Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #26

[Barry]

I can't recall if dogs were present at any of the house searches. Would that be allowed, depending on the SW?

 

[K9Enzo]

I can't recall if dogs were present at any of the house searches. Would that be allowed, depending on the SW?

I'm not sure either. IMO, a SW would cover assets that were going to be used.

 

[rainbowshummingbird]

I want to be completely clear on this post:

I 100% feel that LE is on top of this. IMO they know the who, and the why. Obviously not the how, and where she is. Not yet, but they will. I would not be totally surprised if they have enough to charge someone. MOO, they are trying to find SM to seal the deal (so to speak), and eliminate any bargaining chip whatsoever.

I don’t want to seem like a wet blanket but I recall several Colorado cases where it took LE a looooong time to locate the deceased’s bodies.

One case was Dylan Redwine and I believe LE were actively looking for his body for some time and they were looking in the general area of where his body was eventually found. Another case was Eric Pracht, he disappeared in the Green Mountain area, which is a popular area for hiking, biking and walking trails. It’s located in the Denver suburbs. Eric disappeared July 2016 and his body was found April 2020.

Cases like these concern me because finding bodies is a tough business, especially if Suzanne isn’t located before the snow comes.

 

[oviedo]

More than 100 help search for missing woman in Chaffee County

In all over 100 personnel were used during the search.

The search continued Tuesday with only dogs. Sheriff John Spezze said there is no need for volunteers. Sheriff Spezze would not comment on whether or not Morphew bike was recovered. By late afternoon Tuesday, Morphew had not been found.

 

[Seattle1]

Great examples, thank you. Care to hazard a guess as to why BM no longer has a POA? Did she she revoke it after she was declared cancer free?

I think SM became more discriminatory during her cancer treatment versus after -- opting for giving her husband Limited POA's versus Durable POA.

Limited POA's for real estate transactions are very much the norm. They are property specific, and self expire when the purchase or sale completed.

MOO

 

[24Brix]

No, you lost your cell signal which was giving you internet access to use some type of map program.

Don’t confuse that with GPS tracking which is always on and linked via satellites.

I agree. The tracking function is independent from the presentation function.

For those who aren’t familiar, in a general sense gps is not too terribly different from cell tower pings. Both are based on the exchange of time-stamped signals between two devices with synchronized clocks. Add the speed of light and you can calculate how far apart the two devices are from each other.

If the gps antenna in your phone or vehicle has line of sight to one satellite, it places the device somewhere along a circle. If two satellites are visible the device is at one of two potential locations — where the circles for each satellite intersect. With three satellites, a specific point on the circle is identified — the circles for each of the three satellites will intersect in just one point. With four satellites elevation can also be calculated. (You need three satellites to map a point in two-dimensional space and four to map a point in three-dimensional space.) Additional satellites beyond four basically just improve the accuracy of the calculated location.

Because gps satellites are constantly moving in orbit around the earth, position accuracy can vary as they move in and out of range/visibility of the gps device. In mountainous areas, the landscape can obstruct some satellite signals if the device is in a valley or canyon, etc. At least until that satellite moves into view again (or a new one becomes visible). Accuracy is usually best under wide-open sky where the max number of satellites are visible at any given time.

What I don’t know is how much positional data a device or vehicle buffers before it either needs to be uploaded to the cloud or is overwritten by new data. But storage is cheap these days and the data is alphanumeric. So I expect it could be quite a lot. Anyone?

All of the above is MOO and my understanding only.

 

[susiQ]

I think you're correct.
We saw this in the murder of missing Ct. mom
Jennifer Dulos. All eyes were on the husband
who played musical chairs with different vehicles which proved to be difficult to follow.
Her body has never been found although bloody clothes were recovered in Hartford trash cans several miles from marital home.
Her death came after she'd moved out and filed for divorce. She also had all the income and leaving her husband also dried up his money to play with.
My guess is SM was nearing a departure from this marriage, and possibly tying up some family money. He lost it and offed her. MOO.

For whatever reason she may have been planning her departure, I’m inclined to think his actions were more calculated. He “moved on” way too fast IMHO. Even discounting the home in IN, which may have been in the works, pre SM going “missing,” I can’t imagine acting the way he has so soon after having my spouse go missing. Not to mention all the nonsense BM spewed to TD. However, you’d think that if he premeditated offing SM, he would have done a better job of covering his tracks?
I guess he just wasn’t as smart as he thought. Most of these dolts usually aren’t.

 

[10ofRods]

Hello – my disclaimer: I’m not an expert or certified but just give my opinion

Is there ever really a process that completely removes all traces of a human body (just a general question, not to you specifically)? Dogs are even used for wildfire searches where burned bodies are covered under massive debris. I don’t think there is. **With a well-trained, squared away dog and handler, especially a dog/handler team that have trained with various remains and conditions, I believe it’s very difficult to mask the scent of human remains. Whether it’s tissue, bone fragments, etc. With lime? What a gnarly scene that would be, but I believe the scent would still “leak” and rise and be detectable. Remember, human remains is the target odor, everything else gets eliminated. Metal? Nah but nice try The science behind this and how a dog can detect this – I have no idea. It’s truly fascinating. People often get disappointed in the dogs but they of course are not 100% but IMO, they are 90+% on point. Note my * above on training, etc. I know of another dog team that got to experience a blind search on placenta that was placed in buckets over several acres. A friend shared breast implants were part of a HRD training work shop. Interesting.

Now a scenario where a dead body was there, then later removed to a different location. Imagine spraying a pump or two of perfume in the air. The smell will linger but eventually will go away completely. Well in this case, it might be hard to detect human remains after a period of time.

A dream for most HRD handlers is the experience of training at the Body Farm. A dog I know (that sounds weird to say I know) reaction to seeing her first full body cadaver was interesting. She froze and her body language was “Fred.is.right.there.OMGEE”. She recovered and was able to regain her focus. Good girlie. (find fred is the term this dog/handler use to get into work mode)

At the end of the day *I* think it’s difficult to mask the odor of remains from a dog.

IMO

All I know is that in the Camp Fire (which was extremely hot), there is still 1 person for whom no remains were found. And the main source of data for the other dead were things like artificial joints or teeth. They found most of these parts by sifting and sifting. No DNA remained whatsoever, is my understanding.

Dogs can detect cadaverine for years, apparently (not produced when there's a completely burned body, obviously).

Cadaverine isn't produced right at the moment of death - but about 12-24 hours later. I hate even mentioning that, but it's easily google-able, in case of lurkers here.

A dead body will have so much cadaverine in it, if it decomposes naturally, that it will take a looong time for all the scent molecules to go away. There are also electronic sniffers, these days (roughly as good as dogs; dogs are much better in many circumstances, since they will head toward the source of the scent, whereas the sniffer operator has to keep taking measurements and walking in circles).

My questions would be around whether dogs can sniff tiny amounts of decomposing blood. (Trigger warning - more discussion of dead things): I read a study where they used dogs in butcher shops and places where meat is hung before it is butchered. Very early in the process, dogs could sniff cadaverine. And they could sniff it out as a blood smear on an apron or on packaging, as well.

What I've always wanted to know is whether well-trained dogs can distinguish between human cadaverine and other animals' cadaverine (they can, right?) I think the dogs in the above study were trained on bovine cadaverine, but I'm not absolutely positive.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Dang it, that was my theory.

Hey, if it means she's alive and happy, I'd be totally okay with that.

 

[10ofRods]

Do we know the model? Do we know if it is an atv? Even if it was trailered somewhere with BM’s truck, he could take off deep into the woods with it. LE would know where the truck was parked but there would be hundreds of acres of rough terrain where he could deposit a body.
Of course he could also take off on any one of those trails right near his house. If he left a body deep in the woods anywhere it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. If LE has searched areas near where they know his truck was parked, they know he wouldn’t carry a body too far. An atv would open up a much wider area of possibilities. MOO

Great summary. IMO, it would have been easier and less trackable for him to use dense woods and brush near the home. No truck GPS to pin his location, and still the explanation could be put forth (given the right circumstances): she had a biking accident and staggered off, with a concussion (by now, it would have had to be a severe concussion for there to be any evidence of it - it could be argued that a moderate concussion, without fracture or indentation, could cause confusion).

Or it could be argued that she was kidnapped and dragged into the woods.

Weird thing is that if someone actually knows where her body is, they could go back and remove/scatter parts of it to make it look a bit more like a lion did it. If there were no tooth marks anywhere on the found bones, a forensic anthropologist would argue "no lion" but I'm sure the defense could find someone to say that lions eat people without chewing on their bones all the time (yeah, right).

"Stranger abduction" would be the best working theory - and who knows, if there's been staging, perhaps there's more staging near where ever the body is (if it still exists in any recognizable form).

 

[oviedo]

All I know is that in the Camp Fire (which was extremely hot), there is still 1 person for whom no remains were found. And the main source of data for the other dead were things like artificial joints or teeth. They found most of these parts by sifting and sifting. No DNA remained whatsoever, is my understanding.

Dogs can detect cadaverine for years, apparently (not produced when there's a completely burned body, obviously).

Cadaverine isn't produced right at the moment of death - but about 12-24 hours later. I hate even mentioning that, but it's easily google-able, in case of lurkers here.

A dead body will have so much cadaverine in it, if it decomposes naturally, that it will take a looong time for all the scent molecules to go away. There are also electronic sniffers, these days (roughly as good as dogs; dogs are much better in many circumstances, since they will head toward the source of the scent, whereas the sniffer operator has to keep taking measurements and walking in circles).

My questions would be around whether dogs can sniff tiny amounts of decomposing blood. (Trigger warning - more discussion of dead things): I read a study where they used dogs in butcher shops and places where meat is hung before it is butchered. Very early in the process, dogs could sniff cadaverine. And they could sniff it out as a blood smear on an apron or on packaging, as well.

What I've always wanted to know is whether well-trained dogs can distinguish between human cadaverine and other animals' cadaverine (they can, right?) I think the dogs in the above study were trained on bovine cadaverine, but I'm not absolutely positive.

hypothetically, if she was killed in the home and wrapped in a rug, blanket or sheet and removed immediately to a vehicle - would their still be evidence (besides blood spatter/etc if a clean up was attempted?) for a dog to sniff at that point? I'm very curious about the timing- the interruption saturday with the friend, the noise at the dig site -and the river....
JMO

 

[Barry]

I don’t want to seem like a wet blanket but I recall several Colorado cases where it took LE a looooong time to locate the deceased’s bodies.

One case was Dylan Redwine and I believe LE were actively looking for his body for some time and they were looking in the general area of where his body was eventually found. Another case was Eric Pracht, he disappeared in the Green Mountain area, which is a popular area for hiking, biking and walking trails. It’s located in the Denver suburbs. Eric disappeared July 2016 and his body was found April 2020.

Cases like these concern me because finding bodies is a tough business, especially if Suzanne isn’t located before the snow comes.

I'm under no illusions

 

[K9Enzo]

All I know is that in the Camp Fire (which was extremely hot), there is still 1 person for whom no remains were found. And the main source of data for the other dead were things like artificial joints or teeth. They found most of these parts by sifting and sifting. No DNA remained whatsoever, is my understanding.

Dogs can detect cadaverine for years, apparently (not produced when there's a completely burned body, obviously).

Cadaverine isn't produced right at the moment of death - but about 12-24 hours later. I hate even mentioning that, but it's easily google-able, in case of lurkers here.

A dead body will have so much cadaverine in it, if it decomposes naturally, that it will take a looong time for all the scent molecules to go away. There are also electronic sniffers, these days (roughly as good as dogs; dogs are much better in many circumstances, since they will head toward the source of the scent, whereas the sniffer operator has to keep taking measurements and walking in circles).

My questions would be around whether dogs can sniff tiny amounts of decomposing blood. (Trigger warning - more discussion of dead things): I read a study where they used dogs in butcher shops and places where meat is hung before it is butchered. Very early in the process, dogs could sniff cadaverine. And they could sniff it out as a blood smear on an apron or on packaging, as well.

What I've always wanted to know is whether well-trained dogs can distinguish between human cadaverine and other animals' cadaverine (they can, right?) I think the dogs in the above study were trained on bovine cadaverine, but I'm not absolutely positive.

IMO, we're lucky here in the United States that dogs can be trained on actual human remains. Other parts of the world - perhaps the UK? It's not legal but the closest they have to human remains is pigs. Interesting, huh?

My dog accidentally busted my nose before in training - my friend wanted my bloody napkin for training later with her HRD dog. lol I remember almost spitting my wine out when a friend at dinner talked about getting her wisdom teeth removed, the other one seriously asked if she would gift them to her. I know this shouldn't make me laugh but it does.

 

[Dre]

All I know is that in the Camp Fire (which was extremely hot), there is still 1 person for whom no remains were found. And the main source of data for the other dead were things like artificial joints or teeth. They found most of these parts by sifting and sifting. No DNA remained whatsoever, is my understanding.

Dogs can detect cadaverine for years, apparently (not produced when there's a completely burned body, obviously).

Cadaverine isn't produced right at the moment of death - but about 12-24 hours later. I hate even mentioning that, but it's easily google-able, in case of lurkers here.

A dead body will have so much cadaverine in it, if it decomposes naturally, that it will take a looong time for all the scent molecules to go away. There are also electronic sniffers, these days (roughly as good as dogs; dogs are much better in many circumstances, since they will head toward the source of the scent, whereas the sniffer operator has to keep taking measurements and walking in circles).

My questions would be around whether dogs can sniff tiny amounts of decomposing blood. (Trigger warning - more discussion of dead things): I read a study where they used dogs in butcher shops and places where meat is hung before it is butchered. Very early in the process, dogs could sniff cadaverine. And they could sniff it out as a blood smear on an apron or on packaging, as well.

What I've always wanted to know is whether well-trained dogs can distinguish between human cadaverine and other animals' cadaverine (they can, right?) I think the dogs in the above study were trained on bovine cadaverine, but I'm not absolutely positive.

From what I have read, dogs definitely can distinguish between animal cadaverine and human cadaverine. sometimes they do get confused might hit on a dead animal for a moment before moving on. sometimes in water too, its hard for the dog to be able to tell due to certain environmental variables.

I have also read that its 30min-3hours when the cadaverine is beginning to be expelled- closer to 30min if there are a lot of wounds and tissue damage, closer to 3 hours if there is no wounding. with that said, you could still wrap and transport remains without leaving cadaverine as long as you work quickly. moo

 

[rainbowshummingbird]

I'm under no illusions

Haha, I didn’t mean I was specifically your wet blanket, more of a general wet blanket. If that makes sense.

 

[Barry]

Haha, I didn’t mean I was specifically your wet blanket, more of a general wet blanket. If that makes sense.

No worries, I knew how you meant it. I really hope they find her!

 

[Boxer]

Do we know the model? Do we know if it is an atv? Even if it was trailered somewhere with BM’s truck, he could take off deep into the woods with it. LE would know where the truck was parked but there would be hundreds of acres of rough terrain where he could deposit a body.
Of course he could also take off on any one of those trails right near his house. If he left a body deep in the woods anywhere it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. If LE has searched areas near where they know his truck was parked, they know he wouldn’t carry a body too far. An atv would open up a much wider area of possibilities. MOO

2003 Honda Accord car.
Not sure about ATV being a good idea. Its loud.
MOO driving south on 50 out of Salida looks like a simple place to access the Arkansas River for miles and miles with miles of road visibility each way, for whoever took her.


Also what if the purpose of the machinery at night was to retrieve something buried there, to be hidden, but before the situation became murder.

 

[Seattle1]

For whatever reason she may have been planning her departure, I’m inclined to think his actions were more calculated. He “moved on” way too fast IMHO. Even discounting the home in IN, which may have been in the works, pre SM going “missing,” I can’t imagine acting the way he has so soon after having my spouse go missing. Not to mention all the nonsense BM spewed to TD. However, you’d think that if he premeditated offing SM, he would have done a better job of covering his tracks?
I guess he just wasn’t as smart as he thought. Most of these dolts usually aren’t.

According to public records, the victim of this thread, SM, has a 20+ year history of acquiring and selling real estate, some with mortgages, and all satisfied or paid off (most transactions were joint, with her husband).

I think BM's priorities are: Barry, Money, Wealth, Family, SM.

SM disappeared only weeks before they were going to cash out on a time-sensitive real estate transaction. If premeditated, I think SM would have disappeared after the early transaction closed or early June.

MOO

ETA: We've seen BM's reaction to any media attention, and I think he's absolutely livid that he had to expose himself to more attention in Probate Court for Guardianship petition.

 

[LietKynes]

For whatever reason she may have been planning her departure, I’m inclined to think his actions were more calculated. He “moved on” way too fast IMHO. Even discounting the home in IN, which may have been in the works, pre SM going “missing,” I can’t imagine acting the way he has so soon after having my spouse go missing. Not to mention all the nonsense BM spewed to TD. However, you’d think that if he premeditated offing SM, he would have done a better job of covering his tracks?
I guess he just wasn’t as smart as he thought. Most of these dolts usually aren’t.

bbm
Ita.
Imo -- I'm guessing BM made many mistakes and LE are looking for enough evidence to clinch this case ?

Speculation :
At this time, even if LE have found dna evidence on the wood chippers/barrel grinders, they may want to still find some remains.
And I believe LE have mountains of evidence they're not revealing !
There's always hope.
I sensed from the presser with sheriff Spezze a dogged determination to seek justice for Suzanne !
LE aren't going to just give up and go away... as the husband may be wishing.

 

[enelram]

All I know is that in the Camp Fire (which was extremely hot), there is still 1 person for whom no remains were found. And the main source of data for the other dead were things like artificial joints or teeth. They found most of these parts by sifting and sifting. No DNA remained whatsoever, is my understanding.

Dogs can detect cadaverine for years, apparently (not produced when there's a completely burned body, obviously).

Cadaverine isn't produced right at the moment of death - but about 12-24 hours later. I hate even mentioning that, but it's easily google-able, in case of lurkers here.

A dead body will have so much cadaverine in it, if it decomposes naturally, that it will take a looong time for all the scent molecules to go away. There are also electronic sniffers, these days (roughly as good as dogs; dogs are much better in many circumstances, since they will head toward the source of the scent, whereas the sniffer operator has to keep taking measurements and walking in circles).

My questions would be around whether dogs can sniff tiny amounts of decomposing blood. (Trigger warning - more discussion of dead things): I read a study where they used dogs in butcher shops and places where meat is hung before it is butchered. Very early in the process, dogs could sniff cadaverine. And they could sniff it out as a blood smear on an apron or on packaging, as well.

What I've always wanted to know is whether well-trained dogs can distinguish between human cadaverine and other animals' cadaverine (they can, right?) I think the dogs in the above study were trained on bovine cadaverine, but I'm not absolutely positive.

According to this article cadaver dogs can distinguish between animal and human remains.
Some interesting tidbits here about sniffing
15 ft. below ground and 30ft deep in water.
And they can detect a scent even if body has been moved.
Hope this helps- worth a read.

The Truth About Cadaver Dogs: 5 Things You Didn’t Know.