Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #23

[Warwick7]

Does it ever happen that someone would say to investigators: "Please, do whatever you need to do! Search my entire property; I'll go stay with friends and you guys do whatever needs to be done! I won't be back until you clear it. " Do some willingly vacate even before a SW is issued?

Maybe I'm projecting, but I could see BM doing this. He's an intelligent, educated adult and would know he would be the first assumed suspect that would need to be cleared (or not) and the sooner the better to not divert attention away from finding his wife.

BBM
One of the problems is that even Ted Bundy's intelligence and social skills enabled him to enjoy a successful college career.

So intelligence and being an educated adult can mean very little.

Ted Bundy | Biography, Crimes, & Facts

 

[MassGuy]

It SO bugs me that they're sealed.
In any case I have ever followed, a sealed warrant contains some really damning information.
Obviously that's why they're sealed, but just knowing there are 2 of them already (that we know of) is rather curious.

jmo

They all are, and I imagine there are a dozen (or two) warrants executed by now.

I think the majority are going to be digital in nature (Google, Facebook, phone company, etc).

 

[Warwick7]

While I don't have a clue what BM would do, since I don't know him, I know that I would likely say and do exactly what you stated here.
I'd give LE free reign over my entire property if it meant finding my loved one or finding clues that might help.
Only because of the way the MSM articles have been worded "not allowed into the home when he returned from Denver" (paraphrased) makes me think BM didn't actually volunteer up the house for them to search.
And he returned from Denver on the same Sunday SM was reported missing so, they already had physical custody of the house before he got there.
I'm not sure how that's all possible without a search warrant but I guess if the CCSO had probable cause to seize the house without a warrant?
(I'm sure this has already been discussed and I just missed it - it's easy to miss finer points when the thread moves fast!)

jmo

I was about to say the same thing.
:0)
"Only because of the way the MSM articles have been worded "not allowed into the home when he returned from Denver" (paraphrased) makes me think BM didn't actually volunteer up the house for them to search."

 

[Warwick7]

They all are, and I imagine there are a dozen (or two) warrants executed by now.

I think the majority are going to be digital in nature (Google, Facebook, phone company, etc).

And weren't we told there were other searched/excavated areas we were not told about?

 

[MassGuy]

And weren't we told there were other searched/excavated areas we were not told about?

There were 10 large scale ground searches. Those probably would not have involved warrants though.

My guess is they were following either phone or vehicle GPS data, with the exception of the areas around the house.

 

[GordianKnot]

LOL! As the author of the unqualified snoop comment, of course there's a difference between being nosy (I prefer the term "inquisitive" ) and inserting yourself into a criminal investigation, creeping around a possible crime scene, and chatting up strangers (including a possible POI/grieving spouse, however you see it). A qualified criminal reporter has experience and is accountable to his or her superiors to uphold professional standards.

My message to TD: you are not a character full of high jinx in some fictional murder mystery. You are not a junior crime-fighter. Seriously, stay home and maybe, I don't know, get a job.

BBM:

While certainly not opposed to the idea of TD going out and obtaining gainful f/t employment, I am sincerely glad that he went out to Salida that day and managed to bump smack-dab into a chatty BM.

TD managed to do what no MSM outlet has been able to do, including the intrepid local reporter, LS:

He got BM to open his mouth.

That conversation he had with BM was incredibly revealing:

"Let me show you what happened."
"We've searched a 200-mile radius."
"The first night there was a mountain lion. Officers seen[sic] it."
"The wheel was facing..."
"The Sheriff's Department screwed everything up. They shouldn't have touched it….it's evidence."
"They let 10 other people touch the bike."
"We were really upset that first night...I was in Denver, so I didn't get here until 9:00 that night."
"My friend's an Army Ranger and he knows this stuff better than anybody. He did 400 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"The best thing you can do….get out there and cover some ground…yeah, find something…if you find anything, don't touch it. Take a picture of it."

These were just a few of the 24k golden nuggets that TD mined from BM.

I'm sure LE does not at ALL upset that TD went out and practiced his junior crime-fighting skills.
I suspect Sheriff Spezze & Co. are most appreciative of his efforts.
In fact, they may just want to go ahead and deputize him.

Internet sleuths have actually provided critical assistance to some investigations.
(*See Golden State Killer case).

JMO.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

BBM:

While certainly not opposed to the idea of TD going out and obtaining gainful f/t employment, I am sincerely glad that he went out to Salida that day and managed to bump smack-dab into a chatty BM.

TD managed to do what no MSM outlet has been able to do, including the intrepid local reporter, LS:

He got BM to open his mouth.

That conversation he had with BM was incredibly revealing:

"Let me show you what happened."
"We've searched a 200-mile radius."
"The first night there was a mountain lion. Officers seen[sic] it."
"The wheel was facing..."
"The Sheriff's Department screwed everything up. They shouldn't have touched it….it's evidence."
"They let 10 other people touch the bike."
"We were really upset that first night...I was in Denver, so I didn't get here until 9:00 that night."
"My friend's an Army Ranger and he knows this stuff better than anybody. He did 400 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"The best thing you can do….get out there and cover some ground…yeah, find something…if you find anything, don't touch it. Take a picture of it."

These were just a few of the 24k golden nuggets that TD mined from BM.

I'm sure LE does not at ALL upset that TD went out and practiced his junior crime-fighting skills.
I suspect Sheriff Spezze & Co. are most appreciative of his efforts.
In fact, they may just want to go ahead and deputize him.

Internet sleuths have actually provided critical assistance to some investigations.
(See Golden State Killer case).

JMO.

Adding, Sheriff and myself are appreciative!

What else would we have talked about all this time?!

 

[FelicityLemon]

True, he did do that!
MSM and Lauren Scharf were and are professional, honest, had integrity, were up front and genuine in their approach and requests to BM.

TD managed to do what no MSM outlet has been able to do, including the intrepid local reporter, LS.

 

[MassGuy]

True, he did do that!
MSM and Lauren Scharf were and are professional, honest, had integrity, were up front and genuine in their approach and requests to BM.

Exactly, which is why it hasn’t paid off for them.

In order to get an unwilling person to talk, you have to use deception.

 

[GordianKnot]

Long time lurker and now I am going to finally attempt to join in the conversation.

If law enforcement had any type of evidence against Barry Morphew they would have arrested him right?

I don't understand why everyone wants to blame Barry.

Isn't the most likely scenario that Suzanne left on her own?

BBM:

Welcome to Websleuths!

Glad to have you here joining the discussion!

If SM left on her own, what do you think most likely happened after she went on her bike ride?

How do the known facts, including LE's words and actions, lend credence to the idea that SM left on her own?

TIA!

 

[10ofRods]

Does it ever happen that someone would say to investigators: "Please, do whatever you need to do! Search my entire property; I'll go stay with friends and you guys do whatever needs to be done! I won't be back until you clear it. " Do some willingly vacate even before a SW is issued?

Maybe I'm projecting, but I could see BM doing this. He's an intelligent, educated adult and would know he would be the first assumed suspect that would need to be cleared (or not) and the sooner the better to not divert attention away from finding his wife.

Sure - people do that. But LE rarely takes them up on it, because it's so important that any evidence collected be clear of any legal impediments. BM seems to be in his right mind, but he could later portray himself as a grieving man whose judgment was impaired. Also, since I believe (just a strong hunch) that BM availed himself of legal advice early on, no lawyer would advise a client to just fling the doors to their home open.

So while a person may be willing to vacate their home, it's very unusual for LE not to go ahead and contact a judge to make sure they stay within the bounds of the law. Especially in a case that might turn out to be first degree homicide.

If some other family member gave permission for a "wellness walk" through the house, that's a bit different. LE wouldn't usually start poking around or removing things - but they can get information that could aid in getting a rapid search warrant (at least, where I live).

If the family members (or even the neighbor) had access to the house, I think LE would ask them to "Go checkk and see if she took her phone...is her helmet there?" Stuff like that. If one of them was okay with LE walking alongside them, I do not know if LE would take the opportunity or not (probably).

 

[Barry]

Thought of the day. I am wondering if there's been any federal legal activity on this case (grand jury, search warrants, etc.). Not likely, but as with everything else in this case, we probably wouldn't know. All MOO.

 

[10ofRods]

Long time lurker and now I am going to finally attempt to join in the conversation.

If law enforcement had any type of evidence against Barry Morphew they would have arrested him right?

I don't understand why everyone wants to blame Barry.

Isn't the most likely scenario that Suzanne left on her own?

To your first question...No.

People can appear suspicious ("any kind of evidence") and there's still not enough evidence to arrest. People are not arrested for murder or abduction based on "any type of evidence." To me, if BM's alibi didn't check out, I'd want to arrest him right away (I'm not LE). But LE needs more than that.

If BM were, for example, not in Denver but out running around with an affair partner, that would be suspicious - but it's not enough for an arrest, IMO. If Suzanne had written a journal entry that said, "If I ever disappear, my husband did it!" that's probably not enough either. Physical, forensic evidence is wanted (wiping of fingerprints from the bike would be suspicious, especially as BM had access to the bike). Video footage of BM tossing the bike would be enough, IMO (obviously, they don't have that).

LE doesn't think Suzanne left on her own and neither do I. She left on her bike - then got into a car? Is that what you're thinking? If she had taken anything with her that indicated she'd be gone for a while (driver's license, ATM card, phone, prescription meds) and decided to just give up on her maintenance chemotherapy (she had an appointment on May 11), then she is out there, without funds (or has a hidden bank account that indicates a lot of planning to run away and let her daughters grieve as if she is dead?). She's also going to have major health issues and no access to her health insurance or doctors.

If she got into someone else's car, that person is a weak link in this chain too. They'd have to be sworn to incredible secrecy. Suzanne has to seek further medical treatment without benefit of her past doctors being contacted (I believe LE would find out if a request for records had been made).

Why would she do that? I can only think of two reasons (desire to run off with a lover OR fear of domestic violence).

 

[10ofRods]

I was about to say the same thing.
:0)
"Only because of the way the MSM articles have been worded "not allowed into the home when he returned from Denver" (paraphrased) makes me think BM didn't actually volunteer up the house for them to search."

I picture the typical scenario where the husband returns home, is met by police, whose main goal is to talk to him. I do not think these talks were 1 minute conversations. Whether they set up a situation to speak to him near his home, inside his home or at the station, we don't know. BM could surely have invited investigators to sit down with him in the kitchen or living room without giving them entry into other areas.

But LE could well have decided to talk to him extensively outside his home, thereby preventing him from being in the home until a judge could weigh in on the preservation of a possible crime scene. I think LE's second task was to preserve any potential crime scene, as I think the bike was found in early evening and Suzanne was known to bike in the morning - so she'd already been missing for hours.

LE's first task was to try and find Suzanne.

 

[dkryder]

Correct. I think some of the “unqualified snoops” that take action beyond speculative posting and insert themselves into cases or begin reporting off the wall possibilities are actually a hindrance to solving cases.

Except in the event that, using this case as an example, BM decides he will talk to one of them. If they had not been there doing what they are doing that opportunity would never happen. MOO.

 

[TKG]

BBM:

While certainly not opposed to the idea of TD going out and obtaining gainful f/t employment, I am sincerely glad that he went out to Salida that day and managed to bump smack-dab into a chatty BM.

TD managed to do what no MSM outlet has been able to do, including the intrepid local reporter, LS:

He got BM to open his mouth.

That conversation he had with BM was incredibly revealing:

"Let me show you what happened."
"We've searched a 200-mile radius."
"The first night there was a mountain lion. Officers seen[sic] it."
"The wheel was facing..."
"The Sheriff's Department screwed everything up. They shouldn't have touched it….it's evidence."
"They let 10 other people touch the bike."
"We were really upset that first night...I was in Denver, so I didn't get here until 9:00 that night."
"My friend's an Army Ranger and he knows this stuff better than anybody. He did 400 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"The best thing you can do….get out there and cover some ground…yeah, find something…if you find anything, don't touch it. Take a picture of it."

These were just a few of the 24k golden nuggets that TD mined from BM.

I'm sure LE does not at ALL upset that TD went out and practiced his junior crime-fighting skills.
I suspect Sheriff Spezze & Co. are most appreciative of his efforts.
In fact, they may just want to go ahead and deputize him.

Internet sleuths have actually provided critical assistance to some investigations.
(*See Golden State Killer case).

JMO.

Yes! Me too. Despite his mannerisms and/or experience he has done something not one other media source has been able to.

 

[GordianKnot]

Yes! Me too. Despite his mannerisms and/or experience he has done something not one other media source has been able to.

Ha!
I actually think TD's Jeff Spicoli-esque, laid-back, surfer dude presentation probably works heavily in his favor.

I think his approach comes across as being pretty disarming.
I know I'd have a hard time taking TD seriously if he came up to me and struck up a conversation.
(Did he really call BM, "Bro?!")

BM probably saw him as a harmless, malleable kid, and thought he saw an opportunity to put his narrative out to the public without any risk of facing any tough, probing questions.

His mistake.

Not his only one, either, judging by LE's actions.

JMO.

 

[Fireflize]

Correct. I think some of the “unqualified snoops” that take action beyond speculative posting and insert themselves into cases or begin reporting off the wall possibilities are actually a hindrance to solving cases.

I don't think TD is a hindrance to solving this case. I believe he has spoken with LE and they may consider him helpful. Moo

 

[IronOreBetty]

I don't think TD is a hindrance to solving this case. I believe he has spoken with LE and they may consider him helpful. Moo

By broadcasting details about the bike that LE has tried to keep under wraps? Doubtful.

 

[IronOreBetty]

Except in the event that, using this case as an example, BM decides he will talk to one of them. If they had not been there doing what they are doing that opportunity would never happen. MOO.

Ask a detective or investigator. It’s not appreciated. And I’m sure he’s been taking to LE.