Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #16

[ReadySet]

Yes, they were young girls.
Mikelle Biggs was standing outside her house, she was seen there by her sister. She was 11.

April Jones was a five year old girl in the UK. She was seen getting into a vehicle. A man was arrested and convicted, and eventually fragments of bones were found in the fireplace of his house.

The two females whose bodies were never found were girls -- Mikelle Biggs(age 10) in 1999 and April Jones(age 5) in 1996.
And yes, you are correct that the public has no info on when/whether SM was seen riding her bike that day.

 

[Madeleine74]

<modsnip: Removed snarky comment>

What possible hint has LE given that would give credence to an abduction and/or being hit by a car? It seems obvious (to me) LE doesn't believe this case was a hit & abduction or just an abduction, nor an attack by a mountain lion.

What evidence is leading to an oppositional viewpoint?

IMO

 

[trujac]

This just occurred to me:
What if the bike seat was raised higher than Suzanne would use herself? Or lowered?
Could give LE the sign that someone else rode it to where located/dumped?

They have quick release seat posts that make adjusting a bicycle seat a breeze...however, a lot of people don't like quick release seat posts because anyone can remove the seat when the bicycle is left unattended--no tools needed. I think it is more likely that SM's bicycle seat was tighten on with a fixed bolt requiring a tool to unloosen it. Needing a tool to raise or lower the seat would require time, effort, and a tool--not sure if someone would take the time to adjust a seat to ride the bicycle somewhere to stage it.

 

[Dave F.]

Are there security cameras at both entry and exit of the RV Park? Highly likely .... MOO

I dunno. I watched the video from start to finish, and I'm kind of wondering how much camera expertise is available on staff. Also, I'm not seeing a lot of yard lights on poles. By "not a lot", I'm saying I could have missed all of them. I'm going to leave that security camera question open for now. IMO
Park Tour

 

[Truecolors]

When BM is talking to TD, and he is talking about the triangle that was searched, he is looking in the direction where the bike was found. The red mark is the mark @Dave F. identified as the spot where BM and TD are speaking. The yellow lines were drawn by me, trying to understand the “triangle” from TD’s truck, to the road, to the RV park.

Does this look about right?

MOO

Maps are hard.

 

[Sillybilly]

What if it had something to do with the bike? And the way it was found?
This is a question for experienced bicyclists: What are the ways a bike can be locked or prevented from riding aside from a big obvious lock/chain thingy?
If the bike was a plant, could have someone placed it where it was found not realizing it could not have been ridden?

<rsbm>

Not an experienced cyclist here, but it seems some bike locks can be pretty inconspicuous if you aren't specifically looking for them (certainly compared to the big chain lock type):

from: List of Ways To Theft-Proof Your Wheels and Secure Components: Locking Security Skewers, Seatpost Locks and More - CyclingAbout.com

There's even a combination one that doesn't require an unlock tool:

BM would likely have been aware of Suzanne having a bike lock, whereas someone not as familiar with her might not think of it. As there seemed to be some public knowledge that Suzanne normally went on a bike ride before church on Sunday (even though regular church was not being held due to Covid), could she have had a visitor who was aware of her routine and thought the bike would be a likely diversion?

 

[branmuffin]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion. IMO

It's not my opinion. I've seen written retractions in print papers. You can't unprint a newspaper. However, the digitizing of news has created new issues where it's much more difficult to eliminate an item once it's on the net.

 

[FairIsle]

What could have been so obvious about the bike that led LE to believe it had been staged?

This might sound ludicrous! Maybe there were no pedals on Suzanne’s bike.

Avid mountain bikers often swap out clip-pedals for flat pedals, depending on the length of the ride, the terrain, etc.
Pedals are switched between bikes easily. Pedals can be a personal statement of sorts, bright colors, fun Indy brands, etc. One might put on a special set for a certain ride. One might remove them after, put on a sister or daughter’s bike, for example.

We have several MTB bikes in our garage right now (three kids and two adults, one being a teenage bike mechanic.) I can guarantee at least one of those bikes currently does not have pedals.

Seems preposterous to even propose such an oversight could occur. But the last thing a killer would be thinking about when tossing a bike from the back of a pick up wouldn’t be whether the bike had pedals or clips attached.

 

[Fireflize]

I just had a thought. Many of us believe that LE zeroed in on one suspect very quickly, hence the lack of good descriptions of SM, bolo’s etc. So what would make them zero in that fast?
Evidence found at the home? That might take a bit of time while awaiting forensics results.
Inconsistency in stories. That might take a bit of time while alibis were checked.
What if it had something to do with the bike? And the way it was found?
This is a question for experienced bicyclists: What are the ways a bike can be locked or prevented from riding aside from a big obvious lock/chain thingy?
If the bike was a plant, could have someone placed it where it was found not realizing it could not have been ridden?

thx for your theory. Some of us do see the actions of LE indicate that they found damning evidence quite soon of a staged scene. A locked bike would explain their attitude and actions perfectly. Add to that, if a spouse seemed to try to direct the focus of the investigation in a different direction from the beginning? Moo

 

[Moonchime]

Quoting my own post here, because I did find the case of Tara Calico. However, several people actually saw her on her bike, unlike Suzanne's case.

Yes, these two cases are totally different. Tara Calico was seen by multiple people while she was bike riding on the day she went missing.

Suzanne Morphew was never seen riding her bike on Mother's Day. It seems that it was just assumed by her daughters when they asked the neighbor to go check on their mom when they couldn't reach her by phone or text on Mother's Day.

The neighbor was apparently asked to check the garage for SM's car. It was there. Then, they asked to check for her bike. It wasn't in the garage.

Yet, nobody saw SM on her bike that day.

 

[OldCop]

<rsbm>

Not an experienced cyclist here, but it seems some bike locks can be pretty inconspicuous if you aren't specifically looking for them (certainly compared to the big chain lock type):

from: List of Ways To Theft-Proof Your Wheels and Secure Components: Locking Security Skewers, Seatpost Locks and More - CyclingAbout.com

There's even a combination one that doesn't require an unlock tool:

BM would likely have been aware of Suzanne having a bike lock, whereas someone not as familiar with her might not think of it. As there seemed to be some public knowledge that Suzanne normally went on a bike ride before church on Sunday (even though regular church was not being held due to Covid), could she have had a visitor who was aware of her routine and thought the bike would be a likely diversion?

Or in a panic forgot about the lock?

 

[Moonchime]

What do you mean never found? The bike? The rider?

I think this poster was referring to the case of Tara Calico. She was seen riding her bike on the day that she went missing. (This isn't about SM's case).

 

[gitana1]

<modsnip: Removed snarky comment>

What possible hint has LE given that would give credence to an abduction and/or being hit by a car? It seems obvious (to me) LE doesn't believe this case was a hit & abduction or just an abduction, nor an attack by a mountain lion.

What evidence is leading to an oppositional viewpoint?

IMO

None at all. However I’m assuming that some believe LE is incorrect or was incorrect and has now realized that (although they continue not to seek the public’s help in locating a possible abduction victim, nor are they putting that possibility out there).

But I have no problem exploring that theory. Is it at all possible. What, if anything, do those cases have in common. Does this case have any possible factors that are similar to the others.

 

[Moonchime]

Or in a panic forgot about the lock?

This makes a lot of sense to me. In a panic to stage the scene, someone forgot all about the bike lock. MOO

 

[Truecolors]

I just had a thought. Many of us believe that LE zeroed in on one suspect very quickly, hence the lack of good descriptions of SM, bolo’s etc. So what would make them zero in that fast?
Evidence found at the home? That might take a bit of time while awaiting forensics results.
Inconsistency in stories. That might take a bit of time while alibis were checked.
What if it had something to do with the bike? And the way it was found?
This is a question for experienced bicyclists: What are the ways a bike can be locked or prevented from riding aside from a big obvious lock/chain thingy?
If the bike was a plant, could have someone placed it where it was found not realizing it could not have been ridden?

I don’t know about bikes, but in two cases I’ve followed, LE focused on a family member from the first day because of security systems. In this case, if SM was gone before Mother’s Day, and BM went to Denver Saturday night (possibly dumping the bike and personal items on his route from the house to the highway), the security system may have shown zero activity Sunday morning. No one in, no one out = no bike ride?

MOO, speculation.

 

[Cassady]

Yes, these two cases are totally different. Tara Calico was seen by multiple people while she was bike riding on the day she went missing.

Suzanne Morphew was never seen riding her bike on Mother's Day. It seems that it was just assumed by her daughters when they asked the neighbor to go check on their mom when they couldn't reach her by phone or text on Mother's Day.

The neighbor was apparently asked to check the garage for SM's car. It was there. Then, they asked to check for her bike. It wasn't in the garage.

Yet, nobody saw SM on her bike that day.

Has LE or MSM confirmed that nobody saw the missing person on the bike on MD?

 

[Fireflize]

This makes a lot of sense to me. In a panic to stage the scene, someone forgot all about the bike lock. MOO

If that happened, all I can think, is that Khama is strong for justice in this case. May it be so. Moo

 

[Madeleine74]

Has LE or MSM confirmed that nobody saw the missing person on the bike on MD?

IMO

To my knowledge LE has not confirmed anything regarding the bike at all and has only confirmed that SM is missing and was reportedly on a bike ride on 5/10/20.

/IMO

 

[marylamby]

Is it unusual for information to be scrubbed, is it done intentionally? Moo

I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW ANYTHING IN THIS CASE HAS BEEN SCRUBBED FROM THE INTERNET.
Just because someone says so doesn't make it so.

 

[OldCop]

This just occurred to me:
What if the bike seat was raised higher than Suzanne would use herself? Or lowered?
Could give LE the sign that someone else rode it to where located/dumped?

It is a thought @charminglane. I would guess if it were me that I’d be afraid someone would see me riding the bike. I envisioned the bike being thrown from the back of a pickup if it was staged, probably after dark.