Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 #80 *arrest*

[Pyrite]

I remain grateful for the expert cyclist that was Suzanne's bike mechanic.

Im not sure how much of a bike crash expert her bike mechanic would be. I’m not a bike mechanic or an expert, but am a mountain biker who rides with lots of friends and has been with them when they crash (and crash a lot myself). Bikes end up in a lot of different ways, especially when using flat pedals that a lot of beginners use. With clipless pedals, the bike usually stays with the rider when you crash as you are physically attached with your shoes clipped into the pedals.

With flat pedals, the bike normally ends up down the hill as there is no physical attachment once your feet leave the pedal, your butt leaves the seat and your hands let go of the handlebars as you are flipping over them in a crash.

From what I’ve seen and experienced, on downhill crashes you almost always go over the handles bars and if not clipped in, fling the bike down the hill.

 

[Aloe]

Speaking for myself (I once lived in Salida and revisit often), it does seem impossible. The Arkansas River through that part of the valley is not at all deep, but it is narrow and absolutely clogged with rocks and boulders. There is also a great deal of treefall.

Go there and observe for yourself and you will also find it impossible to imagine anyone ever thinking a body could float downstream for more than a few feet or be concealed in any way.

We're not talking about the Mississippi here.

Thanks @JosieMae! Hope I can make it to any part of Colorado some day!

 

[NoSI]

Thanks @JosieMae! Hope I can make it to any part of Colorado some day!

Pic of river close to Puma Path. Thought this might help.

 

[DeDee]

Im not sure how much of a bike crash expert her bike mechanic would be. I’m not a bike mechanic or an expert, but am a mountain biker who rides with lots of friends and has been with them when they crash (and crash a lot myself). Bikes end up in a lot of different ways, especially when using flat pedals that a lot of beginners use. With clipless pedals, the bike usually stays with the rider when you crash as you are physically attached with your shoes clipped into the pedals.

With flat pedals, the bike normally ends up down the hill as there is no physical attachment once your feet leave the pedal, your butt leaves the seat and your hands let go of the handlebars as you are flipping over them in a crash.

From what I’ve seen and experienced, on downhill crashes you almost always go over the handles bars and if not clipped in, fling the bike down the hill.

Thank you, Pyrite. My SIL rides 20 miles at noon in uptown traffic and finishes with a Smoothie King concoction and calls it a power lunch. He also rides on long straightaways and hills with curves yet has never suffered a biking accident. My nephew, OTOH, as you've described, stays connected to his bike when he falls.

The following is why I considered SB to be a cycling expert:

"Scott Banks" – Bike mechanic in Salida, very experienced (was bike mechanic for Team USA at one point and has been a bike mechanic for decades), worked on SMs bike x3, he put bike together when it was new, on May 7, 2020 he put new tires on the bike, he is familiar with the Santa Cruz Juliana mountain bikes, when bike found handlebars were twisted 180 degrees, brought up the term "ghostriding" and "pushing bike to allow to go freely, brakes drag",

Google tells me that quote is found on the link to this thread; however, I could not locate the exact post:
CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 #80 *arrest*
.

 

[155etta]

My theory on the cap is that he took the cap off, put it in his pocket, jammed the dart into SM by hand, was so occupied in killing SM and disposing of the body that he forgot the cap was in his pocket. He disposed of the dart later at one of the dump sites or the burial site and the cap came out of his pocket at a later date in the dryer. I have used blank adaptors in and out of the military and have never seen one that shoots darts. If there is one, it would be a "dart adaptor" that used a blank round for propellant. Why carry a firearm and risk telegraphing your intent to the victim when you can just hide the dart in your hand and jam it in suddenly? All the dart "guns" , both pistol and rifle I have seen are specifically only for darts and will not chamber a standard round.

LE could still use a LiDar equipped drone or aircraft to scan a large area behind PP. I am guessing he went no more than a one hour ride out and back, most likely in the Bobcat. He may have dug the hole in advance with an auger or the bucket and had everything ready to go. It is also possible that while digging out in the back 400, he hit a sizable rock and damaged the wear plate on the bucket and ended up having to replace it. If he was working early in the morning or late at night in low light levels, he may have left some unintended disturbances on the ground that may yet still survive to the trained eye. LiDar would be looking for a body sized or round depression. The back 400 is the only place he could have gone unobserved and spent a significant amount of time without the risk of being seen. Crossing over the road to where the helmet was found would have run the risk of GPS tracking data and being seen by other vehicle drivers.

Just curious, do you think he planted a tree on top of her?

 

[Seattle1]

dbm

 

[LisaCougar]

Speaking for myself (I once lived in Salida and revisit often), it does seem impossible. The Arkansas River through that part of the valley is not at all deep, but it is narrow and absolutely clogged with rocks and boulders. There is also a great deal of treefall.

Go there and observe for yourself and you will also find it impossible to imagine anyone ever thinking a body could float downstream for more than a few feet or be concealed in any way.

We're not talking about the Mississippi here.

I agree with you. My husband and I went white water rafting on the Arkansas near Salida. Lots of rocks and boulders.

 

[Bluebythec]

If you cross over the water that runs behind the Puma Path house, what's on the other side?

 

[DeDee]

dbm

Anyone else following this case that also followed Teresa Sievers' murder in FL?

As a group, we donated funds in order to obtain certain legal documents that pertained to her murder by a guy who called himself The Hammer, and another guy, that the husband hired to murder her.

What prevents us from doing that in this case? Why should we rely upon YT accounts to spoon feed information to us when we can obtain the same data?

 

[Wenifred]

Where were the 85 chipmunk carcasses when LE showed up to look for a missing Suzanne?
We haven't heard of a gruesome scene of small bloody animal explosions upon arrival at PP.
That would be some major clean up.

Someone must have a very bad shot.

 

[Aloe]

Pic of river close to Puma Path. Thought this might help.

Thanks so much @NoSI! Beautiful river photo! It looks even narrower in this photo than what I've seen in others. I wonder what time of year this photo was taken, first guess autumn, but IDK.
I had been thinking that if she was in a container, cooler, barrel, etc. He would have moved rocks to make a hole and then replaced them atop the container in the hole and made sure the rocks covering the area would be heavy enough to not be moved down stream by the current.
He would have made holes in the container so that it would not be able to float and probably added rocks inside for weight. It could have been done and been easier to do) at the edge close to the shore. (Just covering some speculation regarding bodies or skeletal remains floating down the river or it being too rocky). MOO
That being said, I defer to the posters who are familiar with the river and the available river data.
And I still think it more likely (not decidedly) that she is in a container at the bottom of an abandoned mine.

 

[jondaba]

Anyone else following this case that also followed Teresa Sievers' murder in FL?

As a group, we donated funds in order to obtain certain legal documents that pertained to her murder by a guy who called himself The Hammer, and another guy, that the husband hired to murder her.

What prevents us from doing that in this case? Why should we rely upon YT accounts to spoon feed information to us when we can obtain the same data?

I was in Sievers. Count me n for $25 here.

 

[Trocroc9]

So now I can't find the message. Somebody had asked me to doublecheck the time when BM went to river by Puma Path to check on turkeys or go after turkey or act like a turkey... who knows... Here is what I have:

May 9, 2020

Around 11:00 AM: Based on data, BMs phone located close to river which runs by Puma Path. BM explained as “Was looking for turkeys”.

This is what I wrote down regarding May 9, 2020 at that point of the court hearing:

May 9, 2020

- 7:35 AM: SM and JL communicated via 59 linked-in messages.

- 8:43 AM: SM and JL communicated about “move to Arizona”.

- 9:33 AM: SM to BM about a house on “King Gulch Trail” that came or is on the market in Salida.

- 9:49 AM: Call from BM to SM. BM calls SM 11x, no return calls from SM.

- ?? AM: BM to SM “Want to hike?”, SM to BM “Where?”, no answer from BM.

- Around 10 AM: Got summer tires put on (I don’t remember this at all, but wrote it down)

- 10:36 AM: SM to BM “Wanna meet to hike?”

- 10:48 AM: BM to SM “No, I am coming home”

- 10:49 AM: SM to BM “Get hot tub stuff”

PEOPLES EXHIBIT 60: Google Earth image where bike and helmet were found in correlation to Puma Path. Helmet on south side of US50, 10 feet “off”/”down” US-50.

- Around 11:00 AM: Based on data, BMs phone located close to river close to PP. BM explained as “Was looking for turkeys”.

- 11:50 AM – 12:20 PM: Based on data, BMs phone located in area of trail going towards RV park. BM explained that he was looking for a turkey that MalM had shot recently. He was not outside in the sun eating veggie soup with SM as he had claimed.

- 12:55 PM: BM sent message to Justin Cribari “Home now. Give me a bit more time”

- 1:38 PM: BM left PP.

- 1:42 PM: SM to JL “Guess who’s alone again”

- 1:46 PM: BM located on US50 going towards town. Message “Are you around to look at backhoe” to Justin Cribari.

- 2:03 PM: SM sent selfie to JL. (LAST PROOF OF LIFE).

I will try and get remaining notes typed up this afternoon.

Hey @NoSI who the heck is Justin Cribari ? And why did BM say give me more time when he texted him .. I’ve been following pretty closely and I don’t think I’ve heard that name yet. I’m thinking so many bad thoughts right now. Is this another person of interest in this case ? Why is his BM texting him same day wife goes quiet ?

 

[DizzyB]

Hey NoSI who the heck is Justin Cribari ? And why did he say give me more time .. I’ve been following pretty closely and I don’t think I’ve heard that name yet.

Hey there not @NoSI but Justin Cribari worked for DSI. This was where Barry had the bobcat blade replaced on Saturday.

 

[Blue Amethyst]

I find it interesting that Suzanne wanted to be “paid back”, if supposedly they were still madly in love. Unless they maintained separate finances, or Barry used the money for his business against Suzanne’s wishes, wouldn’t it be “their money” ultimately? Just like when he told Gene that it was Suzanne’s loan, they seemed to have a division of funds. I wonder why.
It was said that Suzanne was in the best shape of her life, and she had become ballsy according to Barry. Did he equate that to her using chemicals and alcohol? I wonder which house Suzanne wanted to look at-I looked, they were all very pricey and did not look downsizes.

Does anyone know if it would be their money if he put it into his company? If Suzanne wasn’t a shareholder would she be entitled to a share of the company. I always thought a company was a separate entity.

Perhaps he stashed money in the company so Suzanne couldn’t get it. Maybe he even had more than one company.

 

[DeDee]

I was in Sievers. Count me n for $25 here.

Thanks, jondaba! I'll match your $25.

 

[marylamby]

So now I can't find the message. Somebody had asked me to doublecheck the time when BM went to river by Puma Path to check on turkeys or go after turkey or act like a turkey... who knows... Here is what I have:

May 9, 2020

Around 11:00 AM: Based on data, BMs phone located close to river which runs by Puma Path. BM explained as “Was looking for turkeys”.

This is what I wrote down regarding May 9, 2020 at that point of the court hearing:

May 9, 2020

- 7:35 AM: SM and JL communicated via 59 linked-in messages.

- 8:43 AM: SM and JL communicated about “move to Arizona”.

- 9:33 AM: SM to BM about a house on “King Gulch Trail” that came or is on the market in Salida.

- 9:49 AM: Call from BM to SM. BM calls SM 11x, no return calls from SM.

- ?? AM: BM to SM “Want to hike?”, SM to BM “Where?”, no answer from BM.

- Around 10 AM: Got summer tires put on (I don’t remember this at all, but wrote it down)

- 10:36 AM: SM to BM “Wanna meet to hike?”

- 10:48 AM: BM to SM “No, I am coming home”

- 10:49 AM: SM to BM “Get hot tub stuff”

PEOPLES EXHIBIT 60: Google Earth image where bike and helmet were found in correlation to Puma Path. Helmet on south side of US50, 10 feet “off”/”down” US-50.

- Around 11:00 AM: Based on data, BMs phone located close to river close to PP. BM explained as “Was looking for turkeys”.

- 11:50 AM – 12:20 PM: Based on data, BMs phone located in area of trail going towards RV park. BM explained that he was looking for a turkey that MalM had shot recently. He was not outside in the sun eating veggie soup with SM as he had claimed.

- 12:55 PM: BM sent message to Justin Cribari “Home now. Give me a bit more time”

- 1:38 PM: BM left PP.

- 1:42 PM: SM to JL “Guess who’s alone again”

- 1:46 PM: BM located on US50 going towards town. Message “Are you around to look at backhoe” to Justin Cribari.

- 2:03 PM: SM sent selfie to JL. (LAST PROOF OF LIFE).

I will try and get remaining notes typed up this afternoon.

There was no turkey. Who the hell kills a turkey and leaves it lying around dead or half dead and then can't find it?
Did she see the turkey in order to shoot it? Isn't that how that works? Ludicrous. And, his daughter was in the courtroom.
So, why was he down by the river and down the trail to the RV park? What's going on with this backhoe and who is Justin?
At what time was he at the waterfront property where MG was working where he cut her day short and he looked like he'd had the worst night of his life? Need to know where that fits in this timeline.

Thank you SO MUCH again, @NoSI! You're AMAZING!

 

[Auntie Cipation]

If you cross over the water that runs behind the Puma Path house, what's on the other side?

I believe it's neighbor Ritter's property/home.

 

[marylamby]

I am really hoping that there is evidence beyond what Suzanne told others. I believe that firsthand knowledge will be powerful. I am not holding out much hope that MM2 will testify that she said any of the things attributed to her regarding Suzanne going out on her own, or suggesting a divorce. If the texts/conversations were given to investigators early on by SO, perhaps MM2 confirmed to LE that she said those things. I have seen witnesses have to read their prior statement out loud in the courtroom, when they tried to take them back. Instances just like one I am envisioning now.

I think M2 will be forthcoming. I think it will tear her apart but she'll tell the truth and there's only one person to blame for that. Her body language, according to tweets, lean toward that.
I think it would be wise for the defense to put SO on the stand just before M2. Lay the truth out for her so she doesn't feel as guilty to testify against her father. I'm sure someone, at least, is filling her head with a guilt trip and trying to manipulate her. Poor kid.

 

[marylamby]

Hi @IRBHTX. This is me, unfortunately. I wasn't aware of the official abbreviations. In my write ups -

MaM - Macy
MalM - Mallory.

I will try to fix, but it will be a while.

Nothing wrong with your abbreviations.