Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #8

[Whiteorchids]

At this point we really know nothing except SM is missing. We don’t know where she was last seen, heard from, wearing, riding, driving, nothing. We don’t know what possessions of hers are at her home. We know nothing really. MOO

which means LE does.

 

[Satchie]

Interesting. I’ve been thinking all day, just how often do women in their 50’s get abducted? murdered? I know there have been “abduction” scenarios suggested but is it even realistic statistic-wise to consider that a 50 year old would get abducted? SM was an exceptionally beautiful woman but what’s the likelihood that a predator took a 50 year old? Isn’t it more likely than a 50 year gets murdered by someone they know? Just wondering what y’all think?

Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 cases I've followed on here: 2 in Canada, one in Greece.

Abductor hasn't been caught in either Canadian case (women age 57 and 70). Both women were alone and short in height. One was abducted from an urban park early one morning, one was targeted in her fire tower, also early in the morning. My theory is both were easy victims to overpower, by someone who murdered them for the thrill of it.

 

[Puzzles8]

I agree, he came across as a very nice person doing everything he could to be helpful. I feel like the media took advantage of his kindness and desperation and it only made sense for him to stop giving interviews due to the extreme sensitivity of the situation. I am still befuddled by his request that we ask LE about the condition the bike was found in. My take is that he was trying to tell us something important that he could not say directly.

My hunch is TN was genuinely trying to help find SM.
IMO, TN was emphasizing the important talking points as told to him by someone....

JMO, MOO

 

[mrstfs]

which means LE does.

Yes, you’re right! They don’t need the public’s help. JMO

 

[Feistyomi]

Watching that video changes the timeline for me.

If she really had gone on a bike ride in that area, people would have come forward as witnesses. Did you see how narrow the roads were? People walking with their children or their dogs had to stop and step back a little to let cars pass. I imagine they'd do the same when seeing a bike coming along.

If someone wanted to stage that abandoned bike, they couldn't risk doing so in broad daylight on a Sunday. Especially on Mother's Day, when people would be visiting, hiking, taking family drives...that bike was probably placed where it was before the sun came up. JMO

Gannon...Trying to keep up w/ and read earlier threads. That, I think is my gut feeling you put into words, thank you!
Where was bike found?
I was certain it was found under bridge, then someone corrected to on the bridge, it makes a difference!
Also the two women in that video said they were going to video another bike ride area, that was more secluded. Need to view that.

It also brings up question on timing for me. If BM did this, why this particular weekend or Sunday...

I have way too many questions w/ few or conflicting answers.

 

[LietKynes]

Watching that video changes the timeline for me.

If she really had gone on a bike ride in that area, people would have come forward as witnesses. Did you see how narrow the roads were? People walking with their children or their dogs had to stop and step back a little to let cars pass. I imagine they'd do the same when seeing a bike coming along.

If someone wanted to stage that abandoned bike, they couldn't risk doing so in broad daylight on a Sunday. Especially on Mother's Day, when people would be visiting, hiking, taking family drives...that bike was probably placed where it was before the sun came up. JMO

bbm
Agreed.
Or, a day or two before ?
We have no idea who last saw Suzanne.
LE asking for neighbors to save their video footage from the 8th tells me they're looking at a much larger timeline !
MOO

 

[BeckyF]

The huge radio silence is telling. Where is SM's BFF? Her siblings? Heck, her old next door neighbor from Indiana. We heard from the nephew,who is silent now, an uncle, who seems to have only good intentions but really didn't seem close. None of these people are screaming from the rooftops to find Suzanne.

Oh, and the Fire Chief, who I think knows very little except what he's been told, which doesn't make it true. He does like to talk, though.

I think those closest to her knew right away what had happened.

MOO

Yeah it is very odd. Was everyone estranged from her? Do they not care if she is found? It is sad really, like some big conspiracy of silence.

 

[LietKynes]

which means LE does.

I agree.

 

[carbuff]

No grizzlies here since the early 20th century; they were hunted into extinction, sadly. The closest grizzly habitat is Yellowstone area (Wyoming), so pretty far north.

Thanks for enlightening me!

 

[ventuc]

Yeah it is very odd. Was everyone estranged from her? Do they not care if she is found? It is sad really, like some big conspiracy of silence.

JMO, but maybe LE is the one suggesting they remain silent? If one of my friends or family went missing and it was immediately suggested (and likely) that someone close to her had done something to her, I don't think I'd be stepping forward to talk about the situation publicly, and certainly not if LE had recommended not to. Could be that many of these people, even friends from IN, could have been contacted and interviewed by LE already, in order to get an idea of the state of their marriage, other issues. I certainly don't think the silence indicates she/they had no caring friends or family. Again, JMO.

 

[Puzzles8]

BBM:

Same thought process going on upstairs here.

It could be something similar to that Ann Rule true crime book, "Every Breath You Take," where the murdered woman, Sheila Blackthorne, told a friend, "If anything ever happens to me ... find Ann Rule and ask her to write my story."

I do think it's likely that if there had been any recent tensions, confrontations, ultimatums, unwelcome discoveries, betrayals, etc., in the marriage, SM will have confided in at least one close family member or friend.

It's possible that SM may even have consulted a professional about something that had gone seriously awry in her personal life.

Like maybe an accountant.
Or an attorney.
Or something.

JMO.

Along your thoughts, there have been over 400 tips called in, 150 within the first 24 hours. I can't believe the 400 tips were about 400 different subjects....

 

[ventuc]

Could it be that there are just an incredibly sad number of murders in the country, and it happens coincidentally that some of them are on/around holidays? I mean, there are at least 8-9 major holidays, and of course, the very fact that they happened on/around a holiday makes it more of a news event. In this case, SM might not have even been harmed ON Mother's Day, it's just that her disappearance was going to be discovered on that day specifically because of the nature and timing of the holiday. Just thinking as I go...MOO.

ETA that I'm sure some of them are due to increased stress, or something else that's different about holiday times, but I doubt that's always the case.

 

[Boxer]

The huge radio silence is telling. Where is SM's BFF? Her siblings? Heck, her old next door neighbor from Indiana. We heard from the nephew,who is silent now, an uncle, who seems to have only good intentions but really didn't seem close. None of these people are screaming from the rooftops to find Suzanne.

Oh, and the Fire Chief, who I think knows very little except what he's been told, which doesn't make it true. He does like to talk, though.

I think those closest to her knew right away what had happened.

MOO

Family flew immediately to CO to help and seek support for the search for her. Now, crickets.
I think the sheriff spoke to them pesuasivley about not sharing their angst with the media, and convincing them that he should, could and would solve the case.

 

[CocoChanel]

MOD NOTE:

While it is interesting to note that it seems many disappearances and other crimes have occurred on various holidays, it is not appropriate or productive to discuss that here as it veers the thread off the topic of finding Suzanne Morphew. Please do not bring that here to her thread. Perhaps start a thread in the basement for that discussion.

THANKS a bunch.
CocoChanel

 

[Alethea]

This is the case I’ve been thinking of: Kelly Owen was murdered by her ex, Michael Owen. During the 11 days between her murder and the arrest, there were no statements or interviews from her family or friends. Lots of condolences on FB but there seemed to be an elephant in the room? Then the arrest. Different situation since they found her right away (in her home!) but it still took almost 2 weeks for the arrest.

Estranged husband arrested in murder of 27-year-old Kelly Owen on Long Island

 

[DizzyB]

Even though I was fully aware of the location where Suzanne went missing, I was struck by the video. It’s so vast. She could be anywhere. If she had no digital footprint, and was in a vehicle for part of the time, how could they possibly pinpoint where to search? So much land.

 

[Satchie]

Yeah it is very odd. Was everyone estranged from her? Do they not care if she is found? It is sad really, like some big conspiracy of silence.

Yes, LE has probably requested no interviews with the media. But also, going to media to talk isn't everyone's thing. Here in Canada, people rarely do it, except those who are really starved for attention. It's not that people don't care about their loved one, in fact the opposite. The media feeds off these cases for the ratings, IMO, not to mention the insanity of sm (websleuths excepted of course).

 

[K9Enzo]

Yeah it is very odd. Was everyone estranged from her? Do they not care if she is found? It is sad really, like some big conspiracy of silence.

IMO, we all view the silence differently. I believe her loved ones are out of their minds with heartache, worry & confusion. I can certainly appreciate keeping the young daughters away from the media. I also believe it’s highly probable they have been strongly advised to refrain from speaking publicly.

Probably not a popular view but I don’t think standing in front of a camera, holding a pic of your loved one helps. I do think it potentially brings out the undesirables who want to call family, as an example, claiming to have their loved one & will release them for $$$. You might get a grainy pic or hear a muffled voice. I’ve heard of poor families draining their accounts, getting a second mortgage and it’s all a scam, usually from overseas. Good luck prosecuting that.

For me, as long as they are cooperating with LE, is all that matters. If they’re not, well then LE will continue to turn lives upside down for answers.

 

[Ontario Mom]

A lot has been said about BM & SM's church in Salida. I listened to about half of the Mother's Day sermon and heard the importance of "obedient mothers" stressed several times. Which would be a very unusual thing to hear at the churches and temples I have visited and attended, so I looked over the link to the church's "constitution" and bylaws, here: http://www.gracechurchsalida.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Constitution-revision-1.30.19-FINAL.pdf

This is a very, very conservative/fundamentalist church, indeed. I would not be shocked if one or both of BM & SM did not consider divorce an option, or at the very least were concerned about the hit their reputation/image might take in that community. I believe churches at this level of conservatism often consider the male in the marriage the "God-ordained head of household."

I think these beliefs must have absolutely had some impact on the dynamics of the marriage that must be considered in any assessment of the likelihood of murder/suicide/conflict/DV/motive/etc.

I don't want to start any religious discussion so I'll be brief:

Looks like a doctrinally sound church, based on their statement of faith.
That said, there are those who do go to extremes on the 2 points you mentioned, obediency and head of household.
Divorce is also a big deal in churches like this; for some, it's for spiritual reasons and for others it's personal reputation.
These are points that shouldn't be ignored, if both or just one were actively involved in the church, not just Sunday attendees.

jmo - because I'm one of those Christians

 

[10ofRods]

But there are signs when people are open to possibility. Scott Peterson had friends who knew that he wasn't happy - he didn't hide it. I suspect Young, Watt, Harris, etc. all shared their feelings with someone. Doesn't take much - I used catch a fast food lunch with a co-worker, on occasion, and wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if he did something like this - but no one else saw it.

I guess what I'm saying, in this case, is if it turns out like it seems, there will be a buddy, somewhere, who will paint a picture that no one else wanted to see.

Okay - let me just say that before my ex-husband tried to strangle me, no one saw any signs. None of our friends knew that he was unhappy. He claimed not to be unhappy. His therapist told me he was fine, he was happy. Just a bit stressed out.

There are different kinds of DV, some of it is planned and based on longterm dislike/incompatability/affairs and some of it is spontaneous and in the heat of the moment. People lose it. People who are controlling lose it more often, IMO and IME.

No one in our friend group knew about it - not for years, and when I finally broke silence, people were shocked, I tell you. Shocked. Two of my friends from years before said they did suspect we had problems, but my ex-husband made sure we moved far far away from them. I actually lost contact with both of them until after I left him. Now, we're friends again.

People can be very different when they're home alone with their spouse - sometimes the presence of children keeps a lid on it all.

And people are especially different in public. My ex was popular in high school. People thought him the life of the party. He was and is in a helping profession. But we know that the public façade of the abuser is often straight-arrow, even kind and protective. We know that from candid statements by people like police and doctors. Here's a link to at study on DV, a hidden problem in police families:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0735648X.2001.9721133

So you just never know. A person can be perceived at work and by buddies as honorable and trustworthy, but not be the same way at home. You'd think that police would be very astute about sussing out each others' marital problems (especially of the magnitude required for murder). But it seems that even police can present a front, and/or miss the clues that you claim exist (I don't think there are such clues in many cases, personally). I never assume a happy façade is always what it seems.

IOW, people aren't always Scott Peterson. If there were frequently clues that a spouse was about to murder the other spouse (or kill themselves or the kids), there would be less of this sort of thing.

I've been checking everyday...nothing yet.

Thank you. It just seems weird that this is not, in some way, a missing persons case. It looks like it's a search for a murder victim.