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

[EggSalad]

I think it looks like a pretty normal personal charity used to facilitate donations (probably from other church members) and/or to get a tax break on their own contributions. Probably funded a missionary trip or two -- likely that they and the other key employees actually went on. Possibly been less active of late if Suzanne has been struggling with health issues/having ongoing treatments, but re-registered in CO because it still has cash subject to legal constraints.

ETA: FWIW, I think there is 0 chance that this has anything to do with her disappearance.

As someone else pointed out in another page of these threads ( ie: this is a good thought and not my idea) : Maybe it was just giving out Bibles or something low key.

My guess is that it seemed like a good idea at the time, but it ran out of steam and SM lost interest, or her health issues intervened.

And I agree. This is not at all related to her disappearance.

Probably not linked to her disappearance, but it is an oddity to me. If the non-profit was making donations or providing bibles or going on mission trips, then it doesn't show up on their 990 financial reporting. Her non profit shows literally $0 in expense since inception.

I think the point of it being an interest to her that she ran out of steam on is probably accurate. But if so, why go through the hassle of re-registering it in CO so recently? Like most of this case, it's hard to make heads or tails of the info.

 

[Mimi in London]

@Mimi in London said: ↑
Do you think perhaps her husband can’t bring himself to admit she may have had a terrain-related accident? And would rather hang on to the hope of a kidnapping?



One page back is a news video that included live comments by two female longtime residents -- one walking her dog and the other in her vehicle. I found it interesting that one expressed how she could easily be swallowed in the terrain if she had a biking accident and the other clearly believes SM the victim of foul play.
I agree that the investigation team is not looking for a biking accident victim here.

If this is a situation where the couple were living separate lives, maybe the husband believes SM was not keeping good company and suspects she was abducted by a false friend. I think if LE believes SM was abducted, they must also think SM was the target and not a random act since there have been no warnings issued to the public to beware. I really hope SM is located today. MOO

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I don’t think for a minute it was either an accident or an abduction, for all the reasons already outlined.

I imagine it’s just a matter of time until whoever caused her demise realises they aren’t as clever as LE.

 

[Lori Cooper]

I’m in the middle of relocating to Colorado. Last year my friend and her husband moved there after only one visit! I was with them on that visit and being that we are from a large city in the Midwest, the Colorado wilderness & vibe took our breaths away. It is so beautiful there and it’s hard not to fall in love right away. It offers something magical you can’t get in the midwest. Since that first visit a year and a half ago, I’ve visited about 10 times and picked out an area I could see myself living the rest of my life that is away from people and at least a 45 minute commute to a larger area for work. Sometimes we all need to shift and slow down - and if they both worked a lot to make those millions & their kids are out of the house now I could see a quiet, but physically active mountain life being attractive to them at this point.

my guess is they visited enough times to be able to pick out a spot to live but we all know that you don’t REALLY know an area until you’ve lived there for a longer period of time.

Agreed! I have always said that my soul belongs in Colorado. I would love nothing more than to be living in an isolated place, surrounded by the beauty that is there. My husband and I have seriously considered it, but the cost of living/housing there is prohibitive at the moment. If money wasn't an issue, I would be pick a place just like the Morphews did.

 

[EggSalad]

Many non-profits don't have a website - especially small ones. Also, if you are not asking for donations, or providing grants, why would you need a website?

My guess is that this lovely family set up the non-profit for future activities.

Also, a non-profit can be set up by wealthy people to receive a portion of a future inheritance - to save on taxes, of course. But also, the mindset is why give it to the government when I can give it to my foundation and do charitable work in line with my beliefs. I mean, they aren't getting out of all taxes, but they can sure decrease them. And bonus, it's money you can spend supporting causes/people you deem worthy.

This seems pretty likely. However, why have 3 non-family members listed as officers? Wouldn't you want your children listed along with your spouse?

Anyway, I'm probably barking up the wrong tree. I just find all of this fascinating.

 

[SeaEclipse]

I think the point of it being an interest to her that she ran out of steam on is probably accurate. But if so, why go through the hassle of re-registering it in CO so recently? Like most of this case, it's hard to make heads or tails of the info.

The cash in the account is subject to legal constraints on use, so they can't just dissolve the charity and pocket the money. Disposing of the funds would be just as much of a hassle as re-registering it. Maybe they were going to do a missionary trip before her health issues? Maybe when some family member or friend dies it's going to get a chunk of the inheritance? Who knows. It's only $6,000.

 

[perception≠reality]

Someone asked yesterday which day the missing flyer with “Last seen in this helmet” was posted to the family page?

The photo is timestamped and was posted to the page last Thursday, “May 14th at 11:43 AM at the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office”.

Find Suzanne Morphew

Thanks for this! Now I need to look back at press release as to when they found the item, to see if it’s plausible that it may be her helmet. Could be unrelated, but they seem certain she was wearing the helmet based on this flyer...imo moo JMO

 

[Mind your biscuits]

I noticed the lack of updates too, and commenters on her page are also noticing.

I wonder if both sides of the family are working together in an effort to find her?

 

[Ontario Mom]

Good morning. Gosh I’ve been away from WS for so long, since tapatalk went bye bye - finally made my way back to find this case/thread. I’m finally caught up.

It seems kind of silly to post because you’ve all said everything that can possibly be said given the extremely limited info we have. You’re all amazing by the way.

Opinion-wise, I guess I “wish” it was just an accident and that Suzanne will be found soon, tired and dehydrated and maybe injured - it’s weird to say that seems the best possible outcome, unless she really HAS been kidnapped for ransom and will be returned unharmed for money, though I think that’s not even remotely the case. Just doesn’t happen, not really, though of course it could.

One thought, if she was “taken”, and by that I don’t mean kidnapped, more stalker-type scenarios, as if they knew she’d be alone that weekend, etc and figured it was a good time to make their move, I truly don’t think that she’d have been taken from the home ON Mother’s Day. Too much likelihood of daughter(s) being there to celebrate, etc. (of course covid could take all that off the playing field).

IF it’s a stalker that knows Suzanne well enough to know the details of her life, ie., husband away, younger daughter gone (camping?), older daughter away, then it being MD not a factor.

I don’t think MOO that whatever happened happened on the 10th. If anything, I think she couldn’t be REACHED on the 10th and that may have triggered the escalation that led to 911 being called. (Assuming it was family that asked the neighbor to call and not the neighbor having reason to call on her own).

Sheesh for not having anything to say, I’m being long-winded.

I want to throw out one more thing. I think the real things that affect our thought process about this, at least for me, is 1) the reward money being offered so quickly, and 2) the terrain where she supposedly was biking. It occurred to me if she was biking on a flat road surrounded by prairie land, then the idea of her being lost in vast mountain terrain would be off the table. You find a bike next to a field, you’re pretty sure she didn’t have an accident due to animals/terrain, etc.

So if we take the terrain out of it, and by that I mean though she may be mountain biking but IF the bike was easily found by the road she never made to a trail, and we believe she WAS biking that day, then we’re left with a bigger likelihood of knowing it was an abduction, or hit-and-take/hide-the-body-run. If we DON’T believe she was biking then I lean toward “something” happening at the home any time from May 8 - 10 based on LE’s video preservation requests.

ok I’ve muddied my own waters enough with my rambling. Guess I had too much to say after all. Blame it on being away from WS so long!

Praying today is the day Suzanne is returned home safely.

All above is MOO/speculation

Nice to see you back

 

[NervousNellie]

This seems pretty likely. However, why have 3 non-family members listed as officers? Wouldn't you want your children listed along with your spouse?

Anyway, I'm probably barking up the wrong tree. I just find all of this fascinating.

The IRS has strict regulations regarding family members on a board of directors for a foundation - IIRC, one must have more non-family members than family members on a foundation board. So, if she wanted to include her daughters (who were likely minors when it was created in 2015?), she'd have to have five additional board members (4 family, 5 non-family). EDITED TO ADD - that isd a lot of board members for an inactive foundation.

Also, I wanna say, board members can't even be business partners, but that could just be a recommendation and not a regulation.

 

[Rosiebones]

But they aren't in Salida.

They are in an isolated house at elevation (8800 ft) about 1800 ft higher than Salida ( they are in colder, more snowy elevation), and about 15 miles from town. Salida does look nice, small, a little western town.

I think you have to be careful in thinking the conditions in their location are going to be like Salida

I was commenting more on how to find a place to consider living when you, yourself, are several thousand miles away without spending a lot of time traveling back and forth. I was commenting on use of the Niche Guide to get background information to narrow the choice of area.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Well, the thing is that her bike was found the evening she was reported missing, apparently near the road. But she wasn't in the vicinity. So, it would be hard to accept that she had had an accident and...wandered off? That sounds like a head injury, if so.

Then, they found a personal item, which may indicate she was still on her feet, since they didn't find it near the bike the first night. It was somewhere else. They searched that area too. But it paints a picture of either a woman still able to walk - or of a darker scenario.

Bicyclists don't usually have personal items in their hands. So, she would have had the presence of mind, even after an accident, to reach into her fanny pack or other carrier and take out that personal object. IF it was a phone (I have no knowledge of what it was, of course), then we have a worried woman walking with a phone - or a darker scenario where an assailant tosses her phone.

BM must have a sense of this. She wouldn't just drop her phone. It's true that she could have had a bad concussion and been instantly in brain fog, etc. But BM doesn't believe that. He thinks she was taken. I find it hard to believe that she'd have such a serious concussion, but stranger things have happened.

Anyway, a scenario that allows Suzanne not to be dead of exposure is the one the family is likely clinging to.

Suzanne has been missing for at least days if she went missing on or before May 10.

What a nightmare for the family.

You're dead-on as usual. I am waiting to finalize my opinion/theory for the identity of the personal item and the certainty with which they know it is hers. Was she walking away, coherent, was she running away and hiding, or was she dragged there? Cellphone, flashlight, water bottle, item of clothing, sneaker etc.. If she ditched her Nalgene or a flashlight that would make me lean perhaps towards a lost person. If its a sneaker or her shirt then that points perhaps in another.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Thanks for this! Now I need to look back at press release as to when they found the item, to see if it’s plausible that it may be her helmet. Could be unrelated, but they seem certain she was wearing the helmet based on this flyer...imo moo JMO

LE has not stated what she was last seen wearing, including that helmet.
I can only assume it was family or a friend that put that flyer together.

A handful of other things LE has specifically NOT said:

- if her bike was found, where her bike was found, and what shape her bike was in, when it was found.
SM's nephew Trevor Noel disclosed to the media that her bike was located Sunday evening, the same day she was reported missing, but that is all the media has said about her bike.

- other personal items belonging to SM: located, but no details at all on what these items were, where they were located (specifically) or what condition they were in, when located.

- her phone - no mention of it at all by LE or the media, if found, or not, etc.

We've seen a LOT of social media rumor pop up here, so I just wanted to reiterate what is fact, know, confirmed, etc., and what isn't.

 

[Cindizzi]

Thanks for this! Now I need to look back at press release as to when they found the item, to see if it’s plausible that it may be her helmet. Could be unrelated, but they seem certain she was wearing the helmet based on this flyer...imo moo JMO

I believe the Sheriff announced the found item at the 5:00 p.m. press conference on Friday 5/15. Finding the item on Thursday 5/14 appears to be what determined the search area for Friday and the closing of HWY 50. Imo

CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. — A search in the area west of County Road 225 and U.S. Highway 50 outside of Maysville on Friday did not lead to further insights into the disappearance of Suzanne Morphew, the Chaffee County sheriff said during a news conference late Friday afternoon, though they did locate an item that possibly belonged to her on Thursday.

Investigators say they believe they found item belonging to missing Chaffee County woman

 

[whitelilac]

If you have eleven minutes, you might want to watch the video at the link. The first portion is part of the preliminary preparation and ascent to the beginning of Fooses Lake Trail. At 2:08 begins the actual ride. The first mishap is a few seconds into the ride. The ride ends with a portion of the Fooses Lake Trail that merges into County Highway 226. The ending is at the Fooses Lake Trail Head, the site which has been pointed out as being 2000 feet from SM's house.
Monarch Pass bike roide - Bing video

Well, wow! Thank you. Is this the kind of trail Suzanne was planning to take, IF she was even out on the 1oth? Alone??
Obviously a mounting biking trail. This requires experience. Would Suzanne have that experience having lived in Indiana? (I don't know what the terrain is like there), or could she have gained such experience in the 2 years they lived in Colorado?
Another thing, the helmet that Suzanne was pictured in, to me seems like a road cyclist helmet (similar to my daughter's) , not the heavier more protective MB helmet. But I don't know.
Maybe there are less rugged trails in the area, even paved ones.

Would I ever love to hike that trail...spectacular.

 

[10ofRods]

I’m really curious as to why LE is specifically requesting locals to save but NOT submit video surveillance to them at this time. Why wouldn’t they want to view potentially critical footage of SM and/or a suspect ASAP?

I can only postulate that it’s because they either don’t have the manpower/resources to sort through all the video evidence right now, or (hopefully) they already have a solid theory as to what happened and just don’t need the video at this time. MOO.

I'd guess that no one would be able to tell a "suspect" from anyone else at this point. It would result in overwhelming local LE resources, to have to go through large numbers of videos sent in because anything at all showed up on them. Some would send in half an hour's worth, others would send in dozens of small clips every time a car went by, etc.

I have to say that this kind of general call for video (without any specifics) makes me think LE has very little to go on. It's as if they are hinting that there may be a suspect/abductor/stranger activity - but don't know for sure. I still wonder why they are so sure that Suzanne is not out there in the brush somewhere. Maybe they are just trying to figure out if she left on Sunday - but as others have posted, there are hardly any houses that could have picked that up on video, LE has surely already been to those houses.

 

[Seattle1]

Could have been her water bottle that was found.

I’m under the assumption that it was a mountain bike going off the fact that she said on Facebook her interests were “Fitness”, “Mountain Biking”, and “Hiking”. These are things you pick specifically for people see. For example, I haven’t added any interests for people to see. JMO

The closest confirmation I've seen for SM going mountain biking was reported in bicycling.com which states: She was last seen wearing a mountain bike-specific helmet and wearing a Camelbak.

Also the first time I've seen a Bicycle Magazine report on a missing person.

Suzanne Morphew Missing | Colorado Cyclist Missing Since May 10

 

[DizzyB]

I went down the rabbithole of businesses last night. We are not talking about a lawn mowing service here. There are many ventures and she seems to be from an entrepreneurial family. I would like to know how they ended up in Colorado, and if it was business or lifestyle related.

 

[whitelilac]

I went down the rabbithole of businesses last night. We are not talking about a lawn mowing service here. There are many ventures and she seems to be from an entrepreneurial family. I would like to know how they ended up in Colorado, and if it was business or lifestyle related.

From what I gathered a few pages back, or maybe in thread #2, The older daughter chose to go to a college in CO, and the family decided to move there as well. I may be wrong though, I'm not sure if that was substantiated.

 

[Backstroke10]

I wonder if both sides of the family are working together in an effort to find her?

I hope so. Do we know if the family and friends are out there actively searching? Have there been any pictures posted anywhere? In most missing person cases, we see pictures of family/friends actively searching. I rarely get on FB or Twitter so maybe I missed it.

 

[mrsu]

Monarch Pass bike roide - Bing video
Watching this video brings home the question of whether she was out on the highway riding a 10 speed or did she ride these trails on a dirt bike. So much we don't know.

Not that this matters, but this ride starts up at Monarch Crest. I’ve been here before. You can also take a gondola up to the top. It’s really beautiful. The trails around where SM lives would probably be the more wooded trails. The pin on the map below shows the area they are at when it shows them on the pavement. It passes right by where you hop on the gondolas. Just thought it would give people a sense of where they are riding and distance from her house.

Monarch Pass Trailhead
Monarch, CO 81227
(719) 553-1400
Google Maps