible SM may have wanted to discuss something, and things went very bad.

I’m not 100% sold on this but I do think it’s very possible.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Usually I have an opinion on a case by now but I still waffle on this one. I do think it’s possible something happened that was not premeditated. For example, a fight got out of control - a fight that perhaps would not have happened if the daughters had been home. In other words, someone may have taken that opportunity to address some large issue and discuss it when no one was around. Then later it was convenient the daughters weren’t there, as the scene had to be returned to normal. JMO

I’ve drawn some possible conclusions about the climate of their marriage (can’t discuss here) and think it’s possible SM may have wanted to discuss something, and things went very bad.

I’m not 100% sold on this but I do think it’s very possible.

I see what you mean. The home alone (or rather, parents home alone) could have still been a factor, but a cause that led to the effect. Rather than engineered.

Any local home security footage will hopefully be helpful to the investigation in unravelling this too.

JMO

 

[Feistyomi]

The pictures clearly show they are framing the main portion of the house. The entryway is the tallest section. Both the garage (in front of the picture) and the portion of the house on the opposite side from the garage (bedrooms?) appear to me to be wide enough to require some pretty long roof trusses. There would be no point in erecting stud walls if there was a delay in the truss delivery, because it is difficult to keep walls straight and in square on a busy construction site without the roof to link everything together.
Truss manufacturers do not have the facilities to store their finished product. If there is a delay in construction, the truss order goes back into the queue for rescheduling.
IMO

Bingo! IMO we will be able to watch the house build rapidly continue; any little thing that creates a tiny delay disrupts the entire process.
Trusses are a huuuuge delay. A good builder handles such issues proactively. A woman isn’t going to allow a house to be built on evidence of a crime.
Once those trusses got delayed, every other contractor would be rescheduled and so on.

Was there even a tip to LE, or just a suggestion to the builder?

And the builder forced the search. this entire speculation of BMs guilt is based on the assumption that LE forced the issue?

Am I finally finally getting what you are saying? I hope we will be able to watch the house go up. SMH

Bingo! IMO we will be able to watch the house build rapidly continue; any little thing that creates a tiny delay disrupts the entire process.
Trusses are a huuuuge delay. A good builder handles such issues proactively. A woman isn’t going to allow a house to be built on evidence of a crime.
Once those trusses got delayed, every other contractor would be rescheduled and so on.

Was there even a tip to LE, or just a suggestion to the builder?

And the builder forced the search. this entire speculation of BMs guilt is based on the assumption that LE forced the issue?

Am I finally finally getting what you are saying? I hope we will be able to watch the house go up. SMH

snipped and bbm

I can't imagine the FBI, CBI and CCSO would be involved in digging up a concrete slab because a builder wanted to make sure the building site was clear. It seems like excessive manpower and an abuse of taxpayer dollars. IMO

I do understand your point, but didn’t it seem like there was minimal damage to slab? Only 3 days?
The owner and builder pay taxes,why should they suffer, once this conflict occurred? Time is money, and every day of delay would cost owner money.

IMO this was a negotiated process, because in the event BM was eventually charged and house was further along, damage to building would be more extensive, and it would be more adversarial.

I was a realtor in the interim between my youngest daughter and my grandchildren. I could be a pretty tough negotiator, but after the contract, it became more of compromise situation where both parties were equally represented. IOW both parties WANTED the contract to move forward and house to close.
IMO local LE wanted to prove BM innocent, not guilty. Nevertheless they were extremely professional in everything they did.

 

[10ofRods]

I'm not defending Barry Morphew, but I've yet to see a motive for his harming Suzanne. An affair has been rumored, but nothing substantial came of it. His actions and demeanor -- whether one considers them suspicious or not -- don't provide an answer to this question. Perhaps investigators found something on a computer or cellphone that may point to a motive, but that information -- if it exists -- is not public.

Of course, it's possible that we're not dealing with murder but with some other type of killing (manslaughter, accident).

We have yet to see enough of his actions to hazard more than a guess. However, my own opinion is that there were financial issues galore. At least he was able to get guardianship of her (and ability to dispose of a major asset) just a month after her disappearance. I also believe there was insurance, so I look for him to want her declared dead - although that won't be easy for him. He goes to court in September to get permanent guardian/conservatorship of her, in Indiana. I have no idea how this would apply to actions in other states, but I doubt he'd have to do much to gain his Indiana residency again. Just file taxes with Indiana as the main residence and renew DL there (car is still registered there, family has property there).

But I do believe LE is not working off of "motive." There's something else that has led them to where they are in this investigation, and led the family to be where they are, as well. We are not allowed to discuss all of that here, yet.

 

[GordianKnot]

Usually I have an opinion on a case by now but I still waffle on this one. I do think it’s possible something happened that was not premeditated. For example, a fight got out of control - a fight that perhaps would not have happened if the daughters had been home. In other words, someone may have taken that opportunity to address some large issue and discuss it when no one was around. Then later it was convenient the daughters weren’t there, as the scene had to be returned to normal. JMO

I’ve drawn some possible conclusions about the climate of their marriage (can’t discuss here) and think it’s possible SM may have wanted to discuss something, and things went very bad.

I’m not 100% sold on this but I do think it’s very possible.

I'm mentally see-sawing back and forth re: crime of passion vs. a premeditated/carefully planned murder, too.

The timing of her disappearance, i.e., her daughters being off on a camping trip, has me leaning premeditation.

Possible indicators of BM having an explosive temper, as evidenced by Gray Hughes' interview with JS on his YT channel, have me leaning crime of passion.

If it was a crime of passion, it's more likely that multiple mistakes were made by the perp.
In my mind, worst case scenario would be that there was a significant amount of planning done in advance.

If that's what we're looking at, then it's possible that someone took SM away from the home on the pretext of, say, going for a hike in a remote location, and then killed/concealed her at that spot.

Absent her body being discovered, LE is going to need a plethora of physical and/or digital evidence to reach the threshold of proof BARD.

I do not see an arrest being imminent in this case.

JMO.

 

[Madeleine74]

Premeditation can be formed in a matter of seconds -- example of this is strangulation. It can take upwards of 4 min to strangle a person to death, and the person doing the strangling or asphyxiation knows if they continue what they're doing the victim will die, and by continuing to do the strangling or asphyxiation their actions meet the premeditation definition.

A homicide can be unplanned but premeditated.

What will be interesting to see in this case is if SM's (presumed) death meets criteria for first degree murder or not. I'm making the assumption she will eventually be found.

IMO