Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #43

[Seattle1]

They're calling it a body, not human remains.

To me, that implies that the person hasn't been there for years and years.

If the report had said that hikers came across what are suspected to be human bones or partial human remains, then it would definitely indicate that the person had been out there for years vs. month.

"Quite some time," is very vague, nebulous language.
It could mean years...or it could mean months...or it could mean weeks.

Given that another woman went missing from that very county back in 2016, it's more likely to be KR than SM, but I think that given both the direction (southwest of Salida) and the distance from Salida, it's entirely possible that this could be SM.

I don't know that it's probable, but it's possible.

Somebody's family is going to be getting some answers soon, either way.

JMO.

Human remains found in Saguache County - KRDO

State & Regional News

SAGUACHE, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is helping investigate after hikers discovered human remains in an area near an abandoned mine in Saguache County on Friday.

The Saguache County Sheriff’s Office asked Colorado Bureau of Investigation agents from its Grand Junction regional office to investigate the remains to determine the identity of the person as well as the cause of death.

The remote location where the remains were found is in the western part of the county near the Hinsdale County line.

^^bbm

This has actually come up a few times over the past few weeks and IMO, body vs remains really depends on the source of the report and/or the author.

For example, in OP's post, the source was a tweet by a reporter that cited a body found but also thought to add the disclaimer "quite some time" to differentiate to the reader that the find wasn't a freshly discovered corpse but probably more like decomposed, skeletal remains.

On the other hand, the quote above by the Saguache Sheriff's office is very clear that they recovered remains -- no disclaimer required.

In my experience, both law enforcement and the medical examiner's office pretty much restrict the use of the term "body" to the recently deceased, non-skeletonized, or time of death about 3 weeks or less. JMO

 

[Hair of the Dog]

Being that the alarm system and cameras were either disabled or not functional, how would the neighbor get into the house or even the garage?
He couldn't have given her a code, is my thinking correct? Did she have a key? If she did, why?
ETA: and, if that's the case, when?

My last house came with an alarm system that had sensors on the garage windows but not the overhead door. You could open and close the garage door with the keypad outside but if you breached the windows or the door into the house, that would activate the alarm.

JMO

 

[crhedBngr]

Maybe this points to premeditation. He already knew he was going to kill her. One last time to make Suzanne happy, give her some last happy final moments, a hike or bike experience, a nice lunch, before saying goodbye.

<modsnip>

Prayers for the Family and Friend of the person found in Saguache County.

JMVHO.

 

[MassGuy]

CBI does? You mean the fact that he mentioned screwing around with it that didn't jibe?Paraphrasing.

Yeah. There was no reason for Barry to mention that. He did though, and felt a need to explain himself.

So CBI must have been focused on that bobcat.

 

[10ofRods]

I think she was already dead.

So you're not buying the "she was seen at 4 pm" thing?

I'm behind on this case - so I have no idea who is claiming that. It's certainly late to be hearing that.

And why in heck hasn't LE given an actual timeline (they obviously know it - the only reason not to...is to trip up the murderer).

 

[al66pine]

'Body' and 'Remains'

Correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that there is a 'difference' (by definition) between 'remains' and 'body'. Some sources are saying 'body' and others are saying 'remains'. I would prefer not to point out the graphics.

@Power of Two
Well, I did a quickie self-refresher by turning to my old friend wiki, but if there is a bright line distinction of the two terms as described below, I've missed it. Of course links within footnotes in wiki articles provide much more scientific usage and data for further reading.

Post-mortem interval - Wikipedia
Stages of death - Wikipedia
Decomposition - Wikipedia
Skeletonization - Wikipedia
Cadaver - Wikipedia
Forensic entomology - Wikipedia
Human skeleton - Wikipedia

Regardless of time lapse, I hope remains located in Saguache County will be identified for family and provide answers for them and finding justice if the victim of foul play. jm2cts.

ETA: I see our knowledgeable @Seattle1 just posted great info on the subject.
"... law enforcement and the medical examiner pretty much restrict the use of the term "body" to the recently deceased, non-skeletonized, or time of death about 3 weeks or less." <---agreeing.

 

[JosieMae]

Does anyone know if Barry took the Bobcat with him to Broomfield?

This is a critical question that I've long wanted an answer to.

 

[marylamby]

My last house came with an alarm system that had sensors on the garage windows but not the overhead door. You could open and close the garage door with the keypad outside but if you breached the windows or the door into the house, that would activate the alarm.

JMO

We don't know if it's true but I believe it was AM who said that the cameras weren't working.
I don't know about an alarm system. If anyone could clarify, I'd appreciate it.

 

[Murphy1950]

So you're not buying the "she was seen at 4 pm" thing?

I'm behind on this case - so I have no idea who is claiming that. It's certainly late to be hearing that.

And why in heck hasn't LE given an actual timeline (they obviously know it - the only reason not to...is to trip up the murderer).

I'm not buying it either, but Andy said it in his interview with Dr Phil and it has now made it to a couple of MSM articles and approved sources. Maybe Ellen Killoran (crimeonline) can get to the bottom of it. Where did Andy get this from?

“She was seen in town with Barry getting a sandwich at 4 p.m.,” Moorman said. “At midnight, somebody friended all of the guys my age on her Facebook at midnight.”
Suzanne Morphew’s brother shares new details about her last known sighting and strange activity on his sister’s Facebook page hours before she was reported missing

 

[gamma gal]

^^bbm

This has actually come up a few times over the past few weeks and IMO, body vs remains really depends on the source of the report and/or the author.

For example, in OP's post, the source was a tweet by a reporter that cited a body found but also thought to add the disclaimer "quite some time" to differentiate to the reader that the find wasn't a freshly discovered corpse but probably more like decomposed, skeletal remains.

On the other hand, the quote above by the Saguache Sheriff's office is very clear that they recovered remains -- no disclaimer required.

In my experience, both law enforcement and the medical examiner's office pretty much restrict the use of the term "body" to the recently deceased, non-skeletonized, or time of death about 3 weeks or less. JMO

Its like less than 3 hours to Cathedral CO (i just picked this town for a reference point)...getting close to the Hinsdale Co county line where remains were found close to a mine. Could SM have decided she was going to try weed, because it is my understanding that the dispensary was her last known location?. Could someone have come unglued at her doing this without 'permission' and reacted with force?, then drove 3 hours or so, not knowing exactly where to dispose of her, left her at that mine, drove back and logged on to FB, done the messaging etc, came up with a plan, hastily drove north to sanitize the tools and create his alibi?? Pure speculation, remains yet to be identified. MOO

 

[BeckyF]

Maybe this points to premeditation. He already knew he was going to kill her. One last time to make Suzanne happy, give her some last happy final moments, a hike or bike experience, a nice lunch, before saying goodbye.

It may have been premeditated but I don’t think he gave two hoots about giving her any happy final moments. JMO

 

[TKG]

I think she was already dead.

I do too.

 

[MassGuy]

So you're not buying the "she was seen at 4 pm" thing?

I'm behind on this case - so I have no idea who is claiming that. It's certainly late to be hearing that.

And why in heck hasn't LE given an actual timeline (they obviously know it - the only reason not to...is to trip up the murderer).

They’d release a timeline if this wasn’t a “missing persons case,” in name only.

No, I don’t buy that 4pm thing. It doesn’t jibe with her phone activity suddenly stopping.

 

[marylamby]

Its like less than 3 hours to Cathedral CO (i just picked this town for a reference point)...getting close to the Hinsdale Co county line where remains were found close to a mine. Could SM have decided she was going to try weed, because it is my understanding that the dispensary was her last known location?. Could someone have come unglued at her doing this without 'permission' and reacted with force?, then drove 3 hours or so, not knowing exactly where to dispose of her, left her at that mine, drove back and logged on to FB, done the messaging etc, came up with a plan, hastily drove north to sanitize the tools and create his alibi?? Pure speculation, remains yet to be identified. MOO

I must have missed that her last known location was at a dispensary. I've been off for a bit.
Can you tell me where you saw that? TIA

 

[Janeumayer]

It may have been premeditated but I don’t think he gave two hoots about giving her any happy final moments. JMO

I don’t believe that for a minute. But that’s what he told MG.

 

[NatureLover]

The country was still in Stage 1 when SM disappeared and Idaho was no different to establish and publish it's staged openings. While the Colorado-Idaho was not closed during Stage 1, travel was requested restricted for essential purposes and 14-day self-quarantine for people entering Idaho to prevent the influx of out-of-state visitors.

I'm in complete support of the family saying whatever they want to protect SM's daughters and if they want to tell the public that they traveled from Colorado to Idaho for a church camp/retreat that's fine with me -- it doesn't mean I have to believe it's true! MOO

Stages of Reopening

ETA:
To be clear, Idaho is in-fact home to many youth church camps but IMO, I think many shared this same type of message this year.

A random example:

2020 SUMMER CAMPS- CANCELLED

After much prayer and consideration, our Board of Directors made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 summer camp season due to the unprecedented health challenges presented by COVID-19. Our biggest priority is the safety of campers and staff, and as hard as it was to make, we are confident our decision is the most prudent course of action. This decision was not made lightly and can only be met with His comforting words:

“but for those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will work and not be faint.”

-Isaiah 40:31

Intermountain Christian Camp - Camps - CANCELLED- ALL 2020 Summer Camps

I brought up the camp scenario with my husband just today! I have always had a hard time believing their church would have scheduled anything like this a) the week before Mother's Day b) when school was still in session (albeit online) C) during Covid quarantine. Plus BM's sisters both live in the Alexandria area, so why was his sister (also, TN's mother) in Colorado accompanying her nieces on a trip for a church she does not attend? Since BM's mother is in her early seventies maybe a family driving trip to Colorado was ostensibly planned to celebrate Mother's Day. That might explain her presence in TD's video. I, too, have many questions about this so-called church camp trip... MOO

 

[GordianKnot]

Yeah. There was no reason for Barry to mention that. He did though, and felt a need to explain himself.

So CBI must have been focused on that bobcat.

BBM:

So, I went back to review exactly what BM said about that:

Husband of missing Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew, 49, claims cops have 'destroyed evidence' | Daily Mail Online

SABBM:
In his interview with Fox 21, Barry admitted one inconsistency with a story he told investigators regarding a bobcat he used for landscaping.

'It was only because I didn't know the time that I did something, a mechanical thing, to my bobcat,' he stated.

'I was confused and I just found out my wife was missing, and I was a little bit not in my right mind when they were asking me these questions, but I did the best I could and I answered everything. I never once declined any interview.'
______________________________

It's entirely possible that the CBI was focused on the bobcat.

It's also possible that the CBI was focused on BM's movements around the time of SM's disappearance, and that BM drug the bobcat in as part of some convoluted alibi.

Doing "a mechanical thing" to his bobcat sounds like a completely evasive comment.
It also sounds like an invention.

I'd be extremely interested to know exactly which day/time BM got "confused" about during his Q & A with LE.

Having said that, I think we can all agree that the important thing is that BM "did the best he could" to come up with a plausible story. The fact that the CBI clearly didn't buy it, notwithstanding.

What a trooper.

JMO.

 

[gamma gal]

They’d release a timeline if this wasn’t a “missing persons case,” in name only.

No, I don’t buy that 4pm thing. It doesn’t jibe with her phone activity suddenly stopping.

Good point...

 

[DizzyB]

I’m starting to feel like we will never hear the timeline until this makes it to trial. I think Barry has probably lied about so many things related to the timeline that it may be crucial to the case.

 

[MassGuy]

I’m starting to feel like we will never hear the timeline until this makes it to trial. I think Barry has probably lied about so many things related to the timeline that it may be crucial to the case.

We’ll hear about it in the arrest affidavit. Just a matter of when the arrest happens.