Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #4

[Warwick7]

My dad never uses his cell phone and my mom and I constantly have to remind him to take it golfing or out with him on errands. I don’t don’t find it odd that he has not replaced it. If he doesn’t use it much it may not be important to replace.

If he had a loved one missing or kidnapped I would imagine he could then be glued to his phone. My hubby is forgetful with his phone too. But I can guarantee you if I came up.missing it would be velcro'd to him.
:0)

 

[GoJacks]

My dad never uses his cell phone and my mom and I constantly have to remind him to take it golfing or out with him on errands. I don’t don’t find it odd that he has not replaced it. If he doesn’t use it much it may not be important to replace.

I never stated it was odd he didn't replace it. They made it seem like it a problem they couldn't get a hold of barry. Plus if your wife/husband was missing and you actually believed they kidnapped them for ransom, you would get a new cellphone, because I assume that would be one way they could get a hold of you for said ransom.

 

[Steph9676]

If he a loved one missing or kidnapped I would imagine he could then be glued to his phone. My hubby is forgetful with his phone too. But I can guarantee you if I came up.missing it would be velcro'd to him.
:0)

What if the sheriff wanted it. I’m sure your husband would be off course take my phone. Do what you need to. Would he then go get a second phone therefore disabling the first phone? I don’t think you can have 2 cell phones with the same number at once can you? I believe you can have 1 SIM card for your cell phone.

 

[Knox]

well the police have his phone. If she calls Or a ransom calls the police will intercept it. Same as the daughters phone. Maybe it’s not a priority to get a phone right away. Maybe he’s looking for his wife.

DBM

 

[1&2&3]

Another thought I have. With the girls having been gone for their own adventure, why did Suzanne not go to Denver with Dennis for the Mother’s Day week-end? A wonderful romantic weekend for just the two of them. Denver would have many things for Suzanne to do while Dennis was busy at his meetings and training. They could go out for dinner and the evening, or if the meeting ran late, go out for drinks.
I always loved going away on hubby’s weekends.

 

[J.M. Bee]

Interesting case, good discussion. In my opinion, there are four principal possibilities:

1. the husband
2. an accident of some kind, i.e., she slipped and fell into a ravine or the river or something
3. a stalker
4. a stranger

When I consider each of these possibilities individually, certain ones strike me as unlikely or at least less likely.

Let's start with the fourth: stranger murder or stranger abduction. I personally regard this as unlikely for a number of reasons: one, I don't see a stranger abducting an adult from a public place, like a bridge, in an area as remote as this one is. That just doesn't seem likely at all. As for a stranger attacking her in her home, this is more plausible in my mind, but I don't see this stranger then placing her bike near the bridge so as to make it look like something else. So for me, the probability this is a stranger crime is slim.

As for the possibility of it being a stalker crime, I see this as unlikely as well, as I don't see a stalker lying in wait for her while she is on a bike ride and grabbing her either as she is biking or as she takes a break near a bridge. A stalker is going to try to grab her at her house, IMO. As for that possibility, however, I don't think that that happened here for the same reason as above, namely I don't see a stalker attacking her in her home and then placing her bike near the bridge so as to make it look like something else. That's just not very likely. So for me, the probability this is a stalker crime is also slim.

That leaves the husband or an accident of some kind. I think the latter remains a possibility, but not knowing enough about the terrain there, it's hard for me to say. My one point about this possibility would be that while possible, the fact that they haven't found her body yet suggests to me that this is not what happened. I imagine there are some hard-to-reach places in that area where her body could be (for one reason or another,) but every day that goes by without them finding her body means it's less likely that this is what occurred.

That leaves the husband. I don't find his video especially confidence-inducing --- there are a number of things about it that just feel "off" ---but I also think the two look very happy and loving in all of their photos. Yes, I know that those are just images, and I know that people can put up a happy front, but they really do look happy, and unless I've missed something, we haven't heard a peep about him being abusive or even unpleasant to her. So I don't know.

If the police are taking things from the home, though, that probably means they regard the home as a potential crime scene. And if the home is a crime scene, I think the evidence points to the husband.

So I'm leaning towards #1 and #2 at the moment.

Irrespective of the above, I want to add that this is all very sad, as from everything I've seen and read, it seems like Suzanne was a really lovely person. Perhaps there's still a chance that what happened here is tragic but not horrific. I guess that's what I'll be hoping for, as I'm not optimistic about her being found alive at this point.

 

[HopeForTheBest]

If the girls could not get hold of their mother by phone on Saturday and Sunday and then called the neighbor for a check, I wonder if they called their dad and that was his advice. I wonder if they were in contact with him about their concerns about her welfare.

Probably this already has been said but in case not...my father lived alone in a large house in a wooded area several states away and although he often didn’t answer his phone for some hours or even a day, when it went overnight on a day when we knew he would answer, we called a neighbor and asked them to check. They walked over, looked around, knocked, realized it was too quiet, and nothing looked like it had been moved in a day or so, and so they used the spare key and found my father (alive) on the basement floor. They then told us and called 911. We didn’t call 911 because our 911 would be nowhere near the one where my dad was. The neighbors are so good about that and we do the same for others where we live if their families are far away. MOO.

On another matter, while I do not really think this is the reason why the nephew said “the husband”, I’ve noted when I’ve been in certain parts of the country that people often say “the” rather than “my” or “our” regarding their house, spouse, bed, pets, etc. It’s like, “I better get to the house” or “I better ask the wife (or husband).” I am sure I’ve heard people use a term like “the husband” or “the wife” or whatever as a convention of speech regarding others when speaking to another person or persons such as, “The wife plays soccer; the husband plays tennis.” I don’t think that this is the case here but for what it’s worth. MOO.

 

[Steph9676]

Do we know what time Barry got back home on Sunday night?
If the house has just recently been shut down, did Barry stay there a few nights after returning home before LE wouldn’t let him stay?

it would seem to me that Barry could look around her closet and clothes to see what biking outfit was missing. Most husbands know what their wives bike in.

For the bike to be found sitting up, that tells me it was staged. Had she encountered a person on the trail, she would not have walked off and left the bike and helmet. If she was forced off the bike, I would have left my helmet on for protection and left the bike laying down so passerbyers would realize something had happened.

The fact there were no fingerprints on the bike, tells me it was purposely wiped clean. I am positive her fingerprints should have been on her own bike.

where does it say the bike had no fingerprints. Can you send that link?

 

[Knox]

I never stated it was odd he didn't replace it. They made it seem like it a problem they couldn't get a hold of barry. Plus if your wife/husband was missing and you actually believed they kidnapped them for ransom, you would get a new cellphone, because I assume that would be one way they could get a hold of you for said ransom.

Lest we forget, straight from BM ...
“Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there that can hear this, that has you, please, we’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back,” said Barry Morphew. “We love you. We miss you. The girls need you. No questions asked. However much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back. Honey, I love you. I want you back so bad.”
'Honey, I Love You': Suzanne Morphew's Husband Speaks Out For First Time In Wife's Disappearance

But hey, either the cops will answer the phone or he'll get the message somehow.

 

[HopeForTheBest]

I'm sure they called their Dad.
"Well honey, she's probably out on a bike ride. You know how she enjoys that. You might want to call the neighbor and see if she knows anything if it gets to be late."

While I can see that, if they believed he was elsewhere or they, for whatever reason, didn’t want to bother or talk to him, they may not have. And while I am NOT saying this was the case here at all, my experience has been that if you as even a grown child might suspect bad feelings between the parents at that time, you might call the neighbor anyway. Bless the neighbors that look out for those we love when we cannot. MOO.

 

[ventuc]

Another thought I have. With the girls having been gone for their own adventure, why did Suzanne not go to Denver with Dennis for the Mother’s Day week-end? A wonderful romantic weekend for just the two of them. Denver would have many things for Suzanne to do while Dennis was busy at his meetings and training. They could go out for dinner and the evening, or if the meeting ran late, go out for drinks.
I always loved going away on hubby’s weekends.

But maybe not as much to do during Covid-19 pandemic restrictions? Here in my town, restaurants, bars, most public places are still closed. Even if they were open, how many people are open to a romantic weekend out and about right now? Any other time I might agree, though!

 

[al66pine]

Are you replying to my comment about the similar case? Do you remember the name of the woman?

@bellesnwhistles @Ksprincess2
I believe poster was referring to case described at link below.
Silverthorne, Colorado 2010, Victim: Stephanie Roller. Husband Dale Bruner was convicted in 2012 of her murder, second degree. Sentenced to 112 yrs in prison. Eligible for parole in 2071.
{ETA: You think that parole eligibility timing - when he is 109 y/o - is about right? }

The Blue River Murder
^ transcript and vid clips of CBS 48 Hours show, aired in 2014.

 

[Tippy Lynn]

What if the sheriff wanted it. I’m sure your husband would be off course take my phone. Do what you need to. Would he then go get a second phone therefore disabling the first phone? I don’t think you can have 2 cell phones with the same number at once can you? I believe you can have 1 SIM card for your cell phone.

You buy a new cell phone and SIM card and activate it with your cell phone number. LE doesn’t need the phone activated to get what they need.

 

[katydid23]

I'm not sure they had a warrant, maybe just consent from BM to go ahead with the search.
Unless it's been reported somewhere & I missed it.
Possible, this thread is moving so fast I don't even recall clicking on thread #4.

I don't think they would do an extensive search like that, without a warrant. It would be very risky because anything they found could be thrown out if the homeowner pulled back their consent---which they can sometimes do. I don't think a DA would allow that kind of a thorough search without a warrant first.

Usually, in cases I have followed, if someone gives their permission for a search for a missing person, the officers just did a cursory search for the person or for obvious crime scene. If they see any obvious clues, then they usually STOP searching and get an emergency warrant before they take important evidence out of the home.

 

[Rrock22]

My two cents.

His video was odd and very Christopher Watt like. It’s also not hard to put up a big reward if you already know she won’t be seen or heard from alive again. And why would he even need to plead to the public if she was kidnapped for a ransom, I mean wouldn’t they contact him regardless otherwise how could they possibly get the ransom? And what would be the point to make a public plea unless the cops had evidence of a kidnapping bc anyone taking her would already know they were wealthy so him randomly offering wealth to the public wouldn’t be some big shock to the kidnapper and somehow make them think twice before killing her or something. Again my opinion but it all seems self serving so the husband is def the top suspect imo and anything or anyone else a very distant second

 

[Tippy Lynn]

Another thought I have. With the girls having been gone for their own adventure, why did Suzanne not go to Denver with Dennis for the Mother’s Day week-end? A wonderful romantic weekend for just the two of them. Denver would have many things for Suzanne to do while Dennis was busy at his meetings and training. They could go out for dinner and the evening, or if the meeting ran late, go out for drinks.
I always loved going away on hubby’s weekends.

Do you mean Barry?

 

[Warwick7]

You buy a new cell phone and SIM card and activate it with your cell phone number. LE doesn’t need the phone activated to get what they need.

That's right!

 

[Steph9676]

You buy a new cell phone and SIM card and activate it with your cell phone number. LE doesn’t need the phone activated to get what they need.

I guess it depends on the person. My dad would definitely not get another cell phone because he’s not attached like I am and barely ever uses his. So with that said I don’t know if I find it that odd that he hasn’t replaced it. It would definitely depend on how much he used his cell phone.

 

[katydid23]

Did they search the house or is it still being "HELD"? Also why search it if she was outside on her bike???

Exactly---why search it if she was outside on her bike....good question.

 

[Dave F.]

I never stated it was odd he didn't replace it. They made it seem like it a problem they couldn't get a hold of barry. Plus if your wife/husband was missing and you actually believed they kidnapped them for ransom, you would get a new cellphone, because I assume that would be one way they could get a hold of you for said ransom.

Really? How would the kidnappers get his new phone number? The nephew, who does not live in Chaffee county, has published his business phone number, email, etc via the page, and his social media contacts lead to his business web page. If that isn't a direct line of communication for a kidnapper, I don't know what is. JMO