Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #74 *ARREST*

[Megnut]

And then we have these bikes. Daughters’? This photo was taken at the Morphew home on Tuesday, May 12th. This article also has good shots of the dig site in Salida.
Suzanne Morphew's husband was paid to lay dirt at the building site Colorado cops are searching | Daily Mail Online

If one of Suzanne's objections is that Barry stopped wearing his wedding ring, he sure put it back on in a hurry.

Wanted to look the part, I suppose

Just my observation and opinion

 

[Momofthreeboys]

What exactly was he doing at the beach site, and when was he there, Friday or Saturday night.

I don't recall it being reported that he was at the river property Friday or Saturday night. The "beach" was really a small notch into the property where someone could pull up kayaks from the river when the water is low and probably fills with water when the water is high. He was there Saturday morning as he and MG both relayed to the investigators. He may have been there Friday during the day, but I don't recall off the top of my head if that was part of the info relayed in the preliminaries so far.

 

[JusCurious]

New member, but longtime follower of this case. These are some of my thoughts:

The "want to go on a hike" comments from BM were very awkward Do you want to go on a hike? SM ok where...BM no answer, then I'm coming home - my opinion is that BM was still figuring out how he was going to kill her and maybe considered doing it on a hike, but quickly realized it was a bad idea.

The changing of the blade on the bobcat seems weird... had he used it to dig her grave?

Re the bike. There are really only two scenarios regarding the bike 1) she had an accident, or animal if we want to go there. If so, then the helmet would not have ended up .84 miles away (I suppose unless she had a head injury and was able to walk that far, but why take off the helmet there and then vanish? No skid marks, no scuffs on bike and bike brake was locked. I am not a cyclist, but it would seem that while moving the bike, you would lock it so the wheel wasn't constantly spinning, so if she were actively riding it and had an accident...it wouldn't be in locked position?

scenario 2) she was abducted, if so, why would someone take the time to move the bike to where it was found which sounds like it was down the hill...and then dispose of the helmet .84 miles later? so that leaves us with the bike was planted (which I think was LE immediate inclination) and who would have access to bike to plant? Only BM... even if someone attacked her in her home, they wouldn't engage in an elaborate scheme to plant a bike and helmet...

So my thoughts are that BM did himself in by planting the bike. He is the only one with access to plant it or motive to plant it.

Defense stating that phone tracking was inaccurate, had him running through walls at 42 mph....well BM himself admitted he was running around the house outside at that time shooting (chipmunks).

The camo coat that BM disposed of was likely what he wore disposing of her/planting the bike.

I was in an abusive marriage and desperate to divorce but like Suzanne felt morally like I couldn't seek a divorce...I hoped I would find him in an affair so I could feel free to leave (thankfully his mistress left panties in my bed so I was free to leave! - no I didn't have an affair myself) But I can understand her desperation to have some hope away from him.

 

[OldCop]

If one of Suzanne's objections is that Barry stopped wearing his wedding ring, he sure put it back on in a hurry.

Wanted to look the part, I suppose

Just my observation and opinion

Good catch, @Megnut!

 

[DizzyB]

And then we have these bikes. Daughters’? This photo was taken at the Morphew home on Tuesday, May 12th. This article also has good shots of the dig site in Salida.
Suzanne Morphew's husband was paid to lay dirt at the building site Colorado cops are searching | Daily Mail Online

No idea who belongs to those bikes, nor the SUV that they are on. I tried to make a connection, but found none.

 

[24Brix]

You can manually lock out the front brake by placing a disc spacer inside the caliper. To do so, the front wheel needs to come off. I only do this when I travel or work on mountain bike. Alternately, debris may have gotten in the caliber causing the brake to seize. I don't hear about this occurring a lot and I'm in a ton of mountain biking forums. Typically brake issues stem from worn pads or loss of fluid.

It seems LE resolved it fairly quickly, IMO, whatever it was. At first I assumed it was a keyed security lock for the front disc but it seems that would take longer to resolve…so maybe not.

I know weight-conscious people who just wrap a strip of Velcro around the handbrake lever and handlebar grip to immobilize the wheel. The same strip can also be used around the front rim and frame to make an impromptu kick-stand of sorts that lets you lean the bike against a tree or wall rather than laying it down. And it weighs basically nothing.

I feel it was something along these lines that may have been locking the brake. If it was jammed or locked by debris it seems like they would have worded the description of the problem differently. Plus it would have been less of a red flag to LE. And unless the key was attached to the bike, a security lock would seem unlikely as well.

MOO.
(Edited for clarity.)

 

[MassGuy]

New member, but longtime follower of this case. These are some of my thoughts:

The "want to go on a hike" comments from BM were very awkward Do you want to go on a hike? SM ok where...BM no answer, then I'm coming home - my opinion is that BM was still figuring out how he was going to kill her and maybe considered doing it on a hike, but quickly realized it was a bad idea.

The changing of the blade on the bobcat seems weird... had he used it to dig her grave?

Re the bike. There are really only two scenarios regarding the bike 1) she had an accident, or animal if we want to go there. If so, then the helmet would not have ended up .84 miles away (I suppose unless she had a head injury and was able to walk that far, but why take off the helmet there and then vanish? No skid marks, no scuffs on bike and bike brake was locked. I am not a cyclist, but it would seem that while moving the bike, you would lock it so the wheel wasn't constantly spinning, so if she were actively riding it and had an accident...it wouldn't be in locked position?

scenario 2) she was abducted, if so, why would someone take the time to move the bike to where it was found which sounds like it was down the hill...and then dispose of the helmet .84 miles later? so that leaves us with the bike was planted (which I think was LE immediate inclination) and who would have access to bike to plant? Only BM... even if someone attacked her in her home, they wouldn't engage in an elaborate scheme to plant a bike and helmet...

So my thoughts are that BM did himself in by planting the bike. He is the only one with access to plant it or motive to plant it.

Defense stating that phone tracking was inaccurate, had him running through walls at 42 mph....well BM himself admitted he was running around the house outside at that time shooting (chipmunks).

The camo coat that BM disposed of was likely what he wore disposing of her/planting the bike.

I was in an abusive marriage and desperate to divorce but like Suzanne felt morally like I couldn't seek a divorce...I hoped I would find him in an affair so I could feel free to leave (thankfully his mistress left panties in my bed so I was free to leave! - no I didn't have an affair myself) But I can understand her desperation to have some hope away from him.

Great post. As far as the bobcat goes, it apparently doesn’t factor in at all. If true, that would mean it wasn’t used to dig a grave, even days before.

According to @Nosi’s notes, its GPS data indicated as much.

 

[JosieMae]

Somebody did the wash in that house and I presume it was Suzanne! So that cap found in the lint trap came from the time she did the wash. She was alive then. Someone explain to me otherwise.

This bothers me as well. I would love to see BM'S reaction when LE confronted him with this find. (Of course, we want to see all of the three-30 hours of interviews).

The cap-in-the-laundry needs a connection; otherwise, it can be explained away. Is there proof for when the darts were acquired? I want to believe that LE can connect those dots.

 

[10ofRods]

Thanks, @Cindizzi. I believe Utah was introduced during the preliminary whereas the church camp was previously reported as Idaho. Traveling by car, the route would likely include crossing Utah to arrive Idaho. Same with the return drive to Colorado from Idaho.

I also believe Idaho was mentioned by family on YT but with extra care by WS members to exclude the daughters from posts this information is not readily included here. MOO

CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #46

CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #46

Was there ever any MSM or other confirmtation of it being a church camp? I ask because I was following along on the official Search for Suzanne FB page, which had her mother, an aunt, several Salidans and others on it. At first, it just "camping in Idaho," and I don't know where that came from. But eventually, the idea that it was a church camp was floated, but I believe Barry's mom said not a church camp, but there was a chaperone. Now I believe it was MM1's BF who was with them and there was another girl there too, so not two girls and two boys (as we discussed here). And not Idaho, Utah.

Since both Idaho and Utah were on their own versions of lockdowns (especially Utah), I find "church camp" to be unusual. Later, on PE (or TIR), CM said it was a cabin in the woods or something.

Not that it matters - well, it matters to my own personal theories of the case and family dynamics. I think it matters to the case in the sense that if, as early reported, Barry arranged/paid for this trip (unless MM1 boyfriend had the funds), that's interesting. And Suzanne was supportive - she drove MM2 up there.

It also means that my estimate of how long the daughters had to drive that day was way off (that it was in Utah). Gunnison is on a direct route to the Arches NP and Canyonlands NP areas...it's a 4 hour drive from Gunnison. The girls would have dropped off the BF in Gunnison and then it's 2.5 hours to Maysville. But they had a place to stay that night if they had decided to linger (apt in Gunnison) and a place to call from that definitely had cell service (Gunnison).

Could be. The kids left on their trip I believe it was reported on the 6th with a friend of Barry and Suzanne. So totally conceivable she did wash on the 6th or 7th or 8th. It sounds like the tranquilizer cap is important to the prosecution for their narrative so far so we're bound to learn more

I do not believe that's correct. Do you have a source? The parties on the "camping trip" were MM1, her boyfriend, MM2 and as we now know, Holly (MM2's friend). Suzanne was allegedly making a bed for Holly who was going to spend the night (per preliminary testimony).

The boyfriend of MM1 was mentioned as a party to the trip on PE or TIR, but also by family on Suzanne's public search FB page (which has since gone private and has very little activity).

At any rate, Holly was the fourth person per the preliminary hearing.

 

[marylamby]

New member, but longtime follower of this case. These are some of my thoughts:

The "want to go on a hike" comments from BM were very awkward Do you want to go on a hike? SM ok where...BM no answer, then I'm coming home - my opinion is that BM was still figuring out how he was going to kill her and maybe considered doing it on a hike, but quickly realized it was a bad idea.

The changing of the blade on the bobcat seems weird... had he used it to dig her grave?

Re the bike. There are really only two scenarios regarding the bike 1) she had an accident, or animal if we want to go there. If so, then the helmet would not have ended up .84 miles away (I suppose unless she had a head injury and was able to walk that far, but why take off the helmet there and then vanish? No skid marks, no scuffs on bike and bike brake was locked. I am not a cyclist, but it would seem that while moving the bike, you would lock it so the wheel wasn't constantly spinning, so if she were actively riding it and had an accident...it wouldn't be in locked position?

scenario 2) she was abducted, if so, why would someone take the time to move the bike to where it was found which sounds like it was down the hill...and then dispose of the helmet .84 miles later? so that leaves us with the bike was planted (which I think was LE immediate inclination) and who would have access to bike to plant? Only BM... even if someone attacked her in her home, they wouldn't engage in an elaborate scheme to plant a bike and helmet...

So my thoughts are that BM did himself in by planting the bike. He is the only one with access to plant it or motive to plant it.

Defense stating that phone tracking was inaccurate, had him running through walls at 42 mph....well BM himself admitted he was running around the house outside at that time shooting (chipmunks).

The camo coat that BM disposed of was likely what he wore disposing of her/planting the bike.

I was in an abusive marriage and desperate to divorce but like Suzanne felt morally like I couldn't seek a divorce...I hoped I would find him in an affair so I could feel free to leave (thankfully his mistress left panties in my bed so I was free to leave! - no I didn't have an affair myself) But I can understand her desperation to have some hope away from him.

Welcome!
Great comment. Common sense will sink the defense.

 

[DizzyB]

@NoSI can you take a look at your notes and see if you recall anything regarding this defense exhibit? I had thought Barry stayed at the Riverfront property all morning, until he left to head home. Now it looks like Barry texted Suzanne from the Tailwinds site (9:50 am), asking if she wanted to go for a hike.

 

[Scootie98]

Anywhere in Utah is at least 4 hours from Gunnison, and more from Salida/Maysville. I have not seen anything in the timeline about the girls contacting their Mom for Mother’s Day. I see Barry calling Mallory at 12:06 pm to inquire if they had heard from Suzanne. They had not. It appears that they did not get home before 6 pm, because MH and his father were the only ones looking for Suzanne at the house. M&M were not there yet. I wonder if they ever intended to come home and spend the day. It doesn’t seem like they packed up and left when they knew at noon that no one had heard from Suzanne.

So.....Barry did not call LE directly to report Suzanne missing....nor did he respond to LE's 2 attempts to reach him? Three situations where Barry avoided being recorded talking to LE before he even got back home. Very suspicious.

 

[MassGuy]

This bothers me as well. I would love to see BM'S reaction when LE confronted him with this find. (Of course, we want to see all of the three-30 hours of interviews).

The cap-in-the-laundry needs a connection; otherwise, it can be explained away. Is there proof for when the darts were acquired? I want to believe that LE can connect those dots.

We have a box of 4 darts, with one dart missing.

We have a dart cap in the dryer.

We have BM admitting to throwing away tranquilizer materials on Mother’s Day.

There’s surely more coming, as that’s a damning thing to admit to. I can’t wait to hear what animal Barry throws into this explanation!

 

[24Brix]

I didn’t even think of it as a church trip. I do believe that when the trip was brought to Suzanne’s attention, she felt it would be THE time to tell BM she was leaving. I am also one who believed he had premeditated her death for quite some time and when she told him while the girls were gone, BM took advantage of the timing to carry out his heinous crime.

I’ve often wondered why she may have chosen that time to tell him she was leaving given she’s made it clear she was afraid to be alone with him. Surely she recognized the risk.

Then I finally realized that she was so tired of having BM pull the daughters into their arguments (it sounds like he would try to dog-pile her with the girls) that it made perfect sense to her to tell him while they were away in spite of the risk. She did it that way because she was looking out for her kids again. Especially MaM, IMO. She was trying to spare them the trauma of dysfunction.

It’s yet another reason for all the tears in court, I think. Because the girls probably know they were a part of her consideration and this is what it ultimately led to.

MOO.

 

[Scootie98]

We have a box of 4 darts, with one dart missing.

We have a dart cap in the dryer.

We have BM admitting to throwing away tranquilizer materials on Mother’s Day.

There’s surely more coming, as that’s a damning thing to admit to. I can’t wait to hear what animal Barry throws into this explanation!

Question for any experts on this particular type of controlled substance: Wouldn't a volunteer firefighter who was trained in the handling and use of dart tranquilizers also have been trained in the proper disposal of such material? That volunteer dept he was connected to...if they had these materials on site, under lock and key I would assume...would have included disposal procedures...sort of like medical offices and used hypodermic needles, for example. If that is the case...odd that Barry, a volunteer Fireman would simply dump it in a dumpster 3 hours from home....no?

 

[Seattle1]

How could that be if Andy knew it happened in August and they didn't find JL until November? Maybe Suzanne abruptly (unintended) cut off SO to take a call/accept a message from JL. Not sure how many devices were in play

IMO, it was only JL's identity that was unknown until November whereas investigators clearly had knowledge of SM cellular/data forensics in August obtained by search warrants. Reportedly, both SM and JL's phones have never been recovered.

 

[Murphy1950]

IMO, it was only JL's identity that was unknown until November whereas investigators clearly had knowledge of SM cellular/data forensics in August obtained by search warrants. Reportedly, both SM and JL's phones have never been recovered.

Thanks...putting this to bed. You have a much better handle on this than most....I just am clueless how they would know a call/text/ whatever... ended abruptly and then have no idea of the number/address it went to. Obviously they had no idea studying the history of the device she used what his number was or who he was. This technology is moving way too fast for me...

 

[Bluebythec]

This bothers me as well. I would love to see BM'S reaction when LE confronted him with this find. (Of course, we want to see all of the three-30 hours of interviews).

The cap-in-the-laundry needs a connection; otherwise, it can be explained away. Is there proof for when the darts were acquired? I want to believe that LE can connect those dots.

I'd guess the cap was one of the items they showed BM in April. I'm sure he had a perfectly good Barsplaination for it. Although people worry about this being a purely circumstantial case with no body, his lawyers have to move mountains to undo his misspeaks.

 

[Seattle1]

I don't recall it being reported that he was at the river property Friday or Saturday night. The "beach" was really a small notch into the property where someone could pull up kayaks from the river when the water is low and probably fills with water when the water is high. He was there Saturday morning as he and MG both relayed to the investigators. He may have been there Friday during the day, but I don't recall off the top of my head if that was part of the info relayed in the preliminaries so far.

Respectfully, longtime followers since May are recalling statements by MG citing BM working late at the river build site Friday (aka beach house) and witness Brandon allegedly hearing equipment noise sometime during the weekend. Not recalling it more recently reported doesn't mean it did not happen.

 

[Birmingplumb]

"Daughter picks up CL's phone and discovers ...." could she have tipped off BM about his wife and her Dad or someone she told do so???