Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #2

[Steelslady]

Dozens Search For Suzanne Morphew After Discovery Of 'Personal Item'

“We want to do whatever it takes to get her back,” nephew Trevor Noel told CBS4. He urged people to submit clues and learn to recognize his aunt from photos. “Go to the Facebook page, check it out. Just see her face, read some comments, think about it. Especially if you’re in the Chaffee County area, this part near Salida.”

Submit clues to him or LE?

 

[lucidtx]

It really comes down to this:

- Did she actually go on a bike ride last Sunday or no?
- If yes, it appears like an abduction and that has to be pursued.
- If no she never did go on a bike ride then the investigation focuses on her husband -or- someone who may have specifically targeted her and made her disappear.
- Did she run away or fake her own disappearance? (that scenario does not appear to be probable in this case)

That's it. Those are the 3 scenarios LE has to work with.

The public outside of her immediate area and maybe some surrounding areas, can't do anything. Whatever happened to her happened locally. People 1,000 mi away aren't going to find her. This is a hyper-local case where it appears she disappeared very close to her home.

Very well-said. Another possibility would be her going for a routine bike ride and being abducted or killed by a non-stranger, like a Dr. Sievers situation.

 

[10ofRods]

Hers wasn't listed there and my impression wasn't that it was an obvious deviation of funds like some of those really bad ones.

Their mission was so vague I thought it might be a way to fund travel: Everywhere they go there are children and if they distribute things to children or pay for some meals while they are there, then their travel expenses are paid. The mission didn't specify any projects, countries, schools, etc so a lot of visits to anywhere could be encompassed by their Mission.

It was established when the couple moved to Colorado in 2018. The filing for that year only lists about $6680 in cash assets, and no activity, no salaries.
It really didn't strike me as a very active project, but I could very well be making incorrect assumptions.

Certainly not enough money reported in there during 2018 to think you would harm someone over that.

Well, of course it wasn't listed there, because it's just one of 100,000's of minor charities of that type. That article is going after big and famous ones.

 

[10ofRods]

Submit clues to him or LE?

Haven't people been submitting "clues" on that FB? Or on other SM? Someone submitted a clue on the Chaffee County Sheriff's FB and the Sheriff himself responded on that one. Presumably, if the family's page receives clues, they will pass them on to the Sheriff? Or will they pass them to their own investigator?

 

[SleuthBee]

I just fear that she was killed in the area, maybe put under brush uphill. No one likes to walk uphill without a trail, so it might take years to find her. Yet the scent dogs don't support that fear.

My best hope is that she is alive, held captive as brave Jayme was, and will escape. It can happen, although it doesn't happen often. Her age doesn't support that idea, but her beauty does.

I'm scared of what finances might show, if anything, for my third scenario.

MOO, of course.


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I am sure LE is all over the finances and checking for life insurance polices.

 

[MsBetsy]

Agree. We don't know for a fact that this was staged.

Yes, we don't know much of anything that is fact, other than Suzanne is missing and LE found items believed to be hers within the search area.

I don't think we know if anyone actually saw her that day. I would imagine her family must have tried to reach her, at least by phone, since it was Mothers day. I'm guessing they were the ones who called the neighbor, since from the picture of the houses it doesn't look like the neighbor would have seen her leave the house.

I don't think we will know much more until they find her or there is an arrest, although I'm sure LE is very busy behind the scenes.

I wonder if the sheriff made that statement about hoping BM "continues to cooperate" because he has an attorney now. He would likely be advised not to say much. I hope he makes a statement to the media, soon. I would think it would be in his best interest to make some kind of public statement.

Imo

 

[SeaStar]

Just want to throw out there that I'm a native and have been to nearly every nook and cranny of CO, and Salida is one of my absolute favorite towns; I always feel exceptionally safe there. Chaffee County is stunning and I highly recommend it to visitors, especially anyone outdoorsy.

There's always a lot of people just passing through these towns, traveling on Highway 50 or 285, both business and pleasure. It's pretty year-round too, because there's skiing, hunting, hiking, rafting, etc.

Like anywhere rural/mountainous, there's always going to be a number of weirdos/outsiders who are "out there" for a reason. They're almost always harmless, but not always, of course.

As a local, I agree. Beautiful and somewhat busy - especially on Sunday afternoons.
The Fooses Creek trail is not remote - families take their kids to walk it - sure, it gets harder as you climb elevation but lower down, usually you find a few folks fishing at the lake, beginning in May. I imagine that on Mother's Day there would be families along this trail. The only reason why I am adding this information is that some comments earlier in the thread talk about the remoteness of the area. On a Sunday afternoon, even with quarantine, there will also be regular traffic on Highway 50 as well. Many folks recreate here - biking, ATVing, etc and Hwy 50 is a main road for the locals to take too.

 

[whitelilac]

I am wondering what the distance is between where the bike was located, and where the personal items were located. Is it a walkable distance? I am remembering Meredith Emerson's case where she was accosted on a hiking trail and forced to walk with her abductor (Gary Hilton), while incapacitated with zip ties. I know the circumstance are different, as Suzanne was on a bike.

But is it possible a perp accosted Suzanne, on foot , with a weapon, and forced her to walk to wherever his vehicle was parked or hidden, (if any). I know, why would a perp be on foot, but, ...who knows?

OR, a perp forced her off the road, took her in a vehicle, and then took her into the where the items were found.

I'm basically wondering whether those items were dropped in place, or thrown from the roadside.
During the search on Sunday, it would be of value to know whether the searchers could determine if people were in that location.....broken branches, signs of struggle, disturbed undergrowth, etc. I assume they had tracking dogs? Maybe, and if so, we don't know if they detected scents. LE is not saying more than that "personal items" were found.

 

[Steelslady]

This photo really clarify's for me that IF the neighbor knew that SM went for a bike ride it had to be because SM TOLD the neighbor she was going.
I suppose the neighbor might have been driving up in a car and saw SM heading out on her ride, but I find it unlikely that the neighbor could see her leave unless the neighbor was near the road.
Of course being in an area where one could be easily injured (rugged terrain, big cats etc) it may have been SM's & the neighbors practice to notify each other when they went "into the wild" alone. Honestly that would be a really smart thing to do.

I just think someone called the neighbor to have her check on Suzanne and one of two things occurred- they saw something at the house that alarmed them and they called LE, or they went looking for her and found her bike, but no Suzanne- tried to look for her, and when she didn't show back up for her bike, the neighbor called LE. At this point, I don't get a feeling that the neighbor is involved.

Think about it- how stupid would you have to be to call and report someone missing that you harmed, especially where neither or your homes have easy viewing of the street?

JMO

 

[GordianKnot]

Maybe it is family wealth and not “her” wealth?

Maybe it's all smoke and mirrors and there is no actual "wealth."

Maybe SM discovered that, unbeknownst to her, their monetary assets had been squandered or, worse yet, that funds had been misappropriated.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

JMO.

 

[10ofRods]

A few initially but she most likely would have been located by now if self-harm.

I'm not sure - the Arkansas River is apparently flowing pretty good right now. Maybe a local will comment, but the river is not far from where Suzanne disappeared (and its headwaters in the snowpack are 27 miles away - so the water would be quite cold, it's at medium flow right now).

Daily Arkansas River Flow Report

So many rocks, tree roots and boulders, people go missing in cold water rivers all the time and are either never found or found much later, way downstream. I think there's a dam not far downstream, though, so they will probably check that area more than once.

I wish we knew if there was a reason for her to be distraught.

 

[Trocroc9]

Dbm

 

[happyday]

How does describing the bike's condition help "someone"?

Well for instance if her disappearance had been staged to look like an accident and the bike was mangled to support this, it would “help” the person who staged it (at least in public eye) for the mangled bike to be known.

 

[Inthedetails]

As a local, I agree. Beautiful and somewhat busy - especially on Sunday afternoons.
The Fooses Creek trail is not remote - families take their kids to walk it - sure, it gets harder as you climb elevation but lower down, usually you find a few folks fishing at the lake, beginning in May. I imagine that on Mother's Day there would be families along this trail. The only reason why I am adding this information is that some comments earlier in the thread talk about the remoteness of the area. On a Sunday afternoon, even with quarantine, there will also be regular traffic on Highway 50 as well. Many folks recreate here - biking, ATVing, etc and Hwy 50 is a main road for the locals to take too.

This is useful info - always great to have locals on a thread.

I really wish we knew WHEN she went on the supposed bike ride. Maybe it was in the morning, before other people were on the trail, but not discovered missing until later in the afternoon?

If there are people on the trails, that is different than remote trails when you don't expect to see anyone.

Who would risk harming another person if there was a good possibility others were nearby? Someone who knew how to immediately silence a victim? Someone who knew a place to bring the victim quickly without detection, though I suppose even steps from the trail might be well-hidden?

Someone who expected her? Followed her?

If she went for a bike ride, that it.

jmo

 

[Pak31]

Submit clues to him or LE?

I really feel that the nephew has been very cryptic in his statements. Urging people to ask about the condition of the bike. Why? I got the feeling that him saying this is because he knows what the condition of the bike is and LE won’t comment so he wants people to press for that answer because when they hear it, it will point them in the right direction. Then in his other statement he’s urging people to read FB comments, that maybe within those comments lies the answer. Him saying wanting to get her back. Back from where? Does he know specifically that she was taken or worse? If she disappeared willingly or took her life would he phrase it that way? Something was wrong in her life. He possibly knew. I think she was afraid and now she’s gone. I just can’t put the pieces together with such little evidence. MOO

 

[Poedelini]

I wonder why the family immediately put down a reward amount. It is a rural area, why not think she maybe had a accident with the bike? Just some thoughts.

 

[OzzieB]

I honestly don't think this is a suicide case. Of all days why would she pick mother's day? Also according to her husband she beat cancer twice so she is a fighter and seems pretty religious. I just don't see it. Just to clarify I am not saying people who have committed suicide are not fighters nor am I saying they are not religious. All I am saying is it doesn't seem to fit this situation.

I agree and you know me- I never rule on the suicide angle until I am proven wrong, and so far, I have been a couple of times. I just find it important to not always assume that because someone has depression or mental health issues, that they can't go missing at the hands of a sick person.

As you know, once someone mentions that person has been depressed or has a mental health illness, the thread always leans towards suicide after that.

It's always a pleasure posting in the same thread with you.

 

[Knox]

In the video at link below, it said searchers also searched bodies of water yesterday. This is the first time I've heard that.
Dozens Search For Suzanne Morphew After Discovery Of 'Personal Item'

 

[happyday]

I really feel that the nephew has been very cryptic in his statements. Urging people to ask about the condition of the bike. Why? I got the feeling that him saying this is because he knows what the condition of the bike is and LE won’t comment so he wants people to press for that answer because when they hear it, it will point them in the right direction. Then in his other statement he’s urging people to read FB comments, that maybe within those comments lies the answer. Him saying wanting to get her back. Back from where? Does he know specifically that she was taken or worse? If she disappeared willingly or took her life would he phrase it that way? Something was wrong in her life. He possibly knew. I think she was afraid and now she’s gone. I just can’t put the pieces together with such little evidence. MOO

Really seems like he knows or suspects more but can’t say. I just can’t tell what he’s getting at, but it’s definitely something!

 

[Herat]

I

Well for instance if her disappearance had been staged to look like an accident and the bike was mangled to support this, it would “help” the person who staged it (at least in public eye) for the mangled bike to be known.

Thanks, but I'm still not really sure how this helps anyone.

It was staged, the perp knows the condition of the bike already.

I guess if it was mangled, LE has a lot of ways of determining the likely method - run over by a car? dropped onto rocks? left in the riverbed? flat tire? one bent rim?

But that would all likely involve CSI stuff with fingerprints and possible paint analysis and possible impact points or checking cut brake cables or whatever. Stuff that takes weeks to months in a real CSI lab.

And if it was left alone standing by a tree, it implies possible abandonment, running away, suicide.