Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee Co, 10 May 2020 *Case dismissed w/o prejudice* #109

[Megnut]

What if he took this route to the burial site? And then came back the shortest route?

I want to explore this further.

I need to know exactly how many minutes he had without activity at PP. 4+ hours. +/-30 minutes? 5 hours?

Bet there's very little LE presence on those roads in the middle of the night.... no one is going to question a yeti in a Colorado vehicle so IMO he would not have felt bound to a careful speed limit. 75/80mph gets him there and back rather quickly. Gives him just enough time to dig a hasty grave --

Someone needs to put a bell on this cat.

Overnight I think he was ATVing, vehicle swapping, up to no good at the beach site until the neighbor's light went on, then out to Moffat and back.

Busy, busy Barry.

Busy like a beaver.

Like a rabid one.

JMO

 

[LandManatee]

MOO IMO
What really stands out to me is that BM does very little on his own. He always has people around him that either do his bidding for him or he is in constant need of companionship. It has been thay way since his youth. He has never lived alone or been on his own.

I have a brother who has recognized this trait in himself. He (my brother) has said he cannot be alone; he has to always be accompanied by someone. It’s an anxiety issue with him.

That is why I find it highly unlikely BM did this entirely on his own. He has such a need for validation that I feel his narcissism alone would require he bounce his plans off of a subordinate accomplice that agreed with him in everything; his “cheating” wife deserved whatever he had planned. That accomplice would likely be a “yes” person in BM’s life and just go with every statement made, including that BM had been wronged.

Wasn’t there a friend that BM paid $4k to from the money and it was very questionable as to what that payment was for? I thought it was said for wages lost during the search, but why not pay all the other volunteers that also put time in to searching?

When this goes to trial, I will be very surprised to find out he planned, killed and staged all this on his own.

 

[Sadi]

He didn’t.

The affair was discovered when law enforcement discovered a spy pen in Suzanne’s closet which she purchased to place in Barry’s vehicle because she suspected him of having an affair.

A spy pen is a voice activated device that records speech. It had recorded Suzanne speaking with a man named Jeff.

“She was speaking as if Jeff was her lover,” Nielson said. “It took law enforcement two months to identify Jeff.”

Suzanne grew up in Indiana and she and her family moved to Salida in 2008. Jeff Libler lives in Michigan, is married and the father of six children. He and Suzanne met when they were teenagers and reconnected 20 years later when she contacted him on Facebook saying “Hi, stranger.”

Nielsen, in questioning lead investigator, Commander Alex Walker, asked if Libler came forward once it was known that Suzanne was missing.

He hadn’t until he was found in November when he said he did not come forward because he was protecting her legacy and did not want her to be known for having an affair. Also he was protecting himself.

Preliminary trial reveals Suzanne had an affair

A preliminary/proof evident hearing for Barry Lee Morphew, accused of murdering his wife, Suzanne, opened Monday in District Court at the Chaffee County Courthouse. Judge Patrick Murphy is presiding.

www.themountainmail.com

Thank you and my apologies, I need to go back and read details before posting again. I appreciate your post.

 

[Nikynoo]

MOP I think she will have been found without clothes.
MOO I think he found her without clothes en flagrante delicto with JL on a device and that is the condition she died and was buried in.

If that was the case then JL would have seen the video at some point? I do think you’re on the right track though.

 

[Nikynoo]

I’m curious why you think that, can you explain why?

I’ll try. If JL had come forward as soon as her ‘abduction’ became public news, we would have had a witness who could have given much more detail as to what was going on in her life (eg with Barry), what her plans were (to leave Barry) and her habits (cycling times and routes). In fact IMO JL had a unique view of Suzanne’s day to day routines.

The above information would have been invaluable to LE who would have used this information to maintain immediate momentum in their early investigation. I think the length of time it took LE to find JL gave BM more confidence in his ability to get away with what he may have done and at the same time lessened the immediacy of the investigation.

JMO.

 

[Nikynoo]

Do we know for a fact JL didn’t contact LE soon after Suzanne was reported missing?

Well, he didn’t mention it when he was interviewed 6 months later.

 

[justtrish]

MOO IMO
What really stands out to me is that BM does very little on his own. He always has people around him that either do his bidding for him or he is in constant need of companionship. It has been thay way since his youth. He has never lived alone or been on his own.

I have a brother who has recognized this trait in himself. He (my brother) has said he cannot be alone; he has to always be accompanied by someone. It’s an anxiety issue with him.

That is why I find it highly unlikely BM did this entirely on his own. He has such a need for validation that I feel his narcissism alone would require he bounce his plans off of a subordinate accomplice that agreed with him in everything; his “cheating” wife deserved whatever he had planned. That accomplice would likely be a “yes” person in BM’s life and just go with every statement made, including that BM had been wronged.

Wasn’t there a friend that BM paid $4k to from the money and it was very questionable as to what that payment was for? I thought it was said for wages lost during the search, but why not pay all the other volunteers that also put time in to searching?

When this goes to trial, I will be very surprised to find out he planned, killed and staged all this on his own.

Yes he did pay a friend GD. That friend also has connections to the county Suzanne was found in. I don't know what can and can't be said here, but if you google GD (he was mentioned in the preliminary hearings for sure). Then google land records. NOT the land she was found on.. just making that clear and I have no reason to think GD helped Barry or is involved in any way other than being a supportive friend. I do find his connections to the area worth investigating though because Barry somehow knew about that area.. weather from hunting or from hearing a friend speak of it or something like that.. he didn't just go driving and decide to dump her where he did wihtout first having seen the area or at least known where it was and why it would be a good place to leave her.

 

[GoJacks]

Believe his phone went into airplane mode @ 10:17pm -4:34am

But his truck recorded 80 ‘events’ @ 3:25am

Which is a little over 5 hours.

I want to explore this further.

I need to know exactly how many minutes he had without activity at PP. 4+ hours. +/-30 minutes? 5 hours?

Bet there's very little LE presence on those roads in the middle of the night.... no one is going to question a yeti in a Colorado vehicle so IMO he would not have felt bound to a careful speed limit. 75/80mph gets him there and back rather quickly. Gives him just enough time to dig a hasty grave --

Someone needs to put a bell on this cat.

Overnight I think he was ATVing, vehicle swapping, up to no good at the beach site until the neighbor's light went on, then out to Moffat and back.

Busy, busy Barry.

Busy like a beaver.

Like a rabid one.

JMO

 

[SleuthBee]

This is an interesting theory, but there are a few things which seem at odds with it:

• BM had 3 or 4 of what looked like crescent shaped gouges on his arm, which may indicate SM attempted to fight him off (before or after she may have been shot with a tranquilizer dart).
• Not knowing at the time whether LE had surveillance which showed what/where and which may have allowed them to collect specific evidence tied to him, BM admitted to throwing away tranquilizer-dart-related materials in one of his several garbage dumping stops.
• He also admitted to shooting tranquilizer darts from the doorway near the back patio where SM had been sunbathing (although he said he had done so at deer, to collect their antlers). This suggests he thinks that - if LE had been able to collect the tranquilizer-related things he dumped - he is concerned that there may be evidence indicating that HE was the one who shot tranquilizer darts.

Given all these, I think that even IF someone else was involved or otherwise present and aware, BM was there at the time SM was captured and disabled and was fully involved himself.

<snipped for focus> & bbm

I support your theory 100%. BM sure blabbed on explaining those tranquilizing darts and probably for the reasons you mention and that most pathologicals can't help telling on themselves.

As far as him shooting deer from the doorway, if he shot he would NOT miss. And once hit, the deer runs then the hunter tracks (chases) them. BM was referring to a Dear, not a Deer. Unlike a deer, SM would have pulled out the dart. The scratches on his arm are from SM while BM was disabling her.

He admitted to throwing away tranq material because of it's recent use. But there was no mention of or evidence of newly acquired antlers.

 

[Hilt]

Do we know if the helmet was tossed on the way up toward Garfield or on the other side of the highway as if he was traveling back toward his house? I do wonder if he was planning a trail of items to be tossed out along that route to you know lead a bread crumb trail away from the actual way police should go to find her body. At that point he would have all that trash in his truck that he planned to dispose of. Maybe he thought he could toss some bike clothing out also.. maybe that jacket (the one we see him holding in the hotel photo) she always rode her bike in. Then maybe he decided that would be obvious and why would a random abductor toss items out along the highway.. surely a mountain lion wouldn't leave that crumb trail either.. hummm so he decided I'll just bring it all to Broomfield and toss it there in many trash cans all over town. LOL Even typing it out is ridiculous. I just wish they had access to that trash.

 

[Love Never Fails]

Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office

MEDIA ADVISORY: 05 October 2023

Colorado Bureau of Investigation Serving as Lead Agency for Morphew Discovery and Addressing Media Inquiries

SALIDA, COLO - Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office is reinforcing that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the lead agency for investigations related to the discovery of Suzanne Morphew’s remains in Saguache County. Suzanne Morphew was reported missing from her home in Chaffee County on May 10, 2020.

CBI’s press release addressing this can be found at Remains positively identified as Suzanne Morphew | Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Any inquiries related to this topic should be directed to CBI; neither Chaffee County’s Sheriff’s Office nor the Chaffee County Government will issue statements or provide information related to this investigation.

The public is asked to continue to report any information about this case to the tip line at (719) 312-7530.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0p875FdH18yULd97HaYzmZ9K59qvxQrk4YBZyAdZmx3MpC4vegw8hg8PHoVBkATDel&id=100064823673147&mibextid=qC1gEa

AM i la

Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office

MEDIA ADVISORY: 05 October 2023

Colorado Bureau of Investigation Serving as Lead Agency for Morphew Discovery and Addressing Media Inquiries

SALIDA, COLO - Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office is reinforcing that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the lead agency for investigations related to the discovery of Suzanne Morphew’s remains in Saguache County. Suzanne Morphew was reported missing from her home in Chaffee County on May 10, 2020.

CBI’s press release addressing this can be found at Remains positively identified as Suzanne Morphew | Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Any inquiries related to this topic should be directed to CBI; neither Chaffee County’s Sheriff’s Office nor the Chaffee County Government will issue statements or provide information related to this investigation.

The public is asked to continue to report any information about this case to the tip line at (719) 312-7530.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0p875FdH18yULd97HaYzmZ9K59qvxQrk4YBZyAdZmx3MpC4vegw8hg8PHoVBkATDel&id=100064823673147&mibextid=qC1gEa

Am I late to the party in believing this press release from Chaffee County sounds as if Anne Kelly will now take the case as lead prosecutor? I had not seen this release and it sure sounds that way to me. And CBI has leadership of investigation.

edited

 

[Hilt]

The helmet was south of Highway 50, so I’d think it was likely thrown from the driver’s side going west (up toward Garfield). There remains in my mind something significant tied to Garfield -- From the Arrest Affidavit (Pages 119 of 129 of unredacted AA):

“Barry was shown a map of Garfield, Colorado and he confirmed he turned around on Sunday, May 10th, at the first place he could have, pointing to exit 228.” (my bold italics)

This is demonstrably false. There are many turnouts and areas of wide shoulder where a u-turn could be flipped without the slightest problem, particularly on an empty highway at 5AM (ish). The shot below shows just one of them, about a half mile west of the helmet dump site, it’s 20-40 feet wide and about 1000 feet long.

What reason might he have had to continue several miles further west in the dark?

(Given Mr. Morphew’s past ascriptions, he may have been searching for owls)

 

[Hilt]

From the link in your post.
"Surveilance" - May 9, 2020: White Range Rover going westbound at 3:05 PM, Loaf & Jug, Undersherriff Andy Rohrich states several times that he never believed this is/was SMs Range Rover (even though another officer thought it was and wrote it up in the report as such). 14 minutes later westbound driving by Collegiate Peaks Bank at 3:19 PM, at 3:20 PM westbound by Salida Auto Sales. Defense states that it would take about 20 - 25 minutes from Puma Path to Loaf & Jug in Salida. Undersherriff Rohrich believes it doesn't take that long.

If this was Suzanne’s RR, was it going in the right direction for Moffat?

Yes, the turnoff on US285 to Moffat is in Poncha Springs, west of the loaf and Jug in Salida. However, the Salida Auto Sales is only about a mile west of the L&J, which wouldn't take 15 minutes... it implies this vehicle (whosever it is) made a stop.

 

[justtrish]

I'm reading the AA again and I notice Barry had 2 trucks. I don't recall seeing any mention of the data from the second one. Do we know anything about that truck? It lists a black 2013 Ford and a grey 2015 Ford.

 

[susiQ]

Yes he did pay a friend GD. That friend also has connections to the county Suzanne was found in. I don't know what can and can't be said here, but if you google GD (he was mentioned in the preliminary hearings for sure). Then google land records. NOT the land she was found on.. just making that clear and I have no reason to think GD helped Barry or is involved in any way other than being a supportive friend. I do find his connections to the area worth investigating though because Barry somehow knew about that area.. weather from hunting or from hearing a friend speak of it or something like that.. he didn't just go driving and decide to dump her where he did wihtout first having seen the area or at least known where it was and why it would be a good place to leave her.

An interesting tidbit of info. Iirc, BM had done work for Diesslin Structures of Salida, CO. I wasn’t certain if their company travelled much outside of the Chaffee County area, so I checked their website. Under “Civil” they posted a job they completed in 2012 in Crestone. I know BM wasn’t in CO at that time, but it does confirm that they did work in that area as well. So, that may have been another way he could have become familiar with the area if he did some work for them down there. Just a thought.

 

[Love Never Fails]

MOO IMO
What really stands out to me is that BM does very little on his own. He always has people around him that either do his bidding for him or he is in constant need of companionship. It has been thay way since his youth. He has never lived alone or been on his own.

I have a brother who has recognized this trait in himself. He (my brother) has said he cannot be alone; he has to always be accompanied by someone. It’s an anxiety issue with him.

That is why I find it highly unlikely BM did this entirely on his own. He has such a need for validation that I feel his narcissism alone would require he bounce his plans off of a subordinate accomplice that agreed with him in everything; his “cheating” wife deserved whatever he had planned. That accomplice would likely be a “yes” person in BM’s life and just go with every statement made, including that BM had been wronged.

Wasn’t there a friend that BM paid $4k to from the money and it was very questionable as to what that payment was for? I thought it was said for wages lost during the search, but why not pay all the other volunteers that also put time in to searching?

When this goes to trial, I will be very surprised to find out he planned, killed and staged all this on his own.

I do believe he did it all on his own and was sloppy in doIng so. CBI will prove it.
He did have a friend and nephew who believed in him initially and threatened Morgan Gentile. However I would wager both the friend and the nephew have since turned States evidence.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Thank you and my apologies, I need to go back and read details before posting again. I appreciate your post.

You’re welcome and no worries. I happened to have the JL story handy. Keep on posting!

Glad to see everyone back here.
A mostly united force, letting Barry know we still see him.

 

[susiQ]

I do believe he did it all on his own and was sloppy in doIng so. CBI will prove it.
He did have a friend and nephew who believed in him initially and threatened Morgan Gentile. However I would wager both the friend and the nephew have since turned States evidence.

I have a feeling GD put two and two together and came up with…..Barry. Not so sure about the nephew. He went silent after the gimme fund thing, but I think Morphew blood runs thick and its sticky.

 

[SleuthBee]

PFrazee had a "special friend" who he called after having bludgeoned his fiancée to death, to clean up after him.
I wonder if he had a special friend of his own. If he was concerned about the home as he left it, maybe this special friend was uniquely posited to run his errand.

<snipped for focus>

I hear what you're saying and agree 100%.

Sadly, there are women who are attracted to men who kill, and especially those who kill other women. They run their errands, defend, support, enable, protect, visit, pen pal and replenish their canteen and phone accounts on a monthly basis. These women have various backgrounds, occupations and degrees of education. They absolutely sicken me.

A man suspected of murdering his wife is not my idea of a dating prospect.

 

[SortaSleuthy]

I'm reading the AA again and I notice Barry had 2 trucks. I don't recall seeing any mention of the data from the second one. Do we know anything about that truck? It lists a black 2013 Ford and a grey 2015 Ford.

One truck was outfitted for snow plowing. Big blade welded on the front and oversized snow tires. Not really a “highway” truck.