Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #9

[RickshawFan]

LE has been careful to say "reportedly" biking. Which is why some of us have doubts. LE has not confirmed. I believe they did confirm her bike was found but only the Fire Chief and the nephew have offered up what they've heard about its location or condition, AFAIK.

I can't find where LE actually confirmed SM's bike was found. IIRC, LE did mention an item that they'd found during the road search and that it wasn't the bike. Ergo.... they haven't confirmed that a bike or biking is a feature of this case. Feel free to correct me if you interpret the Sheriff a different way.
The only stuff we "know" about a bike or biking in this case is hearsay.

 

[Seattle1]

I was kind of surprised to read on crimeonline dated May 25, 2020 that "On Sunday, the sheriff’s office said that investigators would not be doing a physical search for the missing woman on Monday, but encouraged members of the public to continue to share any tips."

As far as I know, a missing person's search doesn't stop for of a holiday. We know why a search stops.

I've not seen the 5/25/20 Crimeonline article referenced but I think the implication was not that they were taking a holiday off but that the 3-day search on the private property was concluded (Sunday, May 24), and they were also about to release the house back to the family which I think happened either Monday or Tuesday. MOO

 

[wheatnotchaff]

Interesting that you think the home search came across as "adversarial". I may have missed some earlier discussion on this, but this is the first I've heard/read this. Am curious to know what leads you to think this? I understand that it's been said that BM retained a lawyer (hopefully in the MSM ...?), but wondering if you have additional information?

No, nothing additional. It's just that cases like Peterson, LE would search the house while Scott waited in the driveway, etc. This one just struck me like the house was being treated as a crime scene and a member, or members, of the family was suspected of creating that crime scene. I would expect "it's all routine, family cooperating, no suspects, etc" unless there was some adversarial tension.

Thank you for clarifying

 

[Nerissa]

To those much more savvy of LE than I.....

I ask you:

What do you make of LE showing their hand by investigating the former work site of BM?

That was a clear: 'make my day' kinda thing to me.....

JMO

 

[MassGuy]

To those much more savvy of LE than I.....

I ask you:

What do you make of LE showing their hand by investigating the former work site of BM?

That was a clear: 'make my day' kinda thing to me.....

JMO

They really didn’t have much of a choice. That location had to be searched if they had a reasonable belief that Suzanne’s body was there.

If they didn’t say the search was related to Suzanne’s disappearance and that the property owner was not connected, then it would have potentially led to speculation that the property owner was involved.

You can’t hide something like that, and I don’t think there was any other play.

 

[Nerissa]

They really didn’t have much of a choice. That location had to be searched if they had a reasonable belief that Suzanne’s body was there.

If they didn’t say the search was related to Suzanne’s disappearance and that the property owner was not connected, then it would have potentially led to speculation that the property owner was involved.

You can’t hide something like that, and I don’t think there was any other play.

Yeah but they sure showed their hand.....& presumably with no proof

"At this time...."

JMO

 

[Ontario Mom]

They really didn’t have much of a choice. That location had to be searched if they had a reasonable belief that Suzanne’s body was there.

If they didn’t say the search was related to Suzanne’s disappearance and that the property owner was not connected, then it would have potentially led to speculation that the property owner was involved.

You can’t hide something like that, and I don’t think there was any other play.

Somehow they were able to keep it on the DL because the public didn't even know they were there until the second day.

They're probably wishing they could bottle that - whatever it was that they did or didn't do - to keep the media at bay.

 

[RickshawFan]

Maybe there aren't any really recent pics of her? I'm not even a cancer survivor, but I can tell you I used to not mind my picture being taken at all, most of my life....until the past 10 years or so. The only time in my life I didn't was during a time I had gained a lot of weight, until I lost it.

Now after losing some teeth plus going gray and thinning hair, I'm back to not wanting to be in pictures, and if I went missing, the only pictures of me to put out would be old and pretty inaccurate.

Suzanne, having been thru cancer treatments, possibly was shying away from cameras recently due to not feeling as attractive as her normal self, too? Just a thought...

MOO

Teenager girls are especially liberal with smartphone snapshots, and she's got teenage girls. Then, there are photos from church, the neighborhood grocery, company get togethers, good times with friends, fellow bikers, the dentist, the bank drive through, the atm....

 

[MassGuy]

Yeah but they sure showed their hand.....& presumably with no proof

"At this time...."

JMO

In order to conduct a thorough investigation, you are sometimes forced to show your hand.

The Morphew residence being searched by crime scene investigators is another example. In that instance, law enforcement tried to downplay the significance of that.

Incidentally, the same thing happened in the Stauch case. Basically, “nothing to see here.”

 

[Nerissa]

Who has access to release pictures to LE, for posters, etc....?

The family, right?

Who didn't want any recent pictures released....?

Who wanted SM to look how she 'used to'...?

JMO

 

[Nerissa]

In order to conduct a thorough investigation, you are sometimes forced to show your hand.

The Morphew residence being searched by crime scene investigators is another example. In that instance, law enforcement tried to downplay the significance of that.

Incidentally, the same thing happened in the Stauch case. Basically, “nothing to see here.”

Just about to post this all reminds me of the GS case - how it's being handled....

Hope that justice comes swiftly for SM

JMO

BTW: I'm all for LE saying: 'go ahead, make my day....'

 

[cody22]

"Ask, and ye shall receive."

For the record, while that's what many of us seem to be doing here, I guarantee you that LE ain't sitting around bored right now.

This case is a long way from being cold.

JMO.

Thank you....LOL !

 

[vaporlass]

This is so strange, I want to pull my hair out.

We definitely need an emoji pulling its hair out in this case, don’t we?

 

[kiwi50]

I don’t think for a moment it’s a cold case.
LE need her body or a confession. The psychological pressure on BM must be huge, I’m sure he realises no one whatsoever believes his theory, the silence everywhere is deafening.
Who will blink first?
So sad for his daughters and people who have/are supporting him, what an insidious position they have been put in.

 

[vaporlass]

I'm also afraid it is going cold.

I don’t think it’s ever been HOT... I’m still waiting for that ...

 

[MrX]

dbm duplicate

 

[LietKynes]

Teenager girls are especially liberal with smartphone snapshots, and she's got teenage girls. Then, there are photos from church, the neighborhood grocery, company get togethers, good times with friends, fellow bikers, the dentist, the bank drive through, the atm....

Good point. ^^^

I believe there are more recent photos than the one taken in Feb 2019.

Wonder what the recent photos showed ?

A woman in fairly good health, since she was in remission...or someone frail and changed ?

Because it seems from the husband's video plea that he wanted people to know that Suzanne looked just like her older photos and so of course a kidnapper took her !
The "...Your girls need you..." bit was off-putting --imo-- as if Suzanne left them purposefully.

So --in essence-- no one took her, and she didn't run away to be with a new love.
Imo she is an attractive woman but the photos are old, and maybe she looked completely different, and needed to rest often ?

My friend is in remission and is tired easily and has to sit down alot, she can't be on her feet for very long.
What have Suzanne's immediate family said about her ?
I know-- we don't know and maybe never will, which is o.k.

But did they think she had the strength to go mountain biking ?
Or did they think she needed rest and more healing ?
Imo.

 

[LietKynes]

I don’t think for a moment it’s a cold case.
LE need her body or a confession. The psychological pressure on BM must be huge, I’m sure he realises no one whatsoever believes his theory, the silence everywhere is deafening.
Who will blink first?
So sad for his daughters and people who have/are supporting him, what an insidious position they have been put in.

bbm

"Insidious" is a good term for this case.
("proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects ; treacherous, crafty...")

 

[GordianKnot]

We definitely need an emoji pulling its hair out in this case, don’t we?

BBM:

I'm not even close to having reached the "tearing my hair out" stage yet…it's still early days in the investigation.

If we find ourselves here a month from now without SM having been located and/or an arrest being made, though, I'll be sporting this look:

My biggest concern is that this may very well end up being a no-body case.

Even if it does, though, no-body cases can be prosecuted.
And not just prosecuted, but won.
And not just won, but won in overwhelming fashion.

"No body, no crime" is a fallacy.

Just ask DA Dan May.

(I was going to say, "Ask Frazee," but he's actually too stupid to realize that, the fact that he was sentenced to LWOP + 156 years, notwithstanding. PF is still probably sitting stewing in his cell, trying to figure out how the jury managed to find him guilty).

JMO.

 

[Trackergd]

Part of the answer would be the spot where the bike was found (if in fact the bike has been found). Bike tire prints, Suzanne's foot prints, actors foot prints, drag marks and tire prints. If that was all found and documented, if I were the actor, I would be very worried. Vehicle tire prints, bike tire prints and foot prints have something in common, "accidental indicators" that can tie the prints directly to a particular person, bike or vehicle as accurately as finger prints or DNA. These have been the downfall of many an actor who thought they were slick and had pulled off the perfect crime.