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

[MassGuy]

I have no idea what you are talking about. As of the sheriff's last press bulletin on May 26th, this is still a missing person case.
May 26th Press Release - Chaffee County Sheriff

Remarkable, in that it’s the exact same language used in the Gannon Stauch case. We knew better though.

If you think they were digging up someone’s property because they were merely investigating a “missing person,” I can say with confidence “that’s not how it works.”

It’s a criminal investigation, just not in name.

 

[Tate123]

I'm from a fireman's family. I've never heard of the fire department being recused from a call due to conflict of interest of a fireman, if that's what you are implying. JMO

Up-thread I listed all of the agencies that had been involved in the search for SM from the Chaffee County Sheriffs website. Chaffee Fire was not on that list. It was on the list for the toddler.

 

[10ofRods]

This case just feels to me like it has some parallels to the Barbara Thomas disappearance and subsequent activities of those close to her. I was really sure that one would be cracked quickly, but nothing yet. It’s just heartbreaking that people vanish and life just goes on for some.

I’ve said it before, but my sister, her husband, friends, and I all put out way more effort and publicity when their cat went missing for a week. I realize that in this case, LE may have asked people not to muddy the waters but I’m amazed that there wasn’t at least an initial flurry of activity from friends or family. It’s deeply puzzling.

I agree - although Barbara's husband did speak to cameras, by himself, was shown walking in his yard, was willing to talk to reporters twice. Her stepdaughter also made an appeal. And then, a family member actually attempted to stay on top of the investigation and became a verified insider here. He allowed us to see the truck and trailer. And LE did reveal that he'd made a stop at a certain gas station. There were no missing posters, but she was entered into NAMUS.

I'm still waiting for the family in Suzanne's case to show what they think should happen next. In Barbara's case, way more searching of the immediate area of her disappearance (as told by her husband) took place and is still taking place from time to time.

I can only assume that the family members are at least talking among themselves and hopefully, they know more than we do. It must be agonizing.

 

[nyvictoria]

I can’t recall a case with so little confirmation of basic information. No current picture of SM and no confirmation of whether she actually rode her bike leads me to believe LE knew right away this was not a typical missing person case. The email sent to the church in Indiana which claimed there was a mountain lion seen in the area where the bike was found is another alarm bell for me.

I also find it very odd that when LE had the house, the daughters apparently were not staying with BM at his friend’s house. The fire Chief had been in contact with people who were bringing food and supplies to BM at his friend’s house but he did not know where the daughters were staying. Add to that, the family members who did not know where the daughters were and said they thought they were “being protected.” From whom?

BREAKING: Colorado police release missing Suzanne Morphew’s home back to her family, sources say

‘We’re in the dark’: Missing Suzanne Morphew’s family waits and worries two weeks after Colorado mom’s mysterious disappearance [EXCLUSIVE]

 

[DizzyB]

Perhaps SM confided in her daughters that she was going to ask BM for a divorce the weekend of May 9-10 when the girls were camping. When they were unable to reach SM maybe they became concerned....
I do not believe there was ever a bike ride and that there is a good possibility that she was harmed on or before Saturday, May 9.
JMO

This would be an interesting angle. They could even already have been residing in the same home but in the process of separating. One child is at school, the other possibly staying with someone-maybe for that reason. Covid hits, and it gets harder to move out. Girls are aware of the separation, the tension, Dad maybe stays in Denver some of the time. Now Mom is missing. “Your girls need you”. No “we” because that ship had already sailed.

 

[Fireflize]

Perhaps SM confided in her daughters that she was going to ask BM for a divorce the weekend of May 9-10 when the girls were camping. When they were unable to reach SM maybe they became concerned....
I do not believe there was ever a bike ride and that there is a good possibility that she was harmed on or before Saturday, May 9.
JMO

^^^^^
If that is what happened, then everything else makes sense to me. Possibility, Moo.[/QUOTE]

 

[CzarinaR]

The police requested people with cameras to save video: Is this to lure the *suspect* out - to watch who goes out to get video evidence before the police retrieve it?
If this is all ready thought of I apologize...haven’t been online reading up on things.

 

[MassGuy]

The police requested people with cameras to save video: Is this to lure the *suspect* out - to watch who goes out to get video evidence before the police retrieve it?
If this is all ready thought of I apologize...haven’t been online reading up on things.

I take it at face value. They would have obtained video from homes and other locations within the immediate vicinity of the Morphew home.

By asking people to save any video, they are covering themselves if they realize down the road that they need video from other locations.

Not a trick, just standard procedure.

 

[Dave F.]

Up-thread I listed all of the agencies that had been involved in the search for SM from the Chaffee County Sheriffs website. Chaffee Fire was not on that list. It was on the list for the toddler.

We are talking very small volunteer fire stations scattered around a large county. The firehouses get the same radio and cellphone communications as all of the other first responders. There could be many reasons why no one from the fire department was able to participate in a search for a missing person on instant notice. Excluding the fire department from a first response incident because one of their own is already suspected of a crime is simply not done, ever, in my experience. IMO

 

[ChuckMaureen]

rsbbm

SBM

I don't know much about police investigations. Aren't investigators obliged to follow/check all tips they receive?

If they sometimes didn't I think a defence team could bring up the subject in order to attempt to introduce "reasonable doubt" into the minds of jurors?

//<snip>//

I somewhat agree LE is 'obligated' to follow up on tips, but I suspect some level of common sense or level of reality should come in to play. Of course, those perceptions are based on statistics, known facts of the case, maybe a bit of conjecture and assumption and even public and political pressure.

If I call in a tip and I say I saw SM that Sunday wearing a Furry costume and standing next to Goofy in the wheel house of the Disney Dream cruise ship, is LE obligated to send an investigator(s) to the ship that happens to be cruising in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? I expect not many people would perceive that tip as being based on any sort of reality.

Regarding the 'dirt-job property' in this case and that SM may have ended up there, then yes, that is a level of reality based on feasibility, but is that all it would take to cut in to concrete? What if the spouse had not had a landscape job? What if he was the owner of a small local bank? Is LE obligated to seek a warrant for to open the bank vault and check for the missing spouse among the shelves full of bills?

 

[Elle*Bee]

IMO, I think it’s possible the page creator(s) wanted to leave the page with the last post being the husband’s video plea.

Wouldn’t it be more effective then to “pin” his post so it appears on the top and continue using the page to spread awareness? IMHO I think there’s another reason. Perhaps LE asked them not to say anything further. Perhaps the page creator stepped away for a reason that may or may not have anything to do with Suzanne’s case. All my speculation.

 

[Dave F.]

I don't see any evidence that the open square in the concrete was cut by LE. Why would they cut a hole in order to set up their tent and tables and sift evidence samples from all over the property?
This pour of an identical floor has a similar gap, formed for the pour. The website where it originates has some other pictures of the process, and lots of information. IMO
Advantages of Radiant Floor Heating |

 

[Ontario Mom]

People were looking at various real estate and tax records for the CO house in connection with the question of whether SM's disappearance may have been financially motived. A couple of the records appeared to indicate that something was amiss. More digging ensued. At the end of the day, it doesn't look (to me, at least) like there is anything suspicious there.

That explains it quite well. Thank you.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I'm from a fireman's family. I've never heard of the fire department being recused from a call due to conflict of interest of a fireman, if that's what you are implying. JMO

Whether intended or not, by the CCSO, it did seem to imply the very reason they were not asked to assist, is due to a potential conflict of interest and how it might affect their ongoing investigation.

Also, quite reasonable to assume that if BM is a suspect yet not-named, that it would indeed be, a conflict of interest.

Purely speculation, of course.

 

[Melrose]

rsbbm


I somewhat agree LE is 'obligated' to follow up on tips, but I suspect some level of common sense or level of reality should come in to play. Of course, those perceptions are based on statistics, known facts of the case, maybe a bit of conjecture and assumption and even public and political pressure.

If I call in a tip and I say I saw SM that Sunday wearing a Furry costume and standing next to Goofy in the wheel house of the Disney Dream cruise ship, is LE obligated to send an investigator(s) to the ship that happens to be cruising in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? I expect not many people would perceive that tip as being based on any sort of reality.

Regarding the 'dirt-job property' in this case and that SM may have ended up there, then yes, that is a level of reality based on feasibility, but is that all it would take to cut in to concrete? What if the spouse had not had a landscape job? What if he was the owner of a small local bank? Is LE obligated to seek a warrant for to open the bank vault and check for the missing spouse among the shelves full of bills?

BBM

Made me laugh. I will include the words "judged to be credible" if the subject arises again. Thank you.

I think cops would check the bank vault if they could get a warrant to do so. I also think they would check any other properties the owner of the bank had access to if his wife suddenly went missing.

As I said, don't know much about police investigations. Maybe someone with knowledge could detail what is needed to obtain a warrant in Colorado. That would be welcome.

 

[10ofRods]

This is so WEIRD...
It appears they bought the Colorado land/property in July 2008 for 325k. Per Dave’s find, they started building the following month. It was first listed for sale in 5/2011 for 1.2m. The listing was removed 10/2012 after a year and 5 months without being sold.
The listing was removed again in Dec 2013, because they changed realtors at this time. In 1/2014 new realtor listed for 1.1m. By May 2014, they reduced price to 998k.
In 2/2015 the listing was once again removed. Then listed again in April 2015 for same price. In Aug 2015 the listing was removed again.
The house SOLD in Sept 2015 for 1.1m.
The house was listed AGAIN in Dec 2017 for 1.5m with yet another realtor- pending sale Jan 31 2018 - and Sold to BM/SM April 2018.
I’m wondering if they bought their own house to give it more value? Surely they didn’t sell it for 1.1m and then turn around two years later and buy it back for 1.575m ...
Maybe one of y’all can explain this?
Under price and tax history
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/19057-Puma-Path-Salida-CO-81201/96847591_zpid/

It wouldn't be the first time a developer/property investor did some of these things. If a person has various companies (as BLM did) and any other holdings in trust (as SM did), they would definitely arrange transactions among those entities to establish and then increase the property value. I had an aunt who did this with her future husband (a lawyer) involving a few properties. They actually did pretty well with this (there was no cash exchanged, just paper and plenty of language in contracts).

But your explanation is straightforward and I sure don't know what to make of it, except a scheme to establish a high value for the house. 7 acres and 3300 sf, even with that stretch of river in the backyard, is still quite high on the scale for Chaffee County. I'd expect at least 20 acres for that price tag, but then, I wouldn't need to be near a road. 3300 sf would be plenty. Maybe housing prices on Zillow have fallen recently, that I don't know. Zillow seems to think the property is worth $200,000 more than it was in 2018.

At any rate, my hunch is that the fittings were all chosen by the builder and the back-up plan, if it didn't sell, was to move into or turn it into an AirBnb (which could have necessitated a chance in deed in order to limit liability, as that's what many AirBnB owners do). So I wonder what person or entity bought it in September 2015.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

I don't see any evidence that the open square in the concrete was cut by LE. Why would they cut a hole in order to set up their tent and tables and sift evidence samples from all over the property?
This pour of an identical floor has a similar gap, formed for the pour. The website where it originates has some other pictures of the process, and lots of information. IMO
Advantages of Radiant Floor Heating |

There were no signs of radiant heating installation at the site as shown in the flyover video.

 

[Ontario Mom]

We are talking very small volunteer fire stations scattered around a large county. The firehouses get the same radio and cellphone communications as all of the other first responders. There could be many reasons why no one from the fire department was able to participate in a search for a missing person on instant notice. Excluding the fire department from a first response incident because one of their own is already suspected of a crime is simply not done, ever, in my experience. IMO

Totally hypothetical of course but...

Not even if one of their own was suspected of being the criminal reason there was a call for a search in the first place?
I mean, in that case, it certainly does seem prudent that this particular fire house would be excluded from the search.
I have no idea how common something like that might be, and that may be why you've never heard of it?

 

[CzarinaR]

rsbbm


I somewhat agree LE is 'obligated' to follow up on tips, but I suspect some level of common sense or level of reality should come in to play. Of course, those perceptions are based on statistics, known facts of the case, maybe a bit of conjecture and assumption and even public and political pressure.

If I call in a tip and I say I saw SM that Sunday wearing a Furry costume and standing next to Goofy in the wheel house of the Disney Dream cruise ship, is LE obligated to send an investigator(s) to the ship that happens to be cruising in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? I expect not many people would perceive that tip as being based on any sort of reality.

Regarding the 'dirt-job property' in this case and that SM may have ended up there, then yes, that is a level of reality based on feasibility, but is that all it would take to cut in to concrete? What if the spouse had not had a landscape job? What if he was the owner of a small local bank? Is LE obligated to seek a warrant for to open the bank vault and check for the missing spouse among the shelves full of bills?

CONSTRUCTION PERMITS might have useful information for his start date - scope of work (dirt throwing)
“Throw Dirt“ is an interesting term commonly used for the breaking ground ceremony so a little odd usage. Anyone agree?

 

[Tate123]

We are talking very small volunteer fire stations scattered around a large county. The firehouses get the same radio and cellphone communications as all of the other first responders. There could be many reasons why no one from the fire department was able to participate in a search for a missing person on instant notice. Excluding the fire department from a first response incident because one of their own is already suspected of a crime is simply not done, ever, in my experience. IMO

Morphew’s colleagues from the Maysville Fire Station have also been attempting to help with the search, although one told DailyMail.com they have been warned off by police.

Tim Nelson, 33, said: ‘The Sheriff’s office, they told us none of the fire guys are allowed up there.

‘They can’t keep us out of the forest so that’s what some of the others have done – they set up their own little search party.’

Nelson added: ‘It’s a bad deal you know. They aren’t telling us anything. We got excluded from everything.


Police search and carry out evidence bags from the $1.5M home of missing Colorado mom | Daily Mail Online