Still Missing CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 *arrest* #88

[Boxer]

The Bobcat was at the house with him.

Abd he de-trailered it, even though it was needed in Broomfield the next day.
I dont think he used the Bobcat in any meaningful way, but why detrailer it?
I can't remember when trailer unhitched.
That makes sense, it would free the truck during the reset time, but why actually detrailer?
Prevent theft possibly?

 

[sk716]

Abd he de-trailered it, even though it was needed in Broomfield the next day.
I dont think he used the Bobcat in any meaningful way, but why detrailer it?
I can't remember when trailer unhitched.
That makes sense, it would free the truck during the reset time, but why actually detrailer?
Prevent theft possibly?

<modsnip>. From the AA:

Additionally, it was noted by your affiant and other investigators that there was a Bobcat Skid Steer parked in a parking area/driveway, west of the Morphew residence. Next to the Skid Steer (south) was a flat-bed trailer. The trailer was in its tilt position. The trailer bed had some loose gravel and dirt on it. The trailer did not have a jack on it and the tongue of the trailer was lying on the ground. The Skid Steer was parked to the left side near the trailer tongue. The items were positioned such that the Skid Steer bucket appeared to have been used to un-hitch the trailer from a vehicle, most likely Barry’s truck, and set the trailer on the ground.​

 

[sk716]

These folks seem to indicate that this site was at waters edge and is now more apparent with receding water.

They spent days on that site. Even Necrosearch.

 

[waldojabba]

Except that nothing is delayed yet. There are often motions between prelim and trial.

Whether you buy or don’t buy that the defense is trying to ultimately delay the trial, the motion to remove the judge resulted in a delay of proceedings. Every other motion slated to be reviewed for this case in court that day was delayed -postponed to a later date

 

[gamma gal]

That's why I'm so glad they've utilized Necrosearch here, as this is precisely what they do.

Geologists, mine experts, botanists; there's no better organization equipped for a task like this.

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Ordered today

 

[gamma gal]

CCSO dug up the beach site. Thoroughly.

Did they actually dig up the beach or just multiple digs through the concrete?

 

[gamma gal]

Abd he de-trailered it, even though it was needed in Broomfield the next day.
I dont think he used the Bobcat in any meaningful way, but why detrailer it?
Incant remember when unhitched.
That eould free tbe truck during the reset time, but why d
Sctually detrailer?
Prevent theft possibly?

Maybe so he could go get the bucket tractor from the concrete beach site

 

[CGray123]

Does SD have access to a vehicle? Can we we know where it was from, say, noon of Saturday, May 9, 2020 through the following morning?

I remember vaguely this issue being discussed earlier. Is that so?

 

[Boxer]

Maybe so he could go get the bucket tractor from the concrete beach site

There are several cameras in Salida and etc. along the route that pick up traffic so they would know of any trips taken to the work site.

 

[Momofthreeboys]

My guess is the river house property has been searched thoroughly. Also Waters edge doesn’t make any sense. If you dig to close to the water ground water will eventually fill in and you would need to run a trash pump while you were digging. And water rises and falls and the movement pulls the bottom and moves it. I am not voting for that site.

 

[CGray123]

I have been trying to approach the question of disposal of SM's remains by assessing the risks and benefits of various locations. For example:

It seems to me that locations near the PP home, whether dumpsters, mines, reservoirs, workplaces, or BM's own property would receive a lot of attention right away/ Any disturbed earth would be relatively easy to spot in an intense search, and other search methods would also be more effective. LE knows its own territory pretty well.

So, I think she was taken outside Chaffee County, to a site not associated with BM or his business.

But the longer he had to transport her in the wee hours, the more likely he would be observed or even stopped. And he needed to get back to Salida to be sure he didn't miss anything before he left for Broomfield.

I think he'd avoid the counties of the 11th Judicial District, where the DA could promote cooperation among the County Sheriffs.

So, Saguache County has some advantages if I'm BM. Saguache County is very large but has a very low population. It is just outside the District, and the border is less than an hour from Puma Path. There aren't a lot of LE resources there to help Chaffee, either.

I don't think he'd use a dumpster unless he could count on the contents being taken away before LE started contacting landfills. That would require research that I don't think would be easy for him, that would generate evidence. Although he might happen to have known through the network of hunters and firefighters, I think he would not have used a resource that could be contacted by LE.

I don't think he'd have tried to prepare a grave - again discovery would be the issue especially if he planned far in advance.

I think a mineshaft within a reasonable distance of a little-used gravel road would appeal to him, and that his outdoor activities and outdoorsman friends might have given him a range of options to investigate without much risk and without using an enormous amount of time.

So, I'm thinking of old mines in Saguache County near the border with the 11th JD. If they were any distance from the road, he would probably need an ATV with lights.

I'm just brainstorming here, obviously, hoping to stimulate the many good brains on the thread. I'll be reading the Necrosearch book and hope to improve my knowledge of how they work, so I can be more helpful. Great recommendation, @MassGuy!

 

[sk716]

Did they actually dig up the beach or just multiple digs through the concrete?

Many more images of the searches at @AmandaReckonwith 's most excellent case image archive.

 

[sk716]

Personally I think burying a body in the tailings of the Garfield mine would be the easiest thing to do.

Just needs an hour or two, a shovel and no GPS.

Soil would not be rocky as it has been processed.
Lead and titanium tailings, I think dogs would recoil from any extended search in the toxic area.

MOO a GPR survey of the tailings would be useful.
Certainly BM was aware bodies shrink and soil above sinks so he would bury in a container.

Barry and GD said they searched it but, again, anywhere Barry has ever pointed to, she's not. He pointed to Garfield, he pointed towards the reservoir, he pointed toward Fooses, it was all searched. He took a verbal swipe at the CCSO and the FBI for the amount of money spent to dig up the rock beach property, so she's not there.

He didn't point to that mountain. From the AA:

SA Grusing asked Barry what he did about searching difficult places, like mineshafts. He said, “We did. We searched every mineshaft in this area.”

SA Grusing asked if vertical shafts were in the area, and Barry replied, “Yeah, there’s one behind the house that’s on the very top, but it’s plugged by a boulder. They plugged it. It doesn’t go, I mean it goes straight down and they plugged it.” When asked if there were more, he added, “There’s another one, but it’s been blown up – by the house. I don’t know of anything open by the house. The ones in Garfield are open, the ones up 240 are open.”
​

I'd like to point out here that Barry says there are only two mines by his house. Also note that he does his verbal tell where he starts one sentence, changes his mind and restarts it.

 

[Momofthreeboys]

I have been trying to approach the question of disposal of SM's remains by assessing the risks and benefits of various locations. For example:

It seems to me that locations near the PP home, whether dumpsters, mines, reservoirs, workplaces, or BM's own property would receive a lot of attention right away/ Any disturbed earth would be relatively easy to spot in an intense search, and other search methods would also be more effective. LE knows its own territory pretty well.

So, I think she was taken outside Chaffee County, to a site not associated with BM or his business.

But the longer he had to transport her in the wee hours, the more likely he would be observed or even stopped. And he needed to get back to Salida to be sure he didn't miss anything before he left for Broomfield.

I think he'd avoid the counties of the 11th Judicial District, where the DA could promote cooperation among the County Sheriffs.

So, Saguache County has some advantages if I'm BM. Saguache County is very large but has a very low population. It is just outside the District, and the border is less than an hour from Puma Path. There aren't a lot of LE resources there to help Chaffee, either.

I don't think he'd use a dumpster unless he could count on the contents being taken away before LE started contacting landfills. That would require research that I don't think would be easy for him, that would generate evidence. Although he might happen to have known through the network of hunters and firefighters, I think he would not have used a resource that could be contacted by LE.

I don't think he'd have tried to prepare a grave - again discovery would be the issue especially if he planned far in advance.

I think a mineshaft within a reasonable distance of a little-used gravel road would appeal to him, and that his outdoor activities and outdoorsman friends might have given him a range of options to investigate without much risk and without using an enormous amount of time.

So, I'm thinking of old mines in Saguache County near the border with the 11th JD. If they were any distance from the road, he would probably need an ATV with lights.

I'm just brainstorming here, obviously, hoping to stimulate the many good brains on the thread. I'll be reading the Necrosearch book and hope to improve my knowledge of how they work, so I can be more helpful. Great recommendation, @MassGuy!

Yes or even the western edge of Gunnison county…both easily reachable with an up and over Monarch Pass and back, pitch the helmet on the way back. I don’t think anyone looked at the other side of the pass.

 

[mom2chloe]

My guess is the river house property has been searched thoroughly. Also Waters edge doesn’t make any sense. If you dig to close to the water ground water will eventually fill in and you would need to run a trash pump while you were digging. And water rises and falls and the movement pulls the bottom and moves it. I am not voting for that site.

Would a trash pump necessitate the noise heard at the beach site Friday evening? I am not familiar with that type of apparatus. TIA

 

[nyvictoria]

It's yet another illustration of how women are at risk from unreported DV, and especially in such households where firearms are present.

Staying around often ends up being a fatal decision.

It’s a tough choice for women in a DV situation. If they stay, they’re subject to more abuse but leaving is said to be the most dangerous time for a woman. Suzanne let Barry know she was done and wanted to be civil about separating. Barry wasn’t having it and made her disappear.

And what’s up with the girlfriend who evidently thinks Barry is good boyfriend material?

 

[DeDee]

MOO, Suzanne’s either buried in a deep, deep pre-dug hole, or was dumped down an abandoned mine shaft.
I just have a feeling BM used his landscaping and hunting skills and these are two methods of disposal I could see him being comfortable with and familiar to him. He could have come across old abandoned mine shafts on some of his hunting excursions.
Christopher Lee killed and dumped Erin Corwin down an abandoned mine shaft near Joshua Tree National Park. It was said that she probably never would have been found if it weren’t for the San Bernardino County Cave and Technical Rescue team, assisted by a cave and mine specialist. In Erin’s case, 300 square miles of desert and 100 mines had been previously searched by San Bernardino Sheriff’s Dept. and hundreds of volunteers before the Rescue team went to work. The Sheriff’s Dept. was eventually able to give the Rescue team and mine specialist an idea of best areas to search based off phone pings. At least they were able to narrow and focus the search to an area of the desert once they had the phone records back, and fortunately this incredible team eventually recovered Erin at the bottom of a 100 foot vertical mine shaft that was said to be no more than an “anonymous hole in the desert” and which isn’t marked on any maps. It is a miracle they found her and how, using their incredible skill and technique to get down to the bottom of the mine where they located Erin’s remains, no easy feat to say the least. Specialized firefighters were then called in to recover EC’s body. Fascinating, also pretty dangerous, scary stuff. It is interesting to read the comments of the cave and mine specialist and about the incredible work he and the rescue team did in Erin’s case.

Unfortunately there aren’t any phone ping clues leading to area of possible disposal site in this case as IMO, BM left both phones at home when he disposed of SM. He had to have used either the non-GPS Range Rover, or an off road type vehicle of some sort-possible non-GPS ATV etc., or possibly borrowed someone else’s vehicle or equipment (not necessarily with their knowledge). Did he possibly hike on foot with SM draped over his shoulder to disposal site? I guess anything’s possible, but hiking with Suzanne’s body to disposal is last on my list of possibilities. I don’t think disposal site is too far away from PP though and if Suzanne is at the bottom of some old abandoned mine, at least there’s hope knowing there are experts out there who specialize in that sort of thing, such as those that recovered EC. Who knows, maybe CCSO and involved agencies have zoned in on a specific area to search or will eventually as they continue to investigate, and maybe an expert cave/mine specialist & rescue team will be called in at some point to assist and maybe Suzanne’s remains will be recovered some day. Wouldn’t that be great if she was recovered prior to BM’s trial. There’s always hope, and I continue to pray that she’ll be found sooner than later so she can be given proper resting place/burial that she so rightfully deserves.

Here’s an article about the EC case which discusses the mine search for anyone interested:

Cave team: Erin Corwin found in unmapped gold mine

IMHOO

#FindSuzanne
#BringSuzanneHome
#JusticeForSuzanne

That was eloquently written, just mesmerizingly perfect. The scary story was truly terrifying. Felt like I was watching a movie. These men who murder their wives and children so easily have one or two traits in common. They're narcissists. Another woman or wanting the money are the most likely motivators. Barry seems to have both. jmhoo When a woman is leaving the marriage, she's in the most danger.

Suzanne may be deep in the ground, yes? At the bottom of a mine, perhaps? We discussed the auger attachment for the BobCat that drills a deep hole. Drops her down. Plant a tree or places a boulder. Maybe both.

Thing is, Barry's planned this part, of hiding Suzanne, probably the most of all of his audacious premeditating. Once heknew thought he'd figured out how she could never be found, the execution by tranquilizer dart was formulated, perhaps long ago, and finally the plans developed, prompted by Suzanne's desire for a civil divorce, then her death was carried out, possibly with a fatal tranquilizer dart, an ill-placed ghost riding bicycle and a well timed camping trip. JMOMHOO

I remain cautiously optimistic that she will be recovered, especially before the trial. That'd be a sweet Ace in the Hole to be holding.
.

 

[MassGuy]

Barry and GD said they searched it but, again, anywhere Barry has ever pointed to, she's not. He pointed to Garfield, he pointed towards the reservoir, he pointed toward Fooses, it was all searched. He took a verbal swipe at the CCSO and the FBI for the amount of money spent to dig up the rock beach property, so she's not there.

He didn't point to that mountain. From the AA:

SA Grusing asked Barry what he did about searching difficult places, like mineshafts. He said, “We did. We searched every mineshaft in this area.”

SA Grusing asked if vertical shafts were in the area, and Barry replied, “Yeah, there’s one behind the house that’s on the very top, but it’s plugged by a boulder. They plugged it. It doesn’t go, I mean it goes straight down and they plugged it.” When asked if there were more, he added, “There’s another one, but it’s been blown up – by the house. I don’t know of anything open by the house. The ones in Garfield are open, the ones up 240 are open.”
​

I'd like to point out here that Barry says there are only two mines by his house. Also note that he does his verbal tell where he starts one sentence, changes his mind and restarts it.

Boy, Grusing was trying as hard as he could to allow Barry to narrow down where they should be looking.

Barry knows his mineshafts.

 

[MassGuy]

It’s a tough choice for women in a DV situation. If they stay, they’re subject to more abuse but leaving is said to be the most dangerous time for a woman. Suzanne let Barry know she was done and wanted to be civil about separating. Barry wasn’t having it and made her disappear.

And what’s up with the girlfriend who evidently thinks Barry is good boyfriend material?

Barry has two things that she wants, money, and notoriety. She gets a lot of attention when she's with him, and I'm sure she likes that.

It's gotta be killing her that she can't go to court with him.

 

[FromGermany1]

It’s a tough choice for women in a DV situation. If they stay, they’re subject to more abuse but leaving is said to be the most dangerous time for a woman. Suzanne let Barry know she was done and wanted to be civil about separating. Barry wasn’t having it and made her disappear.

And what’s up with the girlfriend who evidently thinks Barry is good boyfriend material?

BM as a landscaper needed a new network tied to the building industry, when he settled in CO in 2018, I think. IF SD's ex-boyfriend/partner had been useful to him ($$), they (partner and/or also SD) might have crossed ways before SM's disappearing already and were known to each other very well perhaps. Married or in a relationship, both BM and SD had to conceal their affair, if it started before May 2020.
Would be nice to know, via whom BM got new clients before May 2020.