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

[Auntie Cipation]

I thought I read earlier that the husband was a volunteer firefighter. Which is a thing that very small communities have.

Now I'm seeing comments about "wildland firefighter". Where did that change come from?

Those are two very different things.

I'm not aware of any volunteer wildland firefighters. Only paid folks, and sometimes inmate crews.

Both categories do have training sessions, though, which may be the part that's relevant in any case.

 

[clearskies1]

I’m thinking maybe the vehicle referenced above seemed out of place because it was parked in an unusual place?

ETA: But I see vehicles parked in strange places a lot, but I just assume it’s because we are in nature and the person is fishing or hiking or whatever.

Wonder where he saw the vehicle in relation to the items found -- bike and personal item.

 

[Stripehaven]

Hi--thanks for this -- and apologies if it's been discussed and I missed it (wow; you miss a lot when you have to go spend the day working, sadly) -- but do we know what kind of bike SM allegedly was riding? I've seen aerial views of the SM property and the drives and they look like dirt drives with another .78 mile dirt road through the subdivision to the intersection of Highway 50 and the county road where the "personal item" was apparently found...? (please correct if wrong)

Anyway, I've ridden lots of different bikes in this area and there's just no way I'd take a high performance road bike onto a dirt track or dirt road. I have the impression that SM is known as a physically active woman, and she's lived in the area for a couple of years, so she no doubt picked up pretty quickly what worked and what didn't on the roads, especially around her house.

So did NG mention the kind of bike this is? Road or mountain?

Thanks in advance.

I don’t believe they identified the kind of bike or whether it was high-performance. They seemed just to be tossing ideas around.

Also, they played the clip of the sheriff’s statement from the other day and he said they found personal itemS. But of course did not elaborate.

 

[prima.facie]

Removed by me.

 

[margarita25]

Maybe they’re waiting on trace evidence analysis to come back on the bike before talking about it with the public, like potential paint transfer for instance.

Still thinking about why they’re being so secretive about the bike. Perhaps they’re analyzing it and waiting on that analysis. But then why not just say that?

 

[branmuffin]

I've just read that the neighbour saw Suzanne leave. Does anyone know how far apart the houses are? Would the neighbour be close enough to see Suzanne on her own driveway or would she be identifying a rider wearing Suzanne's distinctive helmet? I mentioned the time 5:45 earlier, a time that I thought had been mentioned by the neighbour. It would still have been quite light then.

There's just something off here, not sure what it is. The bike and the personal item, not necessarily found in the same place feel like the crumbs Hansel and Gretel followed in the woods.

 

[BoatyMcboatface]

Maybe they’re waiting on trace evidence analysis to come back on the bike before talking about it with the public, like potential paint transfer for instance.

Still thinking about why they’re being so secretive about the bike. Perhaps they’re analyzing it and waiting on that analysis. But then why not just say that?

Maybe she never went for a bike ride, and they don’t need the public’s help.

 

[Force Ten]

Maybe they’re waiting on trace evidence analysis to come back on the bike before talking about it with the public, like potential paint transfer for instance.

Still thinking about why they’re being so secretive about the bike. Perhaps they’re analyzing it and waiting on that analysis. But then why not just say that?

I've just read that the neighbour saw Suzanne leave. Does anyone know how far apart the houses are? Would the neighbour be close enough to see Suzanne on her own driveway or would she be identifying a rider wearing Suzanne's distinctive helmet? I mentioned the time 5:45 earlier, a time that I thought had been mentioned by the neighbour. It would still have been quite light then.

There's just something off here, not sure what it is. The bike and the personal item, not necessarily found in the same place feel like the crumbs Hansel and Gretel followed in the woods.

I keep thinking the personal item is actually her helmet. It was what she was wearing when she was last seen.

 

[margarita25]

No epiphany or anything, but just thinking about awareness space and all that usual stuff:

IF there’s a random perp, maybe the perp lives in Salida since it’s just 11.6 miles.

Salida population:
5,963 (2018)

16 min (11.6 mi)
via US-50 E

 

[swedeheart]

If this dude in the out of place car was up to no good, it needn't be a random stranger looking for an opportunity. Could be a stalker like someone who worked in her home, or the clerk at the gas station . Maybe someone who interacted with Suzanne and took an unhealthy liking to her.

or perhaps it was a woman in the out-of-place car. MOO.

 

[IntheSticks]

Erm, what is a "car that shouldn't have been there?"

I would say a McClaren 765 LT shouldn't have been there. Its airscoops would get dinged very badly and the massive air vents are gonna get messed up by the dirt and don't even get me going on the paint and the gravel

My Corvette shouldn't have been there 'cause I'd be having a heart attack

Are the roads restricted to Subarus in that region?

No, but you're totally right that a car like a McClaren at a trailhead or on a dirt road would defo stick out to those of us from the area. It's one of those "what the heck is that person doing driving that in this rough-road area?" kind of reaction from people who live here and spend enough time in the area to get a feel for it. A lot of the time we might dismiss it as tourists in a rental car, but we also might snicker at somebody deciding to do outdoor rec in a car like that.

Cuz I have done a lot of outdoor rec in Chaffee County and other parts of the country, one of the things I tend to do is check the cars at trailheads. Cars that give me pause are super nice ones like sports cars with low frames and air scoops and also really beat up vehicles that don't have outdoor rec stickers on them. If the really beat up vehicles don't have those, then I worry about people who may be transients and camping illicitly off hiking trails. Most of the time people like that are probably fine, and just minding their business, but others might not be and especially if I'm alone, I'm extra-wary about a car like that.

And if you live near a trailhead or a river put-in, you pay attention to who's coming and going and you get a sense of who's there for legit rec and who's there to just hang out and maybe smoke weed or drink in a quiet spot. And then there are the cars with people who aren't doing either and if you see them, you wonder what they're doing and you keep an eye on them if they're hanging around the trailhead or the put-in.

Or maybe I'm just one of those people who pays attention to things most people don't. Heh. Totally possible.

 

[Dave F.]

I thought I read earlier that the husband was a volunteer firefighter. Which is a thing that very small communities have.

Now I'm seeing comments about "wildland firefighter". Where did that change come from?

Those are two very different things.

I'm not aware of any volunteer wildland firefighters. Only paid folks, and sometimes inmate crews.

Both categories do have training sessions, though, which may be the part that's relevant in any case.

I think in Colorado, volunteer firefighting leads to the opportunity to train to be a wildland firefighter. At the link below, the Colorado state agency that is responsible begins:
"The first step to becoming a wildland firefighter is to locate a sponsor so you may obtain basic training. Possible sources include local fire departments, fire protection districts, or counties. State and federal agencies may provide wildland firefighting opportunities, but seldom hire or train individuals with no prior experience."
The Wildland Firefighter

Once qualified to proceed to wildland firefighter training, I believe that the basic courses can be taken in Salida (see link).
Colorado Firecamp - wildland firefighter training

 

[bancam]

Maybe they’re waiting on trace evidence analysis to come back on the bike before talking about it with the public, like potential paint transfer for instance.

Still thinking about why they’re being so secretive about the bike. Perhaps they’re analyzing it and waiting on that analysis. But then why not just say that?

Recall this:
'We Want Her Back': $200,000 Reward Offered In Search For Suzanne Morphew

...[Family spokesman/nephew Trevor] Noel says her bike was found that evening, but Morphew was nowhere to be found. Sheriff John Spezze has told CBS4 it was “probably not” animals. Noel urged people to question the sheriff about the condition of the bike...

There’s something about the bike’s condition once located that the nephew/family seemed utterly convinced, IMO, would point/refocus the investigation in a certain direction. So much so that he “urged people to question the sheriff” (who of course remained tight lipped). Recall also that it was the family not LE who revealed that the bike was found on the Sunday, after a few days had passed in which LE had chosen not to reveal this to the public.

So, was it something found on the bike? Was it something not found on the bike?

 

[margarita25]

I’m not sure why NG and Ashley are sooo curious as to why they moved to Colorado? I realize any and all background information is needed during a case, but just not sure why they’re so curious about it. Nancy says, “Why move if you’re happy and doing well where you are?” People move here all the time because it’s beautiful and ideal for active lifestyles.

 

[mrsu]

And I can verify this because I was in Colorado and looking up sunset time every day that week because we were checking out different sunset viewing spots every night.

When you are essentially at the base of a mountain, it gets darker earlier once the sun drops behind the mountain. So yes, while the sun may not fully set until 8:30pm, it might drop behind the mountain by 7pm and you lose light quickly.

 

[Bgky4]

This scenario would dovetail with the fact that LE didn’t warn people about a possible random stranger abduction and tell people to lock their doors. But I still can’t get over the idea that this stalker would have an inkling that SM might go for a bike ride, while he waited in his car for hours or days.

If BM were still to own/operate a landscaping business (or some other business-maybe in Denver?), could this be a disgruntled, former employee with a grudge against BM? This would explain LE’s lack of details to the public (regarding public safety-not random) & BM’s choice of words in his video plea, not to mention the relatively quick reward $’s (no questions asked). This person might also have some knowledge of their home surroundings, as well, IMO.

 

[swedeheart]

DBM.

 

[mrsu]

I’m thinking maybe a car was parked somewhere for 3 days with a flat tire and the tipster found that odd for some reason. Trying to keep within rules.

 

[Ssschu]

Recall this:
'We Want Her Back': $200,000 Reward Offered In Search For Suzanne Morphew

...[Family spokesman/nephew Trevor] Noel says her bike was found that evening, but Morphew was nowhere to be found. Sheriff John Spezze has told CBS4 it was “probably not” animals. Noel urged people to question the sheriff about the condition of the bike...

There’s something about the bike’s condition once located that the nephew/family seemed utterly convinced, IMO, would point/refocus the investigation in a certain direction. So much so that he “urged people to question the sheriff” (who of course remained tight lipped). Recall also that it was the family not LE who revealed that the bike was found on the Sunday, after a few days had passed in which LE had chosen not to reveal this to the public.

So, was it something found on the bike? Was it something not found on the bike?

And the Sheriff wisely did not take the bait....JMO.

 

[PingTheRouter]

a family member posted on SM that the entire family was staying with a "close neighbor" since the first day of the case, so i believe the house has been sealed from day 1. perhaps they only recently got the warrant to search it, but seems like they've had eyes on it since mother's day, which is great.

seems like a smart thing to do to have the house sealed from day one, its the one place they know for sure she was kinda last seen at

this case just i dunno boggles my mind, some of the things in the MSM seem to only add to the confusion, the only thing i can think of is the police know a lot more than they are ready to release to the public yet

but man this state has been through the wringer hasn't it, the poor communities involved breaks my heart