Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #7

[Lilypad13]

Not the OP, but I took her post to mean, Suzanne may have expressed she wanted out of the marriage between May 8th and 10th. A fight ensued, and Suzanne disappeared.

Maybe she did consult an attorney and said attorney has come forward to LE which wouldn't look too good for a certain someone, depending on what Suzanne shared as the grounds for divorce.

Sheer speculation on my part, but it could be a possibility, JMO.

That’s a good theory...I also speculate that someone - her daughters, her mother, a best friend - or perhaps a divorce attorney or therapist - or multiple people knew there was trouble in the marriage. You can hide problems when children are younger but when they get older they see, hear, overhear, read, snoop (ha ha) and they notice everything!! And they are smarter than their parents with their smart phones and laptops and texts & photos and Hod knows what else could be stored in “the Cloud”. I tried to post about this several times but got got deleted as off topic but based on personal experience I think SM told someone and maybe wrote in a journal and/or there could be a folded letter on a single piece of paper in her handwriting in a safety deposit box somewhere saying if I disappear or die suddenly due to an accident - hitting my head or drowning, falling off a cliff, etc. then LE needs to suspect and investigate my husband. I would also include how I would never just take off or commit suicide!!

 

[riolove77]

posts mentioning crime of passion. In Texas they call it “sudden passion” I believe if the perp had at least 30sec to stop their actions that would result in death if they continue, then that’s murder. Premeditated at that. Add the added terror of someone being “missing”
I’m not an attorney and I don’t play one on TV.

lol your last comment made me laugh.

you are basically correct; however, we don't give it a hard time, i.e. 30 sec. the rule is IF a reasonable person would have had time to stop, cool off, and reflect before acting, then it does not count as sudden passion.

 

[Knox]

lol your last comment made me laugh.

you are basically correct; however, we don't give it a hard time, i.e. 30 sec. the rule is IF a reasonable person would have had time to stop, cool off, and reflect before acting, then it does not count as sudden passion.

OT~ great to have you here explaining legalities. When I see your posts I think of Heather Gumina.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I keep reading that "an" item was found that belonged to Susan. I went back to the Sheriff's press conference to verify what I thought I heard. After that I put the captioning on. He doesn't say an item, twice he says items were found.

View attachment 248567 View attachment 248568

WATCH: Chaffee County Sheriff gives update about missing woman

A million pages behind of course, because you lovely people clearly never sleep and just post all night long...

But yes, the item(s) plural, was discussed at length at the time. It appeared (at least then) it was:

Bike on Sunday
Item(s) plural, on Thursday
then another item Friday morning - although I've seen reports that say nothing for Friday, and reports that say "an item" for Friday's search, the same day as the presser you took those SS from.

 

[The Night Watchman]

This is one reason, of many, I cool my heels and wait for a case to unfold, which most of the time they do...eventually. I don't have or develop theories, I'm not into fiction. I'm interested in facts and evidence, and if there aren't any released, then so be it. It appears the SM case is going to be one of those that has few details released. Bummer.

There have been cases that have taken years to resolve from start to finish; being patient is a much needed trait if one is going to follow murder or other criminal cases and not go cuckoo with frustration. I particularly like to see how a prosecution team presents a case at trial--that's my thing.

Agree with what you are saying. I believe that LE believes BM is guilty, but I don't have much if anything to back that up. I don't have their information.

So I don't feel a need to want BM to be guilty, in fact I hope he is not because then Suzanne has a chance to be alive.

 

[10ofRods]

Don't most women who want out of a marriage after many years consult with an attorney and file for divorce? Why would a woman living in a million dollar home for decades with her husband just threaten divorce to her husband and not follow through with the legal filing? To me, that makes no sense.

JMO

Depends on the circumstances. According to an article on CrimeOnline, BLM is "controlling." Sometimes divorce comes up many times in a couple's arguments and talks, without either of them actually filing. It's a very common process of disintegration of a marriage.

Women are quite vulnerable during this period of time. Men are too, insofar as domestic homicide and violence can happen to them, too. When it does happen, it may be because one spouse is halfway out the door, is having an affair, or just seeking peace and safety.

I must have left my ex a dozen times before finally following through and even then, I didn't file for divorce. It was about a year before I felt safe being in a room with him (with either a therapist or a mediator) and then our divorce talks began in earnest. Many things change once those papers are filed and as with the Morphews, we had property to work out. Whole thing was a nightmare and neither of us were thinking clearly.

Oddly, at the time of my own divorce, I had religious views that prevented me from filing for divorce. In the end, we agreed that he, lacking those views, would file. It sounds so strange in retrospect. We had been married for 16 years. But when it comes to marital problems, there's lots and lots of irrational behavior, at least for many couples.

 

[RickshawFan]

rsabbm

OT, somewhat.

A bushy-haired stranger!!! That's a blast from the past. Back before I knew about WS, someone used BHS as his user name on another true crime discussion forum. I haven't thought about that forum for a very long time.

Wasn't BHS from the Diane Downs case? I'm not sure, so don't quote me. So to speak.

I guess many cases, even SM's, have some version of a BHS given by a possible suspect.

Yes Diane Downs.

 

[zecats]

From Missing Suzanne FB page. Posted by family perhaps due to mentioning of reward. Also first I've seen of what to look for, what she might be wearing. I always wondered if personal item found was, therefore, her helmet.

ETA you can see the tubing of a water pack as well over her shoulder.

 

[10ofRods]

JMO

"Outed" for what, exactly? If a woman wants out of a marriage, she knows the reason why. Long-time marriages fall apart for many reasons. I have a good friend who received an email from his wife of 25 years telling him she had filed for divorce and retained an attorney. He was shocked and very hurt. He had been relocated by his corporation from Scottsdale to Denver and his wife helped him select a beautiful new home. She was still living in their Scottsdale home. After he moved into the new Denver home, she decided she didn't want to relocate. One child had graduated ASU, the other had a year left. His wife didn't want to relocate at age 49 and have to make new friends so she hired an attorney and then sent him the email.

So far in this case, the public has not been made aware of any evidence this couple's marriage was on the rocks. I'm still not sure about his source of income or if SM had her own source of income. Too many unknowns here to point the finger at anyone.

JMO

Was there violent behavior on the part of the husband in your friend's case? Because, frankly, I think a violent husband changes things a bit. IME (and not just my own but from years of working in and training for crisis hot lines), most wives think they know their husbands best and how to tiptoe around them to minimize risk. It's a tightrope. Even if the man has never been violent toward the wife in the past, the divorce period ups the rate of violence.

Where a man is known to have been violent with others, the risk is higher for the wife. BLM was charged in Indiana with assault, not too long before he left Indiana. He managed to plead out to a lesser charge but the person he attacked (who was running for mayor of Indianapolis) has told his story on an approved source for WS (Gray Hughes).

Was your friend's husband similarly violent? Because to me, a man who loses it in public, while at work, is a man who is not in control of himself. He probably needed anger management, but apparently instead the couple left Indiana and moved to Colorado, where he has apparently not filed paperwork to start a landscaping business, and works as a volunteer. Would he pass an actual employment process to be a firefighter, with that disorderly conduct conviction? I wonder.

Anyway, not all divorces are alike, and there are red flags in this one.

And we're not talking "losing it" in a merely verbal way. There was a verbal disagreement and BLM lost it and physically attacked someone - because he was mad that other contractors (plumbing and electrical IIRC) were still working/still had trucks in place when he arrived to do landscaping. That's just not reasonable, from my perspective. Not all divorces involve an unreasonable, violent man. That may be what we're looking at here.

 

[Jackielee09]

The “no questions asked” gets me. Of course family just want her back unharmed. But of course there will be questions asked by LE. BIG TIME and a long prison sentence. I’d be just as desperate.

 

[Sarahlou]

The “no questions asked” gets me. Of course family just want her back unharmed. But of course there will be questions asked by LE. BIG TIME and a long prison sentence. I’d be just as desperate.

Yeah that rubbed me up the wrong way from the start. I think it's a very odd thing to say.

 

[FlyerFan28]

In this link and I've also uploaded it in 2 parts to show caption under as well with photo credit. Def a female bike as it's a pass-thru as they call it.
Police and FBI wrap up search at property where missing mom Suzanne Morphew's husband worked | Daily Mail Online

ETA Bike photo too large.

Actually that is a mountain bike, not a step thru, and not necessarily a ladies bike. Looks a lot like a Santa Cruz Bronson. Trust me on this one. Spent most of April comparing mountain bikes online and then upgraded.

 

[MsBetsy]

If a case is presented as a crime of passion, how does subsequent cover up of the crime factor in? Moo

It certainly wouldn't help their case. It's one thing if someone acts out in a frenzy and then immediately realizes they made a horrible mistake and calls 911 immediately. There have been plenty of scenarios like this where the killer calls 911 and says "I just killed my girlfriend/ husband, etc"

At least that helps LE move along swiftly and the family isn't waiting years to see that there is justice for their loved one.

But when there is a cover up and the perpetrator goes to great lengths to hide the body, that may tell a different story.

Even if a murder is committed in an uncontrolled rage, the person is going to regain control of their emotions and start to think rationally in the moments after the attack. At that point it is there choice whether or not to continue on and commit another crime.

If anything it shows a lack of remorse to hide the body and cover up the crime. It points to them having more concern about not getting caught than ever caring about the victim in the first place.

Imo

 

[Steelslady]

So I tried to overlay specific points from a timeline that might shed some light, I think, on some of the words/actions/inactions that I've been puzzled by up until now:

May 11: Initial press release from CCSO. All indications are this is a missing person case. References a search that happened on the 11th. Missing Person - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 11: An email was circulated among SM/BM's former church in Indiana that references: The message notes that Morphew’s bike was found “crashed,” and mentions that a mountain lion had been seen in the area where the bike was discovered. ‘They can’t find her’: Message to church group shows desperate plea in early days of search for missing Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew [REPORT]

May 13: Follow up press release from CCSO. It does reference still a search for SM (including an inference that they did search on Sunday evening): Over the past 4 days over 100 search personnel from Chaffee County Search and Rescue, Department of Corrections, and the Chaffee County Combined Tac Team have scoured the area. Importantly, it also is the first mention, officially, that the Sheriff is opening a criminal investigation. In conjunction with the search the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the disappearance of Ms Morphew http://chaffeesheriff.org/2020/05/13/update-on-suzanne-morphew-search/

May 13: Sheriff tells MSM that he does not consider the odds of an animal attack "very high". Family: Suzanne Morphew's Husband Offers $100,000 Reward In Disappearance Investigation

May 13: BM offers $100,000 reward for "safe return" of SM. Family: Suzanne Morphew's Husband Offers $100,000 Reward In Disappearance Investigation

May 14: Press release from CCSO. CBI and FBI involvement noted. Search continues for Suzanne Morphew - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 14: Reward for "safe return" upped to $200,000 by matching contribution from unnamed family friend. Suzanne Morphew search: Reward for missing Colorado woman increased to $200,000

May 14: Article published where TN is interviewed (unclear if interviewed on 5/14 or prior to that), makes statement urging others to "ask Sheriff about the condition of the bike". References FB "Find SM" page and Gimme page. 'We Want Her Back': $200,000 Reward Offered In Search For Suzanne Morphew

May 15: 3 press releases re: the search in the area where a "personal item" was found

May 16: CCSO references that there were no broad-scale searches completed. It does reference "targeted" searches being done. Search continues for Suzanne Morphew - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 17: CCSO conducts water search and asks public to save video from 5/8 - 5/12. May 17 Search Press Release - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 17: BM releases video urging for "safe return" of SM. Missing Colorado woman's husband releases video pleading for her safe return - KRDO

Around May 17: It's not clear when TN stopped being the family spokesperson, but I can't find where he is quoted in MSM after 5/15, and the social media pages appear to not be updated after this date.

May 20: CCSO references the marital home search warrant. May 20, 2020 Press Release Suzanne Morphew missing person case - Chaffee County Sheriff

*****
So, I apologize if this is overly basic, but it clearly does seem to show a shifting narrative. The church communication, taken in conjunction with both TN urging release of information about the bike and the sheriff's office refusal to do so - and not even confirming the bike had been recovered - (but making a point to say the odds of an animal attack were very low) all point to someone close to the situation initially driving a story of animal attack (we don't know the source of that narrative, but the list of possibilities is pretty short). As that started to fall apart, it appears that the BM's narrative (per the reward offer and later video plea) is a kidnapping/ransom theory. It also appears that around the time that the animal attack narrative falls apart and the alternative kidnapping/ransom narrative emerges, TN stops being the family spokesperson. JMO, but a changing narrative raises red flags, especially if (and we have no way of knowing this, but TN might) the initial narrative was built on "facts" that have since been revealed as untrue. MOO.

I just found out about that email last night.

This irks me! I distinctly remember the nephew asking people on the second day to call LE to find out the condition of the bike, because LE wouldn't tell the family. Then I see the date of this email and shake my head!

First- WHO told them- assuming her husband? that there was a mountain lion in the area where Suzanne was bike riding?

Second- WHO told them that the bike was crashed, when the nephew was begging people on the second day, after this email was sent, to call LE to find out the condition of the bike?

So her husband or a family member sent that email the day before. A week later, he does a video not with LE but his own, and then changes his mind/story stating he believes she is kidnapped and offers an award for her safe return.

Interesting.

 

[LietKynes]

Was there violent behavior on the part of the husband in your friend's case? Because, frankly, I think a violent husband changes things a bit. IME (and not just my own but from years of working in and training for crisis hot lines), most wives think they know their husbands best and how to tiptoe around them to minimize risk. It's a tightrope. Even if the man has never been violent toward the wife in the past, the divorce period ups the rate of violence.

Where a man is known to have been violent with others, the risk is higher for the wife. BLM was charged in Indiana with assault, not too long before he left Indiana. He managed to plead out to a lesser charge but the person he attacked (who was running for mayor of Indianapolis) has told his story on an approved source for WS (Gray Hughes).

Was your friend's husband similarly violent? Because to me, a man who loses it in public, while at work, is a man who is not in control of himself. He probably needed anger management, but apparently instead the couple left Indiana and moved to Colorado, where he has apparently not filed paperwork to start a landscaping business, and works as a volunteer. Would he pass an actual employment process to be a firefighter, with that disorderly conduct conviction? I wonder.

Anyway, not all divorces are alike, and there are red flags in this one.

And we're not talking "losing it" in a merely verbal way. There was a verbal disagreement and BLM lost it and physically attacked someone - because he was mad that other contractors (plumbing and electrical IIRC) were still working/still had trucks in place when he arrived to do landscaping. That's just not reasonable, from my perspective. Not all divorces involve an unreasonable, violent man. That may be what we're looking at here.

Bumping this great post. ^^^

Speculation :If the beneficiary of the crowd funding was changed to BM's mother... I have to wonder if it'll be used if necessary for his defense ?
And -- did mama (or daddy or both ?) spoil, cover for, or enable him ?
To the point that that even in the workplace he struggled to maintain control ?
Imo.

 

[Knox]

The “no questions asked” gets me. Of course family just want her back unharmed. But of course there will be questions asked by LE. BIG TIME and a long prison sentence. I’d be just as desperate.

BBM- Which was the whole point of the format in which his plea was released, JMO.

It wasn't directly distributed to the media, they sourced it from the missing facebook page (to my knowledge)? Did TN email media and point to it so they would pick it up?

 

[RickshawFan]

Actually that is a mountain bike, not a step thru, and not necessarily a ladies bike. Looks a lot like a Santa Cruz Bronson. Trust me on this one. Spent most of April comparing mountain bikes online and then upgraded.

Agreed. Not necessarily a woman's bike. Mountain bikes for people with shorter legs often end up with a top tube at an angle about like this. A lot depends on the frame set up (varies from brand to brand) in the down tube area, which we cannot see in this photo.
It surprises me that it might not be dual suspension, since that looks to be affordable for that family. I have a Santa Cruz Juliana, and the top tube isn't quite as steep because of the way Santa Cruz does the dual suspension. So, it looked to me like front suspension only. I'm not current on their lineup, though.
My Santa Cruz Juliana uses the same frame as the men's version (the men's small is the women's medium), which is why it can be very misleading to see a highly-angled top tube and conclude it's a women's bike.
I'm thinking if SM has a mountain bike, it would have been purchased in the last year or two. Does anyone know if this color is in the Santa Cruz (or other) lineup? I also thought maybe Yeti; Yetis come in a very particular mint green IIRC.

 

[riolove77]

OT~ great to have you here explaining legalities. When I see your posts I think of Heather Gumina.

That is a great example of an active and open case in my office, where we have had little to no media and NO leaks, yet the case is moving along just as it should be. If it were based on what we've shown the public, it would appear we have no idea what we're doing and it's not going anywhere.

 

[lucidtx]

Would he pass an actual employment process to be a firefighter, with that disorderly conduct conviction?

Snipped. He would've been pretty unlikely to get an actual job as a firefighter in Colorado. Some departments have age limits and won't take new hires older than 35-40. A disorderly conduct conviction wouldn't necessarily disqualify someone, but a background investigation would reveal the circumstances that led to it. If it had been an older conviction with no violence involved, like he had done something dumb when he was 20, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. A relatively recent conviction for a physical attack would be a huge red flag, though, and would almost certainly DQ him.

 

[Knox]

I just found out about that email last night.

This irks me! I distinctly remember the nephew asking people on the second day to call LE to find out the condition of the bike, because LE wouldn't tell the family. Then I see the date of this email and shake my head!

First- WHO told them- assuming her husband? that there was a mountain lion in the area where Suzanne was bike riding?

Second- WHO told them that the bike was crashed, when the nephew was begging people on the second day, after this email was sent, to call LE to find out the condition of the bike?

So her husband sent that email the day before. A week later, he does a video not with LE but his own, and then changes his mind/story stating he believes she is kidnapped and offers an award for her safe return.

Interesting.

Red herrings here, there, and everywhere ...