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

[ethereal*22]

Thanks, @ethereal*22. I did say “chatty”. I guess I should have said “might be more apt to be a bit more forthcoming in a more relaxed venue”.

Ummm, yeah! I just went back and re-read that entire exchange- this is how things can get a bit twisty on here- you and @Cassady both said “chatty”- it was others who used the word “rumor/s”- somehow you guys were left with trying to explain the “rumors” scenario/talking points you never mentioned- wait what?

Again, I’m gonna need some additional emojis here...

 

[dkryder]

IMO there is no way LE would purposely solicit local rumors by canvassing the general public in a murder investigation. Can you imagine the heyday a defense attorney would have with these rumors if a case ever went to trial?

Yeah, but some recent cases had LE set up tip lines and Facebook pages for the general public to post info. Of course LE stated that they were seeking only solid tips and please no rumors because LE stated they had to followup on all posts/calls and rumors slowed them down.

 

[Janeumayer]

Husband of Suzanne Morphew is having a 'difficult time' as diggers continue construction site search - Daily Star Post

This is a good picture. You can see the other areas dug on the lower right corner.

 

[Truecolors]

How would police get into the property to check on her if no one was home? Did the neighbor have a key? Do we know when the daughters arrived home? I can’t put that whole situation together of when police first arrived. The neighbor that called would have been the one who met them right? Did she know anything about what was going on besides just being told to call police? I still don’t understand why a family member wouldn’t call. Why BM didn’t. Unless it was because he wasn’t in the area or did he not want his phone/location traced?

All good questions.

To the bolded (BBM), maybe a keypad? The family relayed the code? But the neighbor easily could’ve had a key.

 

[flossieflo]

I had a random thought this afternoon. If I went missing and my kids couldn’t get ahold of me, naturally they’d contact their dad. What would he do? Try to get ahold of me. Does BM ever mention if he himself tried to call SM on Sunday? I know he could have tried and just not included that tidbit in his “interview”, but it did strike me as odd that he emphasized others trying to contact her but never mentions that he himself tried to contact her.

I’ve been on the fence that whole time but.... I think I’m falling off.
MOO

 

[JnRyan]

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?

About the bike being locked or disabled. When you think about it, if BM or someone else went to the house and retrieved the bike are why would they pick it up and carry when they can roll it toward the vehicle. Even the person with almost no knowledge of bikes is going to notice right away that the wheels don't turn or roll. (I have no devices to lock up my bikes because they are either locked up in the house or garage.) A problem that wouldn't be noticeable just by rolling the bike without pedaling is something else. If the rear derailleur was seriously out of adjustment or a derailleur cable was broken or the shifter had broken internally then it might not be noticeable rolling it down the driveway and placing it in a vehicle. All common problems. Now if the bike was found after what looked like crashing down the hill it would be difficult to tell whether the problem existed before it went down off the road or was a result of a crash when going off the road. BUT if Suzanne experienced the problem a day or two earlier and called her favorite local bike shop about the problem and about bringing it in on Monday, the 11th, then maybe LE might have reason to suspect she may have not been riding on MD.

 

[Goldenseal]

Speaking of this new-ish move. I’m trying to think of what would have changed drastically for this family moving to CO. I’m assuming the move was a big deal & was an adjustment for all.

The first thought that comes to mind is meeting new people, for both SM & BM. IMO, this is where the trouble might lie in this case. IMO

Some facts I remember from former posts:

1. The older daughter attends college in Colorado somewhere.

2. Friends in Indiana reported that SM had very mixed feelings about the move. (No kidding! Leaving family and life-long friends, your cancer doctors, and your hometown? Cancer's hard enough, but a major move like this for no specified reason? And when you have just spent several years on a deadly health roller coaster?)

3. Friends and family in Indiana confirmed that BM always called the shots in the marriage.

4. Their (her?) church in Colorado was a conservative traditional family one (man head of the family, etc.)

I can only speak for myself (MOO), but if I beat cancer twice (I have only had to beat it once so far) and I was married to someone who did not listen to my preferences about where to live and basically dragged me to the middle of nowhere by quoting Scripture --- I. Would. Be. Pissed. I'm a little older than SM, but I know how hard it is to make new friends in middle age. Even if you DO make a new friend, can you ever have enough time in the rest of your life to turn that new friend into an old friend? No, probably not. It wouldn't surprise me if she had decided she was going to move back home because she was so lonely. And BM did not like that idea.

 

[Truecolors]

I had a random thought this afternoon. If I went missing and my kids couldn’t get ahold of me, naturally they’d contact their dad. What would he do? Try to get ahold of me. Does BM ever mention if he himself tried to call SM on Sunday? I know he could have tried and just not included that tidbit in his “interview”, but it did strike me as odd that he emphasized others trying to contact her but never mentions that he himself tried to contact her.

I’ve been on the fence that whole time but.... I think I’m falling off.
MOO

This bothers me also because it was Mother’s Day. He says he went to Denver because the girls were coming home to spend the day with her, but when did he find out they were going to be so late that they’d miss it entirely? When he realized that SM was alone on Mother’s Day, he didn’t try to call her?

Bothers me. Feels unlikely to be true. But the truth, when revealed, may explain these things.

MOO

 

[10ofRods]

Speaking of this new-ish move. I’m trying to think of what would have changed drastically for this family moving to CO. I’m assuming the move was a big deal & was an adjustment for all.

The first thought that comes to mind is meeting new people, for both SM & BM. IMO, this is where the trouble might lie in this case. IMO

IME, when I was in a troubled marriage, we moved in order to get some kind of fresh start, away from the stresses of the job he held. That was identified by him as the source of all problems. We did this more than once.

It didn't get better, it got worse. Moving is stressful. Moving into a new state is stressful (we did that too). Making new friends is hard, but I am forever grateful to this one young woman who reached out to me when we landed in this giant apartment complex. It's very isolating to move, is what I can say.

So many things would have changed (older daughter moving out, new town, new friends, new lifestyle, different business/income than prior...and Suzanne's illness). That's a lot on the family plate. Girls must have been stressed as well.

 

[flossieflo]

This bothers me also because it was Mother’s Day. He says he went to Denver because the girls were coming home to spend the day with her, but when did he find out they were going to be so late that they’d miss it entirely? When he realized that SM was alone on Mother’s Day, he didn’t try to call her?

Bothers me. Feels unlikely to be true. But the truth, when revealed, may explain these things.

MOO

Mother’s Day isn’t a big deal at our house. We do spend the day as a family, but if my husband had a job he had to set up or travel for, it wouldn’t ruin the day - just part of his line of work. But did the girls call him to say they were late? Did SM call him to say they were late? It does seem like he would have naturally had some degree of communication with her, or at least attempted communication, given the girls were able to get ahold of him and tell him their concerns.

 

[susiQ]

Since things are a bit slow at the moment, let’s play pretend, shall we? We’re fly-by-night, or by the seat of our pants, journalists (ala TD) that have a chance encounter with the man of the hour, BM. What would you ask him? I’ll start:

“So Barry, when did you last speak to your wife Suzanne and when exactly did you leave for Denver?”

 

[DizzyB]

I’m used to LE not sharing information. I am not used to zero pleas by anyone to find their loved one. Not one photo of an unofficial search crew, not one interview with a friend or relative (since the first week). Not one post of any consequence by anyone.

 

[WildOrchid]

Opinions please: if the person responsible for SM’s disappearance gets arrested, do we think that person will break down and confess the reason? Or get defensive and try to explain why “anyone” would have reacted this way (example: she did this outlandish unacceptable thing). In another recent CO case, a lot of us predicted the denial. Wondering about this case.

 

[susiQ]

Opinions please: if the person responsible for SM’s disappearance gets arrested, do we think that person will break down and confess the reason? Or get defensive and try to explain why “anyone” would have reacted this way (example: she did this outlandish unacceptable thing). In another recent CO case, a lot of us predicted the denial. Wondering about this case.

If I were a psychologist, criminal profiler or even a psychic I might attempt to answer that. But, I’m not, so I won’t I did give it some consideration though.

 

[LietKynes]

Opinions please: if the person responsible for SM’s disappearance gets arrested, do we think that person will break down and confess the reason? Or get defensive and try to explain why “anyone” would have reacted this way (example: she did this outlandish unacceptable thing). In another recent CO case, a lot of us predicted the denial. Wondering about this case.

Here's my opinion :
I have considered that someone may have had an affair and that set this 'vanishing' in motion.
Not throwing shade at anyone because some people feel they are no longer loved and cannot bear to continue living that way.

But the possible existence of another person in all of this has crossed my mind.
And not a random kidnapper, either.
Imo.

 

[OldCop]

About the bike being locked or disabled. When you think about it, if BM or someone else went to the house and retrieved the bike are why would they pick it up and carry when they can roll it toward the vehicle. Even the person with almost no knowledge of bikes is going to notice right away that the wheels don't turn or roll. (I have no devices to lock up my bikes because they are either locked up in the house or garage.) A problem that wouldn't be noticeable just by rolling the bike without pedaling is something else. If the rear derailleur was seriously out of adjustment or a derailleur cable was broken or the shifter had broken internally then it might not be noticeable rolling it down the driveway and placing it in a vehicle. All common problems. Now if the bike was found after what looked like crashing down the hill it would be difficult to tell whether the problem existed before it went down off the road or was a result of a crash when going off the road. BUT if Suzanne experienced the problem a day or two earlier and called her favorite local bike shop about the problem and about bringing it in on Monday, the 11th, then maybe LE might have reason to suspect she may have not been riding on MD.

Good points, @JnRyan. My thought process was if something had happened in the house, you might pull your truck into the garage, load up the bike, load up the body (?), drive down the road, throw the bike down the hill, toss a couple of more things up on the highway, then dispose of the body somewhere.

 

[Feistyomi]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed>

100%....IMO they are looking for new leads and tips.

If they had a supsect or POI at this point some of those new leads and tips may help crack the case. On the other hand, it would also be a criminal defense discovery gold mine to have a bunch of potential tips or leads from a public canvassing event 4 weeks after the fact, especially if the locals are chatty. Thus, IMO if LE had a solid POI or suspect at that point in the investigation, especially after having searched a house, car, and phone records, they would not be out canvassing the general public...IMO.

You hit it out of the ballpark! By now, all the results of any searches and dna tests, electronic data, etc. have come back, zip! IMO they are NOT looking for BM slip up... nope, just nope. If they are canvassing, that WOULD be unnecessary to nail BM.
IOW, if they now need tips from the community, that they couldn’t get from all those searches? !
I follow LE lead, they are looking for the real suspect, who could be long gone.
Surely they have also checked out the local possibles, so it’s likely to be someone else, someone you’d never expect...or total random stranger. Somebody in town may have some little clue.
would a questionnaire to residents actually help? Never heard of it, but completely anonymous? Voluntary?

 

[KimATX]

A fly in the ointment: with bluetooth, it's getting harder to know who's legit talking to someone via cellphone or just walking and talking to their invisible friends.

Snipped by me. Totally guilty of talking to the invisible friend while running errands so people leave me be and I can get in and out quickly!

 

[Seni]

Me too. I could make an argument either way. What pushes me in the direction of a crime of passion, is that it still would have left the killer a significant amount of time.

It also may explain why LE didn’t think this was a kidnapping (epic screw up on the killer’s part).

BBM

Hi. But if we have no idea if or when the "crime of passion" occured? How can we judge that the perp would have had time?

 

[Truecolors]

Opinions please: if the person responsible for SM’s disappearance gets arrested, do we think that person will break down and confess the reason? Or get defensive and try to explain why “anyone” would have reacted this way (example: she did this outlandish unacceptable thing). In another recent CO case, a lot of us predicted the denial. Wondering about this case.

Because she has been “disappeared”, I believe the responsible party will never admit guilt. Deniability is the purpose of the disappearance, IMO.

MOO