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

[LietKynes]

Who said it WAS planted?

That's why I said "If"; and "Imo" in my post.
Some have considered that it might have been, but we don't know.

The only information in msm is that the nephew asked the public to ask LE about the condition of the bike ; and BM mentioned the bike in his interview with TD--- in order to say that LE mishandled the situation.
Imo.

 

[LietKynes]

Yes, I agree! Not only does the flyer not mention the reward, it does not give SM’s description, it does not say last seen on......... or missing since..... It is about the most sparsely worded, information-free, official missing persons poster I have ever seen. And it is worded very strangely. It does not say, “Have you seen this woman?” It says “do you have information about her disappearance?”

I think handing these out at the local supermarket may have been an “icebreaker” tactic. - Hi! Do you know about this case? Do you know her? Do you remember where you last saw her? Have you seen her with anyone? Have you heard anything around town? Etc. It may have been to get people in a more chatty mood, a little more relaxed.

Agreed that this may be an attempt at a conversation starter.

LE do not seem to be looking for an abducted or missing woman.
And just because we haven't seen a more recent photo that 2019 doesn't mean LE do not have a recent pic and know what she looked like in the weeks or months before.
If she was missing and LE wanted people to be on the lookout-- they'd publish an updated photo and a description of her bike and clothing.

We don't know 'what they know'; but I'm guessing LE already have more than a few answers !
MOO

 

[susiQ]

RSBM
Excellent post or not even where she's missing from. The most basic template of a missing persons poster has everything you listed. This isn't a missing poster IMO, it's a conversation starter, yes @oviedo nailed it!

Exactly!

 

[Fireflize]

Exactly!

It is probable that the rumors of a small town will be well distributed throughout the community by now. I think the timing by LE to reach out more intimately one on one is just perfect. Just perfect. Moo

 

[Feistyomi]

Maybe “sly” wasn’t the best choice of words, but I get Oviedo’s point. Maybe it was a way for LE to “encourage” anyone who saw or knows anything to come forward with what they may know. JMO

Keeping SM in the public eye, keeps her in everyone’s minds, you never know when something may click. A guilty person would definitely not feel safer w/ continued public attention, slip up.
IMO a random stalker stranger had to have spent at least a bit of time in the town, although covid likely impacted interaction.
Clearing BM publicly might push the actual Bad Guy, possibly in the wrong way, and make no difference if this is someone just passing thru.
I have 2 ladies missing, Holly Alcott White, Taos NM
Katherine Smith, Red Feather Lakes CO 69This one is a Silver Alert, no resolution, seems like a safe case, but lady did not appear to be at risk other than age, maybe these are more about a specific dynamic not sex.
Indiana is not a safe state, but no similar yet.
Iow I am looking at women but this guy could be after either.
I’ve been widening my state search, and going back chronologically. It’s already interesting in that the three are in a smaller geographic.

 

[10ofRods]

How would police get into the property to check on her if no one was home? Did the neighbor have a key? Do we know when the daughters arrived home? I can’t put that whole situation together of when police first arrived. The neighbor that called would have been the one who met them right? Did she know anything about what was going on besides just being told to call police? I still don’t understand why a family member wouldn’t call. Why BM didn’t. Unless it was because he wasn’t in the area or did he not want his phone/location traced?

This is a good question. By the time the police arrived (and surely spoke directly with the neighbor, who was almost certainly waiting for them), it was known by the neighbor that Suzanne's car was in the garage. I believe the neighbor had been told by a family member that Suzanne might be on a bike ride. Did police look through the garage window? Did the neighbor?

Did police merely knock on the door and circle the house, to see if there was movement? Finding no response, did they find probable cause to use locksmith tools to open the house? Did they speak to the family during this? (Probably). This was basically a welfare check, woman is not where family expected her to be, is concerned enough to ask neighbor to go over and then to have neighbor call police.

If they did go in, at that point, they touched nothing and simply walked around, making sure she wasn't unconscious on the floor somewhere.

What then? Noting the absence of the bike and the family's belief that she was on a bike ride, they fanned out, calling in more help, and looked around the house but also on the likely path she took with her bike. Who found the bike?? We don't know.

At 9 pm or thereabouts, Barry arrives and if LE hadn't already gone into the house (surely they had?) they would then go in, and perhaps accompany Barry while he looks in closets. They would have asked a lot of questions about her mental health, her physical health, whether she took medications and whether she left the house with or without certain items (meds, phone). It must have looked like a bike ride gone wrong, that night. Pictures were taken of the bike and its surroundings. Next day, they go back out and do the grid search (one of several).

We do not know if or when the daughters arrived home. We don't know if BM was barred from the house that first night or not. We do know bodies of water were searched, indicative of a fear of suicide, homicide or serious misadventure (because the creek right where the bike was...wasn't particularly conducive to either homicide or suicide by water). But the catchment area behind the dam (the big pond) would be, so it was searched. Searches in the water were probably repeated, and I'd assume they would have brought in cadaver dogs after 5-6 days.

 

[OzzieB]

So I don't know if this has been mentioned but looks like the gimme page was updated 2 days ago by TN his statement sounds sincere and looks like the funds will be going to the Daughter.

 

[Cassady]

Yes, I agree! Not only does the flyer not mention the reward, it does not give SM’s description, it does not say last seen on......... or missing since..... It is about the most sparsely worded, information-free, official missing persons poster I have ever seen. And it is worded very strangely. It does not say, “Have you seen this woman?” It says “do you have information about her disappearance?”

I think handing these out at the local supermarket may have been an “icebreaker” tactic. - Hi! Do you know about this case? Do you know her? Do you remember where you last saw her? Have you seen her with anyone? Have you heard anything around town? Etc. It may have been to get people in a more chatty mood, a little more relaxed.

100%....IMO they are looking for new leads and tips.

If they had a supsect or POI at this point some of those new leads and tips may help crack the case. On the other hand, it would also be a criminal defense discovery gold mine to have a bunch of potential tips or leads from a public canvassing event 4 weeks after the fact, especially if the locals are chatty. Thus, IMO if LE had a solid POI or suspect at that point in the investigation, especially after having searched a house, car, and phone records, they would not be out canvassing the general public...IMO.

 

[10ofRods]

The firefighters were told NOT to assist. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

You are not at all mistaken.

 

[Tate123]

This is a good question. By the time the police arrived (and surely spoke directly with the neighbor, who was almost certainly waiting for them), it was known by the neighbor that Suzanne's car was in the garage. I believe the neighbor had been told by a family member that Suzanne might be on a bike ride. Did police look through the garage window? Did the neighbor?

Did police merely knock on the door and circle the house, to see if there was movement? Finding no response, did they find probable cause to use locksmith tools to open the house? Did they speak to the family during this? (Probably). This was basically a welfare check, woman is not where family expected her to be, is concerned enough to ask neighbor to go over and then to have neighbor call police.

If they did go in, at that point, they touched nothing and simply walked around, making sure she wasn't unconscious on the floor somewhere.

What then? Noting the absence of the bike and the family's belief that she was on a bike ride, they fanned out, calling in more help, and looked around the house but also on the likely path she took with her bike. Who found the bike?? We don't know.

At 9 pm or thereabouts, Barry arrives and if LE hadn't already gone into the house (surely they had?) they would then go in, and perhaps accompany Barry while he looks in closets. They would have asked a lot of questions about her mental health, her physical health, whether she took medications and whether she left the house with or without certain items (meds, phone). It must have looked like a bike ride gone wrong, that night. Pictures were taken of the bike and its surroundings. Next day, they go back out and do the grid search (one of several).

We do not know if or when the daughters arrived home. We don't know if BM was barred from the house that first night or not. We do know bodies of water were searched, indicative of a fear of suicide, homicide or serious misadventure (because the creek right where the bike was...wasn't particularly conducive to either homicide or suicide by water). But the catchment area behind the dam (the big pond) would be, so it was searched. Searches in the water were probably repeated, and I'd assume they would have brought in cadaver dogs after 5-6 days.

There might have been a search warrant issued that very night (May 10th).
In the DWAP interview..Lauren Scharf had a list of questions for Susan Medina the CBI spokesperson, she asked her..

When was the search warrant issued for the Morphew home ? Was it May 10th from the
beginning (because that's what we've been told and that's when we saw the tape around the house)?
Susan Medina answered: The warrant is sealed.

 

[10ofRods]

And for those of us who handle actual criminal cases, including murder cases involving the FBI, handing out fliers to general public 5 weeks after murder is usually not part of a murder investigation...especially if LE has a POI or suspect....IMO

What if the point of the fliers is to talk to people in town about various rumors?

Town is small, fliers are a way of going door to door with predetermined images and information, then...the nice officer asks a few questions.

I think this can happen with or without a POI or a suspect. I agree it's a bit unusual, but I don't think it's entirely novel. LE went door to door in the neighborhood were Joe DeAngelo killed one couple (and perhaps in other towns besides the one I'm referencing). It was a while ago, of course - but it was a small town mentality, IMO (I knew the victims slightly and was living in the town).

So in this case, I believe there's something specific LE is fishing for/hoping to learn. I also think they may be wanting to poke someone just a bit.

In the Gannon Stauch case, I don't know if LE took fliers (there were tons already posted) but they did go door to door more than once - I think the first time was a smaller area.

 

[10ofRods]

Then again, I don’t find that odd at all. Say cell data puts SM in Salida at a particular day/time, say May 9th, but NO ONE actually saw her. Did they see someone “else” who may have been setting up a “trail” of her activity when in fact she was already missing? Kinda PF syle?

Wouldn't that be really weird? If Suzanne's phone places her, say, at the grocery store on May 8 or 9, but the grocery store video doesn't show her in the store at that time, and instead shows a few other people?

Then, the next place she supposedly went in Salida also has a camera somewhere along route - but no Suzanne? But maybe 1-2 of the people also in the grocery store? Would certainly make a good detective's eyes light up.

 

[Minordetails]

If BM is guilty, this whole bike narrative leads me to believe that it was a crime of passion. It wreaks of last minute, desperate planning.

An “accidental” drowning, for example, would have never made national news. BM wouldn’t have been required to offer up reward money or make a video pleading for his wife. He wouldn’t have been driving around weeks later with his mom looking in creeks either.

MOO

 

[10ofRods]

Maybe “sly” wasn’t the best choice of words, but I get Oviedo’s point. Maybe it was a way for LE to “encourage” anyone who saw or knows anything to come forward with what they may know. JMO

In this case, there's been so little information given to the public, that most people wouldn't even know what kinds of things LE might be looking for. If LE has a bit of tantalizing information about doings in Salida, that would be the way to investigate. Even if I had kept all my surveillance video from my home cams from May 8-12, I'd only call the tip line if I saw Suzanne or Barry. I wouldn't call the line if Person X showed up, and only LE knows who X might be. But if encouraged, I'd show the video. If encouraged to ask if I'd seen, say, an average height man with a blue hoodie and a back packing style backpack on my street during that time (I'm making up those traits obviously), I might remember. I notice things like larger packs because it's rare to see and usually denotes homelessness. I also notice everyone who walks dogs, because I like dogs and comparing them to their owners - each person notices different things.

So you find the really good "noticers" and see if they all noticed Person X or Event Y.

If LE happen to know that BM was never in Denver at all, but was in Salida that whole day, someone needs to open their beak and sing a little.

 

[Cassady]

What if the point of the fliers is to talk to people in town about various rumors?

Town is small, fliers are a way of going door to door with predetermined images and information, then...the nice officer asks a few questions.

I think this can happen with or without a POI or a suspect. I agree it's a bit unusual, but I don't think it's entirely novel. LE went door to door in the neighborhood were Joe DeAngelo killed one couple (and perhaps in other towns besides the one I'm referencing). It was a while ago, of course - but it was a small town mentality, IMO (I knew the victims slightly and was living in the town).

So in this case, I believe there's something specific LE is fishing for/hoping to learn. I also think they may be wanting to poke someone just a bit.

In the Gannon Stauch case, I don't know if LE took fliers (there were tons already posted) but they did go door to door more than once - I think the first time was a smaller area.

IMO there is no way LE would purposely solicit local rumors by canvassing the general public in a murder investigation. Can you imagine the heyday a defense attorney would have with these rumors if a case ever went to trial?

 

[al66pine]

6 Weeks in. LE & Flyers?

...do you have an opinion on why they would have done this (handing out flyers) at this point in the investigation? .... could be they were using the flyers to solicit information ....

@oviedo sbm Yes, agree -- soliciting info re SM & event. Not sure where LE was doing this, Salida, Mayfield, county-wide, or ? Regardless, some ppl about to entering store/building, may be inclined to pause to talk w an LEO holding handful of MisPers flyers w pic, not so quick to zoom past.
Maybe just me personally, when entering a store/building, if someone is stopping/trying to stop ppl to engage them and are unidentified/unidentifiable (often, a person w political lit, credit card app's, religious tracts, for ex.), I tend to focus attn elsewhere and whiz by. Not true for everyone or every place. But if there are GirlScout cookies, marching band candy, a known/identified cause, different reaction? Yes, w me, fill up the trunk, pls.

 

[Nerissa]

IMO there is no way LE would purposely solicit local rumors by canvassing the general public in a murder investigation. Can you imagine the heyday a defense attorney would have with these rumors if a case ever went to trial?

If it went to trial then I'd say these rumors would be able to be proven to be facts by LE

IMO

 

[osu]

I’m so very curious what BM is up to these days? Is he still standing, staring out his window, searching his property, walking all the mountains of Colorado looking for his incredible, missing wife?

And have we seen any evidence at all of any private volunteer searches organized by the family for Suzanne? Apparently, that’s what part of the $32K G.F.M. was supposed to be used for.


JMHO

 

[TristanP]

IMO there is no way LE would purposely solicit local rumors by canvassing the general public in a murder investigation. Can you imagine the heyday a defense attorney would have with these rumors if a case ever went to trial?

Probably at least 95% of tips called in to a tip line are rumors. Same with any door-to-door canvasses. The only way rumors become a problem is if they’re brought into a trial as fact, in which case they’d be quickly overruled and disregarded.

 

[Janeumayer]

^^ This! I wonder.

This comment was wondering why the Salida search was so precise.

Wondering if he was hired to fill-in an old septic tank with gravel/soil? That’s why the search was so precise and they knew what they were looking for? They were looking for the tank’s opening?

When & How to Fill In or Seal/Close a Septic Tank