Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #11

[darring21]

BBM. Why would BM do that by stating as much on that video? If LE had truly told him he was cleared, but wanted to keep it quiet because they don't want to tip off the real perp, shouldn't he not go around telling strangers that information?

I appreciated your earlier comment about it being legal to record someone else without their knowledge. What if they lie about not recording with the hopes of profiting from the recording through a youtube payment or selling the video? Is that any type of criminal fraud? Thanks again.

 

[kay74]

MOO

SM's bike was discovered in a moderate ravine just off the side of the road, as if the bike was thrown there. According to BM, LE recovered the bike but did not properly photo record it's location and potentially destroyed surrounding surface evidence.

As I watched and listened to BM, I believed him. SM was either abducted or attacked by an animal.

Take in to account the COVID-19 lock down... many people were under stay-at-home orders so the great outdoors was nearly devoid of humans for a time. I could imagine animals taking advantage of the situation, boldly wandering in the out and about where they would otherwise rarely traverse, such as roadways where SM seeming was riding her bike.

What makes me lean away from the animal attack scenario is the "personal item" claimed to belong to SM that was discovered down the road from the bike location. That leads me to thinking that SM was, indeed, abducted and that she managed to toss that item out through a window of the vehicle in which she was being abducted.

I do not believe BM was involved in the disappearance of SM.

MOO

I so agree and why would be BM be criticizing LE if he killed her! It's ludicrous. He seems very PO 'd at them for not doing a very good job.

 

[kay74]

I stay away from perfect towns that feel the need to lie to make a few dollars at the expense of the safety and survival of it's more vulnerable citizens.

They are disgusting and repulsive communities - willing to sacrifice someone vulnerable for an illusion - communities like this slowly rot.

I agree 100% This happened in the Alison Feldman case in Scottsdale, Az. Someone who lived there said they didn't want the publicity of her murder out there to ruin their upscale image and tourism of Scottsdale. $$ before people.

 

[Shiloh28]

I so agree and why would be BM be criticizing LE if he killed her! It's ludicrous. He seems very PO 'd at them for not doing a very good job.

If BM staged the bike, and knows LE thinks he staged the bike, he might very well be motivated to say LE contaminated the bike and scene during recovery.

 

[Madeleine74]

I so agree and why would be BM be criticizing LE if he killed her! It's ludicrous. He seems very PO 'd at them for not doing a very good job.

A tactic to setup a future defense point. The ole standby "LE messed it all up, so you can't believe this piece of evidence." (IMO)

 

[Hoosierfan72]

For those asking, I personally have yet to see any statement from LE regarding the bike other than "no comment". The nephew, TN, was the person who told the media (on Thursday) her bike had been found (on Sunday). He also stated that LE would not provide the condition of the bike, and wanted people to push LE to reveal more info about it.

I do think that TNs statement early on about the bike (urging that someone should "ask the sheriff" about the condition) does now make sense given what BM said in the video about being upset about the way the bike was handled by LE. We don't know that BM is correct or truthful about that allegation, but it sure seems clear that he almost certainly expressed that frustration early on to TN who then made that comment.

 

[oviedo]

I'm not a legal professional though I have followed cases for (gulp) 25 yrs now.

LE rarely says anything and doesn't often name suspects. That came about as a result of the Richard Jewell case in 1996. Once in awhile LE might say something if an individual is being harassed and pointed at (thinking specifically of the boyfriend in the Mollie Tibbets case who was *not* a POI). But vast majority of time, LE goes about their business and doesn't publicly name any POI or suspect. That doesn't mean they don't have their list they're working through (of course they do), but they don't 'name' them publicly.

and sometimes they do ..
Cheryl Coker case: Riverside police name suspect, call disappearance a homicide

I wonder what leads them to name a POI and what leads them to be silent?
JMO

 

[Tortoise]

A few things stood out to me when listening to BM's conversation with TD on youtube. This is subjective, and I know there will be people who don't see it the same as I do, but I thought these were worth pointing out. I've colored them red to discuss below. I've colored words blue which I consider to be 'normal' usage, in contrast.


BM: Let me tell you what happened. Um, and I do have a reward, $210,000 reward. Um, the bike was found at the bottom of the hill by that tree…

TD: So they found her bike just right against that tree down there?

BM: …we had cars over here well the sheriff let everybody drive through here covering all, messing up all the evidence, they were walking all over this area which if somebody abducted her they would have had foot tracks, they would have had fingerprints on the bike. They let 10 other people touch the bike.

BM: …so, I told my wife, I said listen the girls are gonna be home, they want to spend Mother’s Day with you, mind if I go [inaudible] that’s what we thought was gonna happen. The girls were running late so they texted her Happy Mother’s Day, she didn’t text back. So we went to, well they called my neighbors and said listen, it’s Mother’s Day, I’m a little worried and will you go check the house. And the neighbour went and checked the house, saw that her car was there but the bike was gone. She called me in Denver and said hey we’re just a little worried and I go well, I am too, why don’t we just call the police to be safe…

1. Not 'let me tell you what we think happened', but 'what happened'. This is impossible and it's sales talk.
2. the bike. I expected to hear 'her' bike here and in the last paragraph right after saying 'her car'. The fact he uses 'the' bike and never 'her' bike tells me he has distanced Suzanne from it. He is not imagining Suzanne on or with her bike. I would say there is a reason for distancing language and the bike is a red herring. Notice TD says 'her bike' because he naturally associates her with it and he's not even close to her. A few other places where BM says 'the bike' seem appropriate for the context he is using, because that is when the police have it.
3. the evidence. He's talked evidence into existence that there is no proof of. I think this sounds like a defense and he knows they won't find stranger evidence on the bike.
4. my wife. I expected to hear him say Suzanne's name here. He is distancing himself from her. And he 'told' her 'mind if I go'? I would say this is a construction because he doesn't retell it as asking her.
5. late - so. Why is he explaining why his daughters texted Suzanne 'Happy Mother's Day'? I think this reveals he had his eye on the time that day.
6. We have the daughters and the neighbor both saying "a little worried", according to him. It doesn't sound like a reliable report to me. Why would anyone minimize worry about Suzanne, unless they wanted to minimize that they anticipated a problem? Even though it's attributed to other people HE feels it's important to relay that. Calling the police suggests it had escalated beyond a little worry, imo.
7. check the house. Again there is no mention of Suzanne, just bricks, so I have to conclude he is distancing himself from her. Why doesn't he say check on Suzanne? It sounds like he is saying it from the memory of knowing the neighbor will find an empty house.

My opinion.

 

[KLM6]

I do think that TNs statement early on about the bike (urging that someone should "ask the sheriff" about the condition) does now make sense given what BM said in the video about being upset about the way the bike was handled by LE. We don't know that BM is correct or truthful about that allegation, but it sure seems clear that he almost certainly expressed that frustration early on to TN who then made that comment.

I agree. But I also believe the bike is a deterrant and is being pushed as a focal point of the story. I mostly do not believe what happened to SM had anything to do with a bike at all. But thats just my honest opinion.

 

[oviedo]

He says that the neighbor found that Suzanne’s car was at the residence, but that her bike was gone.
SEE IT: Husband of missing Colorado woman Suzanne Morphew shares details of wife’s disappearance in secret recording, suggesting she may have been kidnapped [VIDEO]
D, who says in the video that he is from Arizona, apparently traveled to Chaffee County, Colorado, and tracked down BM as he was in the mountainous area where investigators have been searching for Suzanne, who was reported missing from her Maysville home on May 10.
----
so her car was there...and neighbor must have known enough about the bike to know that it was missing. how in the world did TD happen to find BM?? that's quite a coincidence -
JMO

 

[Poedelini]

A few things stood out to me when listening to BM's conversation with TD on youtube. This is subjective, and I know there will be people who don't see it the same as I do, but I thought these were worth pointing out. I've colored them red to discuss below. I've colored words blue which I consider to be 'normal' usage, in contrast.


BM: Let me tell you what happened. Um, and I do have a reward, $210,000 reward. Um, the bike was found at the bottom of the hill by that tree…

TD: So they found her bike just right against that tree down there?

BM: …we had cars over here well the sheriff let everybody drive through here covering all, messing up all the evidence, they were walking all over this area which if somebody abducted her they would have had foot tracks, they would have had fingerprints on the bike. They let 10 other people touch the bike.

BM: …so, I told my wife, I said listen the girls are gonna be home, they want to spend Mother’s Day with you, mind if I go [inaudible] that’s what we thought was gonna happen. The girls were running late so they texted her Happy Mother’s Day, she didn’t text back. So we went to, well they called my neighbors and said listen, it’s Mother’s Day, I’m a little worried and will you go check the house. And the neighbour went and checked the house, saw that her car was there but the bike was gone. She called me in Denver and said hey we’re just a little worried and I go well, I am too, why don’t we just call the police to be safe…

1. Not 'let me tell you what we think happened', but 'what happened'. This is impossible and it's sales talk.
2. the bike. I expected to hear 'her' bike here and in the last paragraph right after saying 'her car'. The fact he uses 'the' bike and never 'her' bike tells me he has distanced Suzanne from it. He is not imagining Suzanne on or with her bike. I would say there is a reason for distancing language and the bike is a red herring. Notice TD says 'her bike' because he naturally associates her with it and he's not even close to her. A few other places where BM says 'the bike' seem appropriate for the context he is using, because that is when the police have it.
3. the evidence. He's talked evidence into existence that there is no proof of. I think this sounds like a defense and he knows they won't find stranger evidence on the bike.
4. my wife. I expected to hear him say Suzanne's name here. He is distancing himself from her. And he 'told' her 'mind if I go'? I would say this is a construction because he doesn't retell it as asking her.
5. late - so. Why is he explaining why his daughters texted Suzanne 'Happy Mother's Day'? I think this reveals he had his eye on the time that day.
6. We have the daughters and the neighbor both saying "a little worried", according to him. It doesn't sound like a reliable report to me. Why would anyone minimize worry about Suzanne, unless they wanted to minimize that they anticipated a problem? Even though it's attributed to other people HE feels it's important to relay that. Calling the police suggests it had escalated beyond a little worry, imo.
7. check the house. Again there is no mention of Suzanne, just bricks, so I have to conclude he is distancing himself from her. Why doesn't he say check on Suzanne? It sounds like he is saying it from the memory of knowing the neighbor will find an empty house.

My opinion.

Great post! I so agree!

Here another article.
YouTuber who ‘secretly’ recorded video of Barry Morphew discussing wife’s disappearance says he believes Suzanne Morphew’s husband knew the camera was on

 

[Fireflize]

By Lindsey Grewe/Tony Keith |

Posted: Mon 7:32 PM, May 18, 2020 |
Updated: Mon 7:38 PM, May 18, 2020
snipped
CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - Search efforts continue for a 49-year-old cyclist in Chaffee County, who has now been missing over a week.

Suzanne Morphew went for a bike ride on May 10 west of Maysville in the area of Chaffee County Road 225 and West Highway 50. Her neighbors called the county sheriff's office when she didn't come home. Morphew's family has said her husband, a volunteer firefighter, was out of town at the time of her disappearance.

Authorities are asking residents in the area to preserve any and all video footage from devices such as Ring doorbells, security cameras, game cameras etc., from May 8 through May 12. As of Monday afternoon, the sheriff's office was requesting the surveillance to only be preserved. As search areas are identified, investigators will contact residents in those locations to collect any camera footage.

"One of the most helpful ways the community can aid in the search of Suzanne Morphew is by preserving these recordings. We are aware that some systems override video after several days, and we want to ensure video remains available if needed," Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said


Morphew was reportedly an avid cyclist.

Morphew's husband released a video Sunday pleading for his wife's safe return, which can be viewed just below this article. If reading this article on our app, click "Additional Content Available."

Morphew's bike was reportedly recovered the night she vanished. The Chafee County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that a “personal item” belonging to Morphew was found just west of CR 225 and Highway 50. The sheriff's office would not comment on what the item was.

Search For Suzanne Morphew: Sheriff Says Search Warrant Is Sealed

May 20, 2020

“…the house continues to be held by law enforcement during this open investigation through a search warrant that has been sealed by the court,” the sheriff’s office stated.

Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze stated that it is not unusual in these types of investigations to start at the home and extend outward, in an effort to seek clues surrounding the disappearance.

“The Morphew residence is just one of many areas of focus as part of this open investigation at this time,” officials with the sheriff’s office stated.

As of Wednesday, May 20, investigators had received approximately 200 tips reported to the designated phone line for information about Morphew’s disappearance.

Morphew was last seen on Mother’s Day, May 10. Her husband was in Denver, her family says, and a neighbor reported Morphew missing when she didn’t return from her bike ride.

Morphew’s bicycle was recovered, along with an additional “personal item.” Investigators have not described the personal item or released information about the condition of the bike. Sheriff Spezze did say he believes it is unlikely that Morphew was attacked by an animal.

These two articles mention that the bike was found, but I can't tell where that information originated . Moo

 

[Tate123]

A few things stood out to me when listening to BM's conversation with TD on youtube. This is subjective, and I know there will be people who don't see it the same as I do, but I thought these were worth pointing out. I've colored them red to discuss below. I've colored words blue which I consider to be 'normal' usage, in contrast.


BM: Let me tell you what happened. Um, and I do have a reward, $210,000 reward. Um, the bike was found at the bottom of the hill by that tree…

TD: So they found her bike just right against that tree down there?

BM: …we had cars over here well the sheriff let everybody drive through here covering all, messing up all the evidence, they were walking all over this area which if somebody abducted her they would have had foot tracks, they would have had fingerprints on the bike. They let 10 other people touch the bike.

BM: …so, I told my wife, I said listen the girls are gonna be home, they want to spend Mother’s Day with you, mind if I go [inaudible] that’s what we thought was gonna happen. The girls were running late so they texted her Happy Mother’s Day, she didn’t text back. So we went to, well they called my neighbors and said listen, it’s Mother’s Day, I’m a little worried and will you go check the house. And the neighbour went and checked the house, saw that her car was there but the bike was gone. She called me in Denver and said hey we’re just a little worried and I go well, I am too, why don’t we just call the police to be safe…

1. Not 'let me tell you what we think happened', but 'what happened'. This is impossible and it's sales talk.
2. the bike. I expected to hear 'her' bike here and in the last paragraph right after saying 'her car'. The fact he uses 'the' bike and never 'her' bike tells me he has distanced Suzanne from it. He is not imagining Suzanne on or with her bike. I would say there is a reason for distancing language and the bike is a red herring. Notice TD says 'her bike' because he naturally associates her with it and he's not even close to her. A few other places where BM says 'the bike' seem appropriate for the context he is using, because that is when the police have it.
3. the evidence. He's talked evidence into existence that there is no proof of. I think this sounds like a defense and he knows they won't find stranger evidence on the bike.
4. my wife. I expected to hear him say Suzanne's name here. He is distancing himself from her. And he 'told' her 'mind if I go'? I would say this is a construction because he doesn't retell it as asking her.
5. late - so. Why is he explaining why his daughters texted Suzanne 'Happy Mother's Day'? I think this reveals he had his eye on the time that day.
6. We have the daughters and the neighbor both saying "a little worried", according to him. It doesn't sound like a reliable report to me. Why would anyone minimize worry about Suzanne, unless they wanted to minimize that they anticipated a problem? Even though it's attributed to other people HE feels it's important to relay that. Calling the police suggests it had escalated beyond a little worry, imo.
7. check the house. Again there is no mention of Suzanne, just bricks, so I have to conclude he is distancing himself from her. Why doesn't he say check on Suzanne? It sounds like he is saying it from the memory of knowing the neighbor will find an empty house.

My opinion.

Salient post. Thank you.

 

[Hoosierfan72]

A few things stood out to me when listening to BM's conversation with TD on youtube. This is subjective, and I know there will be people who don't see it the same as I do, but I thought these were worth pointing out. I've colored them red to discuss below. I've colored words blue which I consider to be 'normal' usage, in contrast.


BM: Let me tell you what happened. Um, and I do have a reward, $210,000 reward. Um, the bike was found at the bottom of the hill by that tree…

TD: So they found her bike just right against that tree down there?

BM: …we had cars over here well the sheriff let everybody drive through here covering all, messing up all the evidence, they were walking all over this area which if somebody abducted her they would have had foot tracks, they would have had fingerprints on the bike. They let 10 other people touch the bike.

BM: …so, I told my wife, I said listen the girls are gonna be home, they want to spend Mother’s Day with you, mind if I go [inaudible] that’s what we thought was gonna happen. The girls were running late so they texted her Happy Mother’s Day, she didn’t text back. So we went to, well they called my neighbors and said listen, it’s Mother’s Day, I’m a little worried and will you go check the house. And the neighbour went and checked the house, saw that her car was there but the bike was gone. She called me in Denver and said hey we’re just a little worried and I go well, I am too, why don’t we just call the police to be safe…

1. Not 'let me tell you what we think happened', but 'what happened'. This is impossible and it's sales talk.
2. the bike. I expected to hear 'her' bike here and in the last paragraph right after saying 'her car'. The fact he uses 'the' bike and never 'her' bike tells me he has distanced Suzanne from it. He is not imagining Suzanne on or with her bike. I would say there is a reason for distancing language and the bike is a red herring. Notice TD says 'her bike' because he naturally associates her with it and he's not even close to her. A few other places where BM says 'the bike' seem appropriate for the context he is using, because that is when the police have it.
3. the evidence. He's talked evidence into existence that there is no proof of. I think this sounds like a defense and he knows they won't find stranger evidence on the bike.
4. my wife. I expected to hear him say Suzanne's name here. He is distancing himself from her. And he 'told' her 'mind if I go'? I would say this is a construction because he doesn't retell it as asking her.
5. late - so. Why is he explaining why his daughters texted Suzanne 'Happy Mother's Day'? I think this reveals he had his eye on the time that day.
6. We have the daughters and the neighbor both saying "a little worried", according to him. It doesn't sound like a reliable report to me. Why would anyone minimize worry about Suzanne, unless they wanted to minimize that they anticipated a problem? Even though it's attributed to other people HE feels it's important to relay that. Calling the police suggests it had escalated beyond a little worry, imo.
7. check the house. Again there is no mention of Suzanne, just bricks, so I have to conclude he is distancing himself from her. Why doesn't he say check on Suzanne? It sounds like he is saying it from the memory of knowing the neighbor will find an empty house.

My opinion.

Very interesting take....thanks for sharing.

I'm curious, what could be reasons for distancing language like this? Obviously, if BM is responsible for her disappearance, that would be a reason. But could this language also be used if he, for example, felt some level of guilt/responsibility due to not being home when it happened (ie, I should have been here and it wouldn't have happened)? Could it be a coping mechanism for someone who simply doesn't process grief very well?

 

[TKG]

You didn't ask me but but I have an opinion. He started with a lie and then lied again several times under the pretense of being sympathetic and caring towards BM. Then he revealed his true motivations and feelings about BM by speaking into his filming device as soon as BM was out of earshot. Sleazy.

But, bottom line; he proved himself within the first few seconds of filming to be a liar. That's enough for me. I don't trust liars.... from the moment they tell their first lie until they stop speaking.

All very valid reasons, although they all point to the surreptitious filming. I suppose in the end this may come to which liar do you find less repulsive. That is, once we have all of the liars speaking. MOO BM has had multiple story variations. Depending on to whom he was speaking. I suppose a turd with perfume on it, is still simply a turd. Let’s hope we find out as the investigation develops that YT TD was the only liar, that would be a better outcome than where IMO we are headed.

 

[TKG]

and sometimes they do ..
Cheryl Coker case: Riverside police name suspect, call disappearance a homicide

I wonder what leads them to name a POI and what leads them to be silent?
JMO

Great question. I’d love to know that as well.

 

[NuttMegg]

Great post! I so agree!

Here another article.
YouTuber who ‘secretly’ recorded video of Barry Morphew discussing wife’s disappearance says he believes Suzanne Morphew’s husband knew the camera was on

BBM I don't understand this part, did he originally find BM in that "bridge/ravine" area where the bike had been found? Did I miss something about his following BM to the bike area in his own car, or BM taking Draper there in his vehicle? "Draper continues to record while Morphew discussed the search for Suzanne, taking Draper to an area where her bike was reportedly found — a discovery that police have not publicly confirmed."

ETA after reading that several times, maybe the author of the article means BM was "taking" Draper figuratively, conversationally, to the area where the bike was found.

Later in that same article it says "Draper also said he had a third encounter with Morphew, shortly after their conversation on the wooded trail." (BBM)

 

[LietKynes]

A few things stood out to me when listening to BM's conversation with TD on youtube. This is subjective, and I know there will be people who don't see it the same as I do, but I thought these were worth pointing out. I've colored them red to discuss below. I've colored words blue which I consider to be 'normal' usage, in contrast.


BM: Let me tell you what happened. Um, and I do have a reward, $210,000 reward. Um, the bike was found at the bottom of the hill by that tree…

TD: So they found her bike just right against that tree down there?

BM: …we had cars over here well the sheriff let everybody drive through here covering all, messing up all the evidence, they were walking all over this area which if somebody abducted her they would have had foot tracks, they would have had fingerprints on the bike. They let 10 other people touch the bike.

BM: …so, I told my wife, I said listen the girls are gonna be home, they want to spend Mother’s Day with you, mind if I go [inaudible] that’s what we thought was gonna happen. The girls were running late so they texted her Happy Mother’s Day, she didn’t text back. So we went to, well they called my neighbors and said listen, it’s Mother’s Day, I’m a little worried and will you go check the house. And the neighbour went and checked the house, saw that her car was there but the bike was gone. She called me in Denver and said hey we’re just a little worried and I go well, I am too, why don’t we just call the police to be safe…

1. Not 'let me tell you what we think happened', but 'what happened'. This is impossible and it's sales talk.
2. the bike. I expected to hear 'her' bike here and in the last paragraph right after saying 'her car'. The fact he uses 'the' bike and never 'her' bike tells me he has distanced Suzanne from it. He is not imagining Suzanne on or with her bike. I would say there is a reason for distancing language and the bike is a red herring. Notice TD says 'her bike' because he naturally associates her with it and he's not even close to her. A few other places where BM says 'the bike' seem appropriate for the context he is using, because that is when the police have it.
3. the evidence. He's talked evidence into existence that there is no proof of. I think this sounds like a defense and he knows they won't find stranger evidence on the bike.
4. my wife. I expected to hear him say Suzanne's name here. He is distancing himself from her. And he 'told' her 'mind if I go'? I would say this is a construction because he doesn't retell it as asking her.
5. late - so. Why is he explaining why his daughters texted Suzanne 'Happy Mother's Day'? I think this reveals he had his eye on the time that day.
6. We have the daughters and the neighbor both saying "a little worried", according to him. It doesn't sound like a reliable report to me. Why would anyone minimize worry about Suzanne, unless they wanted to minimize that they anticipated a problem? Even though it's attributed to other people HE feels it's important to relay that. Calling the police suggests it had escalated beyond a little worry, imo.
7. check the house. Again there is no mention of Suzanne, just bricks, so I have to conclude he is distancing himself from her. Why doesn't he say check on Suzanne? It sounds like he is saying it from the memory of knowing the neighbor will find an empty house.

My opinion.

Saving this great post !

 

[Knox]

A tactic to setup a future defense point. The ole standby "LE messed it all up, so you can't believe this piece of evidence." (IMO)

Otherwise known as the "Moorer Defense" used in the Heather Elvis case.

Seriously, nearly SOP in every trial. It's called reasonable doubt, if a defense attorney can sway one juror ...

 

[Whiteorchids]

I hope LE is still being diligent on finding Suzanne because it seems where I’m located in CA most of LE is focusing on the protests and riots going on all over the state while all other cases are being put on the back burner because of all the manpower required.