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

[Puzzles8]

This was one of the first questions discussed last week (now thread #3) but I think it's safe to state that the cell coverage here is no better or worse than any other mountain town or about 75% chance of coverage regardless of the carrier and where "roaming" also is a factor of service. Both the sheriff's fb and local outlets have blogs dedicated to the area phone service, no service, outages, etc.

While there's no evidence that any electronic device of SM's was located it would be great if LE does have possession of her phone which can reveal critical information including when, where, and party she last communicated with.

MOO

Sorry for asking repeat questions, I am really trying to catch up.

Even if they have not found her actual cell phone, LE can still retrieve a lot of information from her cell carrier. <modsnip>

 

[Jo in Calif]

from confusing article ...."According to the report, family members have confirmed that Morphew’s husband Barry Morphew was in Denver on May 10........." "according to the report"........which report? further up it opens with ..."CBS 4 Denver reports that authorities in Chaffee County are asking Maysville residents to save any video...." so to confirm the alibi I googled CBS 4 Denver and see no such report or anything on family confirming anything...just saying....so according to what report?

I believe they were talking about this report.

Morphew was last seen on Mother’s Day, May 10. Her husband was in Denver, her family says, and a neighbor reported Morphew missing when she didn’t return from her bike ride.

Search For Suzanne Morphew: Neighbors Asked To Save Surveillance Video

 

[GoJacks]

Remember Aubree Corona?

It is assumed she got lost. She was found deceased 1.3 miles from her vehicle.

Were CBI/FBI brought in for any of these cases?

 

[Spartygirl]

We all must remember the case of Heidi Broussard. Many people, like myself immediately thought of the dad, and took clues from his police interview. It turned out that he was as much a victim as the baby and Heidi. There are cases when your gut feeling is wrong.

Thank you for the reminder.
I tend to go with my first instinct but you are correct, once in a very great while, it is about something totally different than what we think and the situation is not always what we think.
Heck, sometimes when I think there is a perp, it ends up being an accident even. So there's that. JMO

 

[margarita25]

I wonder if Agent Tammy or Agent Coder have been assigned to this case, and if so have they conducted the interviews? Just wondering. IF there is FP on behalf of someone close to Suzanne, they’ll likely get a “back rub”.

 

[MesquiteO21]

Is everybody here sold on foul play? I have some thoughts re: the terrain, etc. but don’t want stones thrown at me lol jk.

for the most part, simply based on LE's response. I don't think accident is 100% ruled out, but the authorities know more than we do. Full respect to LE, but their priority is collecting evidence and apprehending (alleged) perpetrators. Pulling out all the agencies that are now involved basically says it all. From what I've seen, if an accident is suspected and the person could possibly be alive, they will send out SAR, but FBI is pretty unlikely to be called in.

I think of the missing persons cases I've personally been involved in that were likely suicides -- which indeed turned out to be true -- and while LE was aware, they didn't rally or organize searches like we see here. It may seem heartless but you have to remember that they have finite resources, man power, time, etc. and that really has to be saved for things like processing crime scenes and catching perpetrators. I just don't think they would go to all this trouble if they thought accident or self-harm were equally as likely as foul play.

 

[CharLee2112]

Some questions answered on May 18:

Investigator explains FBI’s involvement in Chaffee County missing woman case
Investigator explains FBI's involvement in Chaffee County missing woman case - KRDO

BM's video plea:
"It's something that's caught the attention of former Pueblo County Sheriff and now Private Investigator Dan Corsentino. 'It seems to me there is something more driving this case that none of us know about at this point in time,' he said."

Why FBI:
"Although Corsentino says the FBI's involvement does bring out some clues. 'The sheriff of Chaffee County would say that he has information that is pertinent to something beyond Chaffee County and they want the FBI to search outside Chaffee County,' he said. While investigators have found "what's believed to be a personal item" belonging to Morphew, they haven't said what the item is."

"'They want to maintain the integrity of this case. They want to make sure there are no leaks in the case especially if they have some suspicion of a person who may be involved, like a person of interest,' Corsentino said."

"Without much to go off of, he says his past in law enforcement leads him to believe there are unusual circumstances. 'This case is going to be something more than I think a family-related case. That's just my gut instinct,' Corsentino said."

 

[LietKynes]

Sorry for asking repeat questions, I am really trying to catch up.

Even if they have not found her actual cell phone, LE can still retrieve a lot of information from her cell carrier. <modsnip>

Valid points. ^^^

Or GPS from the vehicles as well.
I'm sure they own more than one vehicle.

 

[LietKynes]

Some questions answered on May 18:

Investigator explains FBI’s involvement in Chaffee County missing woman case
Investigator explains FBI's involvement in Chaffee County missing woman case - KRDO

BM's video plea:
"It's something that's caught the attention of former Pueblo County Sheriff and now Private Investigator Dan Corsentino. 'It seems to me there is something more driving this case that none of us know about at this point in time,' he said."

Why FBI:
"Although Corsentino says the FBI's involvement does bring out some clues. 'The sheriff of Chaffee County would say that he has information that is pertinent to something beyond Chaffee County and they want the FBI to search outside Chaffee County,' he said. While investigators have found "what's believed to be a personal item" belonging to Morphew, they haven't said what the item is."

"'They want to maintain the integrity of this case. They want to make sure there are no leaks in the case especially if they have some suspicion of a person who may be involved, like a person of interest,' Corsentino said."

"Without much to go off of, he says his past in law enforcement leads him to believe there are unusual circumstances. 'This case is going to be something more than I think a family-related case. That's just my gut instinct,' Corsentino said."

bbm
That's "new" news !
Thanks for the link.
Interesting that the scope of the search is now leading away from their home.

 

[Seattle1]

Sorry for asking repeat questions, I am really trying to catch up.

Even if they have not found her actual cell phone, LE can still retrieve a lot of information from her cell carrier. <modsnip>

Sure, with a search warrant and the FBI data recovery personnel it's astounding what can be recovered with or without the instrument.

 

[ab01]

Sure, with a search warrant and the FBI data recovery personnel it's astounding what can be recovered with or without the instrument.

We saw that in the Berreth case, Even without her phone they were able to uncover quite a lot of pertinent information

 

[clearskies1]

It's also interesting that a neighbor called her missing. A ride to Hwy 50 from her house passes one home with a view of the road. A ride to Foose Dam she slightly passes a house and directly passes a home.

She either went for a ride at the same time every day or the neighbor was looking at the window at just the right time. hasn't LEO described her height, weight, what she was last wearing (besides the green helmet), bike brand name/color? Just seems odd.

RSBM.
As discussed previously, it has never been stated that the neighbor saw Suzanne that day. Here is part of the initial press release from the Sheriff: "Members of the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and contacted the reporting party. They advised that their neighbor, Suzanne Morphew, age 49, from the Maysville area had reportedly gone for a bike ride in the area and failed to return home." (BBM). It has not been disclosed what caused the neighbor to say that Suzanne reportedly went for a bike ride. For all we know, a family member or friend could have called the neighbor with that information.
Missing Person - Chaffee County Sheriff

No one has publicly stated that they saw Suzanne that day -- that is probably why there is no description of her clothing. As to the green bike helmet, that information comes from a flyer that's on the "Find Suzanne Morphew" FB page. LE has not stated that she was wearing that helmet.

 

[oviedo]

bbm
That's "new" news !
Thanks for the link.
Interesting that the scope of the search is now leading away from their home.

Like where her body may be if she was taken elsewhere ?? If she was kidnapped ?
JMO

 

[Lore Listener]

Thank you for the reminder.
I tend to go with my first instinct but you are correct, once in a very great while, it is about something totally different than what we think and the situation is not always what we think.
Heck, sometimes when I think there is a perp, it ends up being an accident even. So there's that. JMO

On the other hand, remember Todd Kohlkepp? And that couple that were his last victim & survivor? And most of us thought their car went off the road and debated whether they were in a body of water and whether kudzu could totally cover a car to the point it's hidden from searchers? And then BAM! The woman was being held captive by a serial killer and the man had been murdered by him, and he was responsible for an unsolved mass killing with a totally different MO from many years earlier?

Truth is stranger than fiction. Without these unexpected twists would Dateline even have a show? Certainly some theories are more rational and reasonable than others and the evidence and statistics often point in a certain clear direction (or away from another). We'll know when we know.

 

[10ofRods]

From your post, I'm not sure if you know that the Arkansas River and the South Arkansas River are not the same waterway. They each come down from the mountains in different drainages.

The South Arkansas River is what goes by the Morphew's house and Maysville, then runs into the Arkansas River south of Salida. The headwaters of the South Arkansas River are up by Monarch Pass, west up Hwy 50 from Maysville, and it is smaller than the Arkansas.

Thank you - I was about to look that up. I knew the South Arkansas went into the Arkansas and I did think the headwaters were closer to Maysville. It's been years since I've been up there, but my aunt's in-laws had a cabin on the way up to Monarch Pass (maybe on the other side though).

Is that stretch before Salida at all used for rafting?

 

[10ofRods]

Seems no matter how much I try to stay up to date with this thread, I'm always 10+ pages behind! I feel like we are running in circles here and until we get some more information, I am trying not to overthink this or point fingers. I do think LE has a decent idea of what path this is leading down. I thought we were getting very little information for a reason. I am now a bit frustrated that they are just now asking for video footage! Do you need the public's help or not? And if you do, why so little to go on? I can understand not discussing the condition of the bike, but I don't get keeping quiet about details that folks in the area could have possibly recalled.

I have little expertise on how different security cameras work and how long they store data. Is it possible to 'save' the information if you are not at the property (for those that only stay at the houses on a temporary basis)?

I think we all have more questions than answers and all are hoping for the best. I also want to apologize if my comments regarding Mother's Day stirred up a fuss. It was not intended that way at all, I was just trying to think about who would have been the last to see or talk to her, etc. considering the holiday. If their family would have visited considering the stay close to home went in place. It wasn't that I thought it was odd really, as I often don't get to see my mother due to her being almost 3 hours away, not including all the covid restrictions. I was just trying to think about different scenarios and as someone else pointed out, these 'disappearances' often happen on holidays.

I think it's reasonable to assume that the younger child would have been at home during the stay at home period, but this could have been the first weekend free to visit with friends, etc. and the first time for Suzanne to get a 'break' from the teen (for those of us who have those magical creatures, you may know what I mean. Quarantine has been rough for them too.)

I hope Suzanne is found soon, safely.

All MOO, of course.

<modsnip: Members have been advised to not discuss Suzanne's health is there no WS approved source for the information>

We all have those same questions.

What we know, though, is that a 49 year old woman is missing; the police were told she went for a bike ride; she's not at the house, she doesn't appear to be in the reservoir or the river, she doesn't seem to be near where her bike was found. Husband speaks as if it's an abduction (MOO). No one has heard from her, that we know of. And now, LE has asked people in the area to look through videos from May 8-May 12.

Which is interesting.

 

[whitelilac]

from the article above :

Although Corsentino says the FBI's involvement does bring out some clues.

"The sheriff of Chaffee County would say that he has information that is pertinent to something beyond Chaffee County and they want the FBI to search outside Chaffee County," he said.

bbm ....what does "would say" mean? To me, it implies a hypothetical probability, not that the sheriff actually said that. imo

 

[kkdj]

I wonder if this was set up instead of something random.
The whole story (what we've heard) is so odd.

 

[leonm]

Anyone that knows if she had a Pinterest account? I've seen one but I would like to see some confirmation if possible.

 

[notbornyesterday]

Just some random thoughts here:

I learned about this case from another thread and a Bicycling Magazine online (bicycling.com) article. (I’ve NEVER seen Bicycling Magazine put out an article on a missing person before this.) I do a LOT of biking but it is almost exclusively road cycling and I have only a very limited knowledge of mountain or gravel biking. After scanning through all the posts to this point I’ve come up with some points or questions.

I’ve never really seen a thing on the type of bike or cycling Suzanne was engaged in. Road bike? Mountain bike? Gravel or cross bike? Everything I’ve read here and in the media seems to IMPLY she was mountain biking but I have not seen a verification of that point. When I first heard that Hwy 50 was closed, I assumed she was riding a road bike on Hwy 50. I have watched one YouTube video that seems to mention more, but the mods have specifically mentioned that one as off limits. Which leads me to my next point.

I’ve seen nothing put out by LE asking local bikers – IF she was riding off road – with a description of her bike and helmet and maybe her jersey. For those of us on the road when describing another cyclist will usually use the brand, model and color of the bike they usually ride or race and maybe their kit if they are a member of a team and frequently wear their kit. A couple of reasons for this. One is when we are wearing our helmet and sunglasses it makes it more difficult to ID someone. Another is we might recognize someone from farther away just by their bike. I’ve seen nothing in the media asking who was on the trails that day and did they see her.

Trailhead boards. Some trailheads have a sign-in board – voluntary in most cases – where users can sign-in on the off chance they come up missing. I’ve seen nothing on that, although that may also mean there are no boards on the trails.

Local clubs or associations. I only found one on REI’s website. Salida Mountain Trails. REI lists 11 rides and 46 trails in the area of SMT. Salida Mountain Trails
SMT’s website. Salida Mountain Trails - Volunteer Trail Construction in Salida Colorado - Home
SMT’s Facebook page. Salida Mountain Trails
There is nothing about Suzanne on either SMT’s page or FB page. Of course, Suzanne is likely not a member. But I would have thought if family or LE reached out to SMT members there might be something on the website. When anyone is injured, harassed by non-cyclists or has a bike stolen we share that info on our FB page. Nada here on Suzanne. I did note that the FB page has some posts about vandalism on the trails. One where someone buried a board with nails in it on the trail and another where someone sawed partway through bridge supports.

Local bike shops. About a half dozen in the area. Only one, Salida Bike Company (apparently only a bike repair shop and not necessarily a seller of bikes) has anything on their web site or Facebook page. I’d say this is unusual and probably indicative of not reaching out to the local cycling community.

Suzanne’s proficiency and experience on a mountain bike. Not mentioned at all. From what little experience I’ve had on a mountain bike, I’ve found it required more bike handling skills that what I acquired from road cycling. Going to REI’s web site on the immediate area the majority of the trails are rated difficult – probably based on the steepness of the climbs or the level of bike handling skills required or both. Many appear to be single track trails. So I can assume she was reasonably comfortable on these trails based on the difficulty ratings? Assuming is all I can do as the local cyclists seem to be silent and I don’t get that aspect.

Lastly, cycling electronics. I wonder if Suzanne had some sort of cycling electronics such as Garmin, Wahoo or Polar. The handlebar mounted units the size of a cell phone like the Garmin 530 have GPS to help plot out your route and in some units can help you back to the trail if you took a wrong turn or get lost. Where cell phones might not have coverage these usually do since they don’t rely on cell tours. They also record the user’s route. In the case of handlebar mounted units if it is still with the bike LE can at least determine where she rode. In the case of a wrist unit they can be paired with a smart phone and the route can be determined. Some cyclists used a handlebar mount instead of wearing a wrist unit on their arm. In almost all cases, if the unit is found the route up to where the bike is found can be determined by plugging into a computer and downloading the data. Why is this important? Many cyclists are crazy about posting their daily activities on Strava or MapMyRide. By determining WHERE Suzanne had been a check of the online sites like Strava can provide possible witnesses that saw her on the trail. If she was mountain biking on the trails.

Again, I may have missed posts that address these points. But I have looked cycling web sites, local bike shop web sites and Facebook pages and LE web pages/Facebook pages.

What a well thought out and worthwhile post. I commend you on it. Thank you for taking the time to type this.