Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #3

[Best of What's Around]

Likely not released because LE does not have a time and place that she was last seen or orally spoken to on May 10 or in the immediate days before. JMO.

Agreed but I would think they would go back further than May 8th for video preservation if she had not been confirmed well verbally or in person on that date at least (May 8th or thereafter). IMO

 

[clearskies1]

Agreed but I would think they would go back further than May 8th for video preservation if she had not been confirmed verbally or in person on that date at least. IMO

I don't know. Maybe they know her whereabouts on May 8th, and are starting there. A lot unknown to the public.

 

[susiQ]

I am trying to think why LE would not give such info and maybe it is to keep any potential unofficial suspects in the dark as to what they do know. Again, MOO.

SABBM
MO TOO

 

[Best of What's Around]

I don't know. Maybe they know her whereabouts on May 8th, and are starting there. A lot unknown to the public.

Yes, sorry I was not clear. I think they are going back to the last confirmed sighting or verbal confirmation at least. If she had not been seen/heard since the 7th, they would go back to at least the 7th and not start the request for the 8th. Yet, it is conceivable that they would go back to the 8th even if she was confirmed okay on the 9th for example as perhaps they have concerns about others’ behavior or whereabouts from before she went missing. JMO

 

[IntheSticks]

I was born and raised in Salida and I still live close and work in town. This town has changed tremendously in the last 12-15 years. A lot of the “locals” only live in town half the year and we have a huge amount of houses in the city and county that are short term rentals used by people from who knows where. We have a stay at home order but very few from out of state have complied with it and the rivers, trails and camping spots have been packed. If she was in deed taken she very well could be anywhere if someone from out of the area took her. MOO.

Can confirm.

Grew up in Salida; have lived here off and on over the years. Have been back again since August. Trails, rivers, campground packed even with the safer at home stuff going on.

 

[whitelilac]

to follow from my post upthread re: requests for videos from 8th to 12th -
to determine whether what a particular suspect claimed as to his or her whereabouts, jives with the reality. For example, a worker or visitor or whoever who is a suspect, was questioned, and who claimed he was nowhere near the area, but surveillance shows that he was.

 

[IntheSticks]

Where do the locals live the rest of the year? Are these considered to be vacation/second home/rental income instead of a primary residence?

It was packed with out of town people during that time period? Yikes

Bingo. There's a core of full-timers who have lived here for years and are here year-round. But there are a lot of second-home people who are here and vacation home/vacation rentals. There were restrictions through March-April and there was no lodging available anywhere because of COVID-19 restrictions. However, I still saw out-of-state plates at river put-ins and around town. I figured possibly second-home owners in the area wanting to hunker in place in a really beautiful area. However, that traffic has seemingly doubled in the past couple of weeks and river put-ins are full of out-of-state and out-of-county plates.

 

[windrower]

bbm
Agreed.

The most recent photo of Suzanne provided to LE and msm was taken in 2018.
It was also on her FB page and dated.

Actually, we don't have a current photo of her, either.

Is it odd that no recent photos of SM are available? Or have more recent photos of SM just not been widely shared?

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He supposedly was in Denver.

ETA: @kay74 confirmed this in her post above. Thanks, @kay74 !

JMVHO.

LE has not confirmed whether or not the husband was out of town on MD weekend, so we have no way of knowing, for sure, where he was or what he was doing that weekend. At this point, I'm not going to take the word of an anonymous "family member" unless it is also stated by LE.

Has it been established that where the bike was found was staged? Or even that is was found?

We have no LE confirmation that SM went on a bike ride Sunday. The bike ride keep being discussed like there is no question it happened. We do not know if she went on a bike ride Sunday. So the bike may or may not be important, we just don't have enough information.

Again, I'm baffled at what appears to be a lack of involvement by the cycling community. A few mtn bikers have used the GoPro units and I'm not familiar with those units. As a road cyclist I use the Australian made Cycliq cameras front and back. Most users of Cycliq, though, appear to be road cyclists. However, my cameras only have about a 4-5 hour recording time and storage and that varies depending on how you set the video definition. After that period of time the unit records over the oldest footage, so I don't have any footage older than 2-3 days. By waiting till May 17th, I highly doubt ANY cyclist is going to have ANY footage from the 10th. In fact, if they ride every day with their cameras like me that unit has been recorded over 2-3 times or more. I don't know if the FBI's best technicians can go back and get that footage off the SD card.

The lack of involvement by the cycling community may stem from the fact that it isn't certain SM went on a bike ride Sunday. At this point, there are many unanswered questions about when SM was last seen or heard from, and whether or not she was actually out on a ride on Sunday is one of those questions.

We don't have a firm timeline, last I knew. Just that something, or someone, got the ball rolling on Sunday, May 10, about SM being missing on that day.

I'm behind a few pages, again, but going to go ahead and post this, which I started before supper time. My apologies if any of the above has already been addressed and reconciled.

 

[Sillybilly]

This thread is closed for the night.

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[0101ABA]

Good morning, thread is open for posting. Please obey our TOS! I am on my way home from work and my phone is about to die...really really don’t want another mod to wake up to a mess since I won’t be able to follow for about another hour. Thanks in advance wonderful sleuths!!

 

[Boxer]

I don't get it. Why is everyone so convinced that SM was either abducted, kidnapped, assaulted, targeted, and/or murdered by "this person", "the suspect", "a stranger" , "a person with a grudge", or even "a family member"? I've seen nothing from LE or family that makes me think foul play.

Maybe I missed something (maybe on social media, idk, as I've read all posts) but I don't understand why most WS'ers and even LE have been so quick to dismiss the possibility that SM might've been attacked by an animal (a mountain lion). Given the location, and the activity she was engaged in, it was actually the first thing I thought of.

From what I have read online, the area of SM's disappearance is prime mountain lion (aka cougar, puma) habitat. According to a 2004 report by the Colorado Div. of Wildlife (Data Analysis Unit report), the areas north and west of Salida are considered "high density" habitat and "high intensity harvest" areas for mountain lions (the last pertaining to hunting).

While estimates of the mountain lion population in CO range from 4-10k, experts admit that those numbers could be low, as mountain lions are notoriously stealthy and difficult to spot. They are known to inhabit high elevation mountainous areas of Colorado where there is an abundance of deer and elk.

Although there were only 3 officially reported mountain lion attacks on people in Colorado in 2019, experts seem to agree that the number is increasing. A quick search online revealed numerous accounts of mountain lion sitings, encounters, and/or attacks (some involving livestock or pets) throughout the mountainous areas located to the west of Colorado Springs, Denver, and up toward Boulder. Monarch Pass would be included in this area (in fact, the search area includes a gravel road named Puma Path, and there is a Puma Trail northeast of Salida)

Locations mentioned in the articles I read include Salida ('19), Buena Vista (just north of Salida, May '19), Poncha Springs (just west of Salida, '17), Leadville ('16), Edwards ("8-10 lions stalking a neighborhood" south of Eagle River, Feb '19), Bailey (Burland Ranchettes - an 8 y.o. boy, Nov '19), Eagle County, Vail, Glenwood Springs (Jan '19), Avon, Gypsum, Loveland Pass (deputy attacked, Mar '20), Bull Basin, Horsetooth Mountain, and west of Boulder (Mar '20). Colorado Game Management Areas (GMU's) 481, 56, 57, and 49 sit just north and west of Salida and (from the CPW map) are either in, or part of, Chaffee County. All are located within the highlighted areas of the separate 2004 report I referenced above.

A mountain lion's hunting instincts can be triggered by a runner or mountain trail biker. They've also been known to stalk. I think there's a possibility that SM could've stopped to rest, leaned her bike against a tree, and walked down to Fooses creek. Farfetched maybe, but just as possible as some of the other scenarios being tossed out (some very recklessly, I think, at this stage)

If interested, check out the 12 pg booklet of info and regulations for the 2020-2021 mountain lion hunting season published by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (including management areas, maps, etc.) at cpw.state.co.us/huntlion

No evidence of an animal attack. A mountain lion attack would leave a lot of evidence.
SM vanished with very little evidence.

 

[Peppered_peach]

Where do the locals live the rest of the year? Are these considered to be vacation/second home/rental income instead of a primary residence?

It was packed with out of town people during that time period? Yikes

Yes, a lot of these houses are second homes, which are used as short term rentals when the owners aren’t using them.

 

[Deleted member 102539]

Good thinking. May 8 might be the last "seen/heard alive' date. Interesting.

jmopinion

Maybe, LE/FBI have already someone on their radar since before SM going missing and want to know, if the person was seen in that area between May, 8th and 12th. Maybe something important is pointing to this person as a possible perp and he was indeed absent from his home during exactly this time? The person hasn't to be from CO, could be also IN for example. MOO

 

[Warwick7]

Considering the fact that I think Suzanne was abducted and taken by a really creepy dude, as I've stated in earlier posts, I'll give a list here of the likely suspects:

It's terrible that she hasn't been found yet. With all of this searching, I was convinced she would be found dead or alive by now.............from "whatever" cause.

At first I was really mad at law enforcement for keeping the inner workings of the investigation so private, cloaked in secrecy. After some time to think though, I think I know what they're up to.

They knew by Tuesday of last week that she had been snatched, for lack of a better word. So then the question.......snatched by who ??? Her husband put up a 100K reward shortly after, which was matched by a family friend shortly thereafter, both of these individuals have "insider" information that none of us have.

The police and their trained search crews have been out there for a week now. They aren't searching for Suzanne, they're searching for evidence of what may have happened to her. I think they knew by Tuesday of last week that this wasn't some weird biking accident.

I watched the video of her poor husband today, he looks sunburned, tired, exhausted, and scared. He was asked to sit in front of a camera to satisfy the curiosity of all of us. If I had to take a wild guess, I think he really did believe that his wife had some kind of a bizarre biking incident......in the beginning. He certainly doesn't think that now..........nor do I.

I stated three or four days ago that I thought she was abducted by a local. Local to........Maysville or Salida, ?
These are things I don't know. Had Suzanne and Barry met people that knew both of them ? I don't know either.

I commented that I think she was abducted/taken by someone that the two of them had met in the short time they've lived in Colorado. I still think that's true..........but the big question for the police.........who? Remember the Jayme Closs abduction? I think we're dealing with the same type of nutcase. He stalked her. Watched her. Fell in love with her. Decided he had to have her. The only difference in this case, I think this is a sexual assault/"I think she likes me , I'll confront her" type of case.
Much to his chagrin...........and anger............she didn't want anything to do with him. Chances are good, the person that "nabbed" her is an unstable nutcase that lives in the immediate area. My....wasn't he surprised, knowing her husband was out of town, but here she rejected him ???!!! My suspicion is that Suzanne was nice to this person at one point or another. Maybe she joked around, and heaven forbid (winked) at him !!! As a total and complete loser, he went into "Jayme Closs" mode.

I think that's the type of person that grabbed Suzanne. I think her husband knows it. I think the police know it. I think all of these searches are being conducted to look for evidence..............and to buy time...............while the detectives are interviewing and squeezing the employees and contacts of this poor family.

Unfortunately...............the last person on the radar...............is going to be the last person suspected...............just think Jayme Closs. She had to save herself. The cops and all of their blustering, did nothing to save her. The cops had given up on it...........assumed her dead. I don't really believe that Suzanne is still alive....................but I do believe that hope is something we should never lose or discount.

BBM
No. I would like to think BM was sitting in front of a camera pleading for his wife. Pleading to a captor to let her go.

 

[Warwick7]

Is it odd that no recent photos of SM are available? Or have more recent photos of SM just not been widely shared?

<modsnip: quoted post was removed>



LE has not confirmed whether or not the husband was out of town on MD weekend, so we have no way of knowing, for sure, where he was or what he was doing that weekend. At this point, I'm not going to take the word of an anonymous "family member" unless it is also stated by LE.



We have no LE confirmation that SM went on a bike ride Sunday. The bike ride keep being discussed like there is no question it happened. We do not know if she went on a bike ride Sunday. So the bike may or may not be important, we just don't have enough information.



The lack of involvement by the cycling community may stem from the fact that it isn't certain SM went on a bike ride Sunday. At this point, there are many unanswered questions about when SM was last seen or heard from, and whether or not she was actually out on a ride on Sunday is one of those questions.

We don't have a firm timeline, last I knew. Just that something, or someone, got the ball rolling on Sunday, May 10, about SM being missing on that day.

I'm behind a few pages, again, but going to go ahead and post this, which I started before supper time. My apologies if any of the above has already been addressed and reconciled.

Bam! Great post!

 

[Poedelini]

So sad Suzanne is still not found.

I wonder if there is going to more searches soon. Hopefully she is seen on some camera's of neighbors.

 

[happyday]

Considering the fact that I think Suzanne was abducted and taken by a really creepy dude, as I've stated in earlier posts, I'll give a list here of the likely suspects:

It's terrible that she hasn't been found yet. With all of this searching, I was convinced she would be found dead or alive by now.............from "whatever" cause.

At first I was really mad at law enforcement for keeping the inner workings of the investigation so private, cloaked in secrecy. After some time to think though, I think I know what they're up to.

They knew by Tuesday of last week that she had been snatched, for lack of a better word. So then the question.......snatched by who ??? Her husband put up a 100K reward shortly after, which was matched by a family friend shortly thereafter, both of these individuals have "insider" information that none of us have.

The police and their trained search crews have been out there for a week now. They aren't searching for Suzanne, they're searching for evidence of what may have happened to her. I think they knew by Tuesday of last week that this wasn't some weird biking accident.

I watched the video of her poor husband today, he looks sunburned, tired, exhausted, and scared. He was asked to sit in front of a camera to satisfy the curiosity of all of us. If I had to take a wild guess, I think he really did believe that his wife had some kind of a bizarre biking incident......in the beginning. He certainly doesn't think that now..........nor do I.

I stated three or four days ago that I thought she was abducted by a local. Local to........Maysville or Salida, ?
These are things I don't know. Had Suzanne and Barry met people that knew both of them ? I don't know either.

I commented that I think she was abducted/taken by someone that the two of them had met in the short time they've lived in Colorado. I still think that's true..........but the big question for the police.........who? Remember the Jayme Closs abduction? I think we're dealing with the same type of nutcase. He stalked her. Watched her. Fell in love with her. Decided he had to have her. The only difference in this case, I think this is a sexual assault/"I think she likes me , I'll confront her" type of case.
Much to his chagrin...........and anger............she didn't want anything to do with him. Chances are good, the person that "nabbed" her is an unstable nutcase that lives in the immediate area. My....wasn't he surprised, knowing her husband was out of town, but here she rejected him ???!!! My suspicion is that Suzanne was nice to this person at one point or another. Maybe she joked around, and heaven forbid (winked) at him !!! As a total and complete loser, he went into "Jayme Closs" mode.

I think that's the type of person that grabbed Suzanne. I think her husband knows it. I think the police know it. I think all of these searches are being conducted to look for evidence..............and to buy time...............while the detectives are interviewing and squeezing the employees and contacts of this poor family.

Unfortunately...............the last person on the radar...............is going to be the last person suspected...............just think Jayme Closs. She had to save herself. The cops and all of their blustering, did nothing to save her. The cops had given up on it...........assumed her dead. I don't really believe that Suzanne is still alive....................but I do believe that hope is something we should never lose or discount.

BBM

Who asked him to make the video? I was under the impression it was self-produced and put on fb by the family.

 

[Poedelini]

BBM

Who asked him to make the video? I was under the impression it was self-produced and put on fb by the family.

It does say in the video; video in courtesty of the morphew family.

 

[Curiousobserver]

I think it's the first request for footage, but not sure. And yeah, that date...whoa.

And there are almost no houses in the area between her house and the trail, location where her bike was supposedly found- are they are hoping for footage somewhere else of something else?

 

[Warwick7]

I wish LE would give us a timeline. Also, in the Jayme Closs case LE asked local people to think back to their husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, kids, colleagues, neighbors etc that came home displaying suspicious behaviour. This, I feel, would be a good request in SM's situation.