Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #17

[MsBetsy]

The spot where the bike was found that BLM showed TD, is about 1630 feet riding or walking distance from SM's house. It is a very short distance, but that spot is not visible from the house, or vice-versa. There are faint trails, connecting nearly every feature, that are visible on Google Earth. One has to toggle and rotate a lot to follow them, but the trails are there. If a stalker was lurking in the woods, I think the odds of someone in the house spotting the stalker are great. I think that whoever took her was acquainted enough to have a good idea when she would cross through the "Y" of Hwy 225. (or the alternate theory could certainly be that the bike was planted there to make it look that way).
Mollie Tibbetts was spotted on her run by a random attacker, and followed to a broad "Y" intersection where she was taken. In plain sight, if anyone happened to have been looking or if any of the home security cameras captured the exact spot. I don't believe any did, but I think LE has camera video that shows she approached the intersection with the black car following her, and the black car exited the intersection but she did not. As always, just my opinion. JMO

Thanks. I thought it was very close, but I'm not good at maps and couldn't even find the house.

And yes, I was thinking about Mollie Tibbetts case, and how she was attacked and killed in one location and then her body was transferred to another location.

I wonder if LE was able to spot Suzanne at all on any surveillance cameras, or at least any cars in the area at that time. I thought it was mentioned earlier that there are no cameras on the trail.

Maybe they were able to find evidence on some of the other videos they asked people to save.

 

[Lilypad13]

Yes in previous threads, the trail continuation and possible trails, have been discussed in fairly good detail.

Map of Trails near Salida, Colorado | AllTrails
Go west on the map past maysville, zoom in, you can click on the number 3, then three pointers will show up, which will indicate three different trails. (Showing their length and travel time, ect.)

This map also shows the elevation quite well, the 226 is indeed a trail, although fairly short.

Thanks for your post & link to AllTrails! I just went down a rabbit hole looking at many of those trails and now I have the strongest urge to road trip to Colorado and go hiking! It looks so peaceful & beautiful there in the wilderness surrounded by fresh mountain air, wildflowers, butterflies, the sound of flowing rivers & streams & birds, bunnies and deer romping about, Eagles soaring, higher elevations that still have snow! Wow!...How wonderful to have all of that beauty available to you practically in your backyard! But with all of the wonders of nature comes DANGER...bears (recommend hikers to take along “bear spray”?? ...that doesn’t sound very pleasant does it?...didn’t know there was such a thing...like bug repellent for bears?!!), rattlesnakes, moose (are they dangerous?), falling boulders, potential for bone-breaking falls, murder hornets (?), abandoned mine shafts, mountain lions...and the most dangerous predators of all...the two legged kind! I’m brave...still ready to pack up my SUV and hit the road! Anyone??

 

[Acorunadepor]

Thanks. I thought it was very close, but I'm not good at maps and couldn't even find the house.

And yes, I was thinking about Mollie Tibbetts case, and how she was attacked and killed in one location and then her body was transferred to another location.

I wonder if LE was able to spot Suzanne at all on any surveillance cameras, or at least any cars in the area at that time. I thought it was mentioned earlier that there are no cameras on the trail.

Maybe they were able to find evidence on some of the other videos they asked people to save.

Residents surrounding the Morphew home and those who live in Maysville I presume were asked to preserve their footage quite early on. There is no statement made after the community canvass from two weeks ago however, about new information surfacing.

There are two very good cameras in Salida of the 50 in either direction. (Jeep Rentals)
Salida WebCam Hwy 50 East Rocky Mountain Jeep Rentals Colorado | ColoradoWebCam.Net and facing west Salida WebCam Hwy 50 West Rocky Mountain Jeep Rentals Colorado | ColoradoWebCam.Net

But after that the first possible public cameras you encounter are on Monarch Pass. Sadly the website isn't working properly: Monarch Pass, Colorado, Web Cams

That big search they did on May 15th was all the way up to Monarch Pass. That stretch of Hwy 50 was closed because, of those 10 search teams canvassing the area.

 

[Dave F.]

looks like 12 mo. residency required.
Residency Requirements for In-State Tuition | Office of Financial Aid | Colorado State University

Colorado tuition is all about loopholes. Always has been, always will be, in my opinion. The current qualifier for in-state tuition is that the student graduated from a Colorado accredited high school, has a standardized GED issued by an accredited Colorado institution, or is a transfer student from accredited Colorado two year institution or trade school.
So, for an example, If a student enrolled in Colorado University at Colorado Springs as an out of state student, lived in Colorado for a year, and applied for in-state tuition.....the answer would be "no". If that student transferred from CU @ CS to Colorado State University at Fort Collins, the answer would still be "no". If, however, the student enrolled in Colorado Mountain College at Salida (an accredited two year institution / trade school), lived in Colorado for a year while attending, and applied to Colorado Mesa University at Gunnison, it would be an acceptable In-state transfer. In-state tuition would apply.
Note that even loopholes have technicalities. The student would have to have completed the term at the first institution, to prove acceptable transfer status (or good standing). The student would also have to prove that the 12 month residency was established prior to application for in-state tuition. The bottom line is that a student from another state would probably have to attend Colorado Mountain College for two full years before applying for in-state transfer to Colorado Mesa College. To be currently finishing the first year at Mesa, a transfer student from CMC-Salida most likely would have moved to Colorado in August 2017.
I remember full well in my days at Colorado University at Boulder, serving pitchers of beer to enclaves of out-of-state students plotting their paths toward in--state tuition on the table. I never dealt with it for myself, but from that frequent observer perspective, it all seemed to start making sense after the third or fourth pitcher delivery. I think. IMO
https://www.coloradomesa.edu/admissions/documents/residency-petition-form-19-20.pdf

 

[Lilypad13]

Some legal questions for WS attorneys or members with knowledge about life insurance law. IF BM murdered SM and got away with it for the time being would he be able to collect on her life insurance? Or would he need her body to be found before the life insurance company released those funds? Does life insurance pay at all if missing person is not declared deceased? How long does a person have to be missing before being declared dead? I’m thinking there must be a long period of time before he could collect those proceeds if she is not found. It would probably benefit him more financially if her remains were found. If BM were declared a POI by LE does that put a pause on collecting life insurance? Pondering different motives...TIA!

 

[enelram]

I am more concerned that perhaps BM was actually where he claims to have been on Sunday and perhaps he took SM with him along the route so all these searches in the area of their home are pointless. =(

This is what I've suspected all along.
And with him being a hunter, he is comfortable hiding her deep in the woods on one of those
remote mountain areas.
Wouldn't surprise me if she's never found.
I do still wonder if LE found some evidence of
her body having been burned.
Just twiddlin my thumbs til he's arrested.

 

[MsBetsy]

Some legal questions for WS attorneys or members with knowledge about life insurance law. IF BM murdered SM and got away with it for the time being would he be able to collect on her life insurance? Or would he need her body to be found before the life insurance company released those funds? Does life insurance pay at all if missing person is not declared deceased? How long does a person have to be missing before being declared dead? I’m thinking there must be a long period of time before he could collect those proceeds if she is not found. It would probably benefit him more financially if her remains were found. If BM were declared a POI by LE does that put a pause on collecting life insurance? Pondering different motives...TIA!

I think it would be very hard to collect life insurance without a death certificate or some kind of proof that the missing person is deceased. The typical waiting period is seven years when no body is found, from what I've heard.

And yes, it would probably be easier for someone to collect when a body has been found and they are cleared as a suspect, or there is evidence of another suspect.

Do we know that there is a life insurance policy or how much it is?

Imo

 

[Dave F.]

Thanks. I thought it was very close, but I'm not good at maps and couldn't even find the house.

And yes, I was thinking about Mollie Tibbetts case, and how she was attacked and killed in one location and then her body was transferred to another location.

I wonder if LE was able to spot Suzanne at all on any surveillance cameras, or at least any cars in the area at that time. I thought it was mentioned earlier that there are no cameras on the trail.

Maybe they were able to find evidence on some of the other videos they asked people to save.

There are no security cams, but there are traffic cameras on the West side of Monarch Pass, just north of Poncha Springs. south of Poncha Springs on Poncha Pass, and east of Salida. LE has a description of one suspicious vehicle. If that vehicle didn't pass one of those cameras, it's most likely still in the south half of Chaffee county. If it did pass one of those cameras............I guess it's a lead in the right direction. IMO
Road Conditions, Speeds, Travel Times, Traffic Cameras, Live Streaming Traffic Cameras, Road Closures and Road Work Information provided by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) a branch of Colorado Department of Transportation

 

[LietKynes]

BBM:

I don't think SM will be found anywhere remotely close to their home.

Unfortunately, I don't think she'll be found anywhere, period.

The suggested locations are no more likely to me than the suggested scenarios, i.e., she's as likely to be in the river there as she is to have crashed her bike or been abducted by a serial killer lion.

"My concerns were this way, and that way."

Translation: "Look over there."

Classic misdirection.

JMO.

Sadly, I think you're right.

With P. Frazee the investigators were fortunate to find the tooth, and also the side chick friend who pointed out blood evidence.

 

[MsBetsy]

Residents surrounding the Morphew home and those who live in Maysville I presume were asked to preserve their footage quite early on. There is no statement made after the community canvass from two weeks ago however, about new information surfacing.

There are two very good cameras in Salida of the 50 in either direction. (Jeep Rentals)
Salida WebCam Hwy 50 East Rocky Mountain Jeep Rentals Colorado | ColoradoWebCam.Net and facing west Salida WebCam Hwy 50 West Rocky Mountain Jeep Rentals Colorado | ColoradoWebCam.Net

But after that the first possible public cameras you encounter are on Monarch Pass. Sadly the website isn't working properly: Monarch Pass, Colorado, Web Cams

That big search they did on May 15th was all the way up to Monarch Pass. That stretch of Hwy 50 was closed because, of those 10 search teams canvassing the area.

I wonder if by now they have been able to confirm BM's alibi or track his movements through GPS on the truck and through cell phone data.

I guess we won't learn any of those things until there is an arrest or they find a body.

I can't imagine what Suzanne's family must be going through right now. They must be giving up hope that she will ever be found alive.

 

[LietKynes]

Right I was responding to speculation in this post from @LietKynes

Sorry I didn't get back to you yesterday re. your post.

Afaik, a person has to wait for seven years to be declared deceased, so this guardianship over Suzanne's assets is odd.
The wording was off as it said she couldn't make the decision for herself as she was "incapacitated" at this time.
No, she's missing.

I am assuming Suzanne has all of her faculties intact, and the husband's terms for her are off-putting.
Imo.
And I'd imagine any significant funds would be held in a trust for her daughters-- or at least some of it.
MOO

 

[oviedo]

Sorry I didn't get back to you yesterday re. your post.

Afaik, a person has to wait for seven years to be declared deceased, so this guardianship over Suzanne's assets is odd.
The wording was off as it said she couldn't make the decision for herself as she was "incapacitated" at this time.
No, she's missing.

I am assuming Suzanne has all of her faculties intact, and the husband's terms for her are off-putting.
Imo.
And I'd imagine any significant funds would be held in a trust for her daughters-- or at least some of it.
MOO

If the guardianship granted him authority over her assets then he can do as he wishes with any money not held jointly (joint=his) so if the letters of guardianship were limited to just that one property and permanent letters are issued in September that give him Guardianship of the person and property - and it is not opposed- he can do anything and everything including sell their CO home And manage any assets in her name alone -IMO - I will be dismayed if this happens without opposition from someone with standing if she is still missing (which I think she will be) ...
JMO

 

[Hatfield]

Residents surrounding the Morphew home and those who live in Maysville I presume were asked to preserve their footage quite early on. There is no statement made after the community canvass from two weeks ago however, about new information surfacing.

There are two very good cameras in Salida of the 50 in either direction. (Jeep Rentals)
Salida WebCam Hwy 50 East Rocky Mountain Jeep Rentals Colorado | ColoradoWebCam.Net and facing west Salida WebCam Hwy 50 West Rocky Mountain Jeep Rentals Colorado | ColoradoWebCam.Net

But after that the first possible public cameras you encounter are on Monarch Pass. Sadly the website isn't working properly: Monarch Pass, Colorado, Web Cams

That big search they did on May 15th was all the way up to Monarch Pass. That stretch of Hwy 50 was closed because, of those 10 search teams canvassing the area.

JMO
I am hoping LE got all the video footage from all the businesses on the main roads leading to and from Salida and the nearest towns to SM's home.

That is something that perps sometimes forget about and can help a case. They dont always think that LE can find business security cameras on the main roads to track a perp's path much farther away from a crime scene.

There was another case in Carolina I think. I cannot remember the poor girl's name. She was abducted from her home before school about a year or two ago and the perp was caught on business security cameras while he was walking to her house and also after he stole her car with her in it, as she was warming it up in morning before school.

 

[Subiechik21]

JMO
There was another case in Carolina I think. I cannot remember the poor girl's name. She was abducted from her home before school about a year or two ago and the perp was caught on business security cameras while he was walking to her house and also after he stole her car with her in it, as she was warming it up in morning before school.

SBM for brevity
That was the case of Hania Aguilar. That was such a heartbreaking case
Found Deceased - NC - Hania Noelia Aguilar, 13, abducted and murdered, Lumberton, 5 Nov 2018 *Arrest* - #5

 

[Feistyomi]

You have made such excellent points@McBetsy. The actual evidence of the Ms marriage situation and reasons for their move to CO are truly known only to the Ms, no matter how we may speculate.JMO However, the little bits and pieces we have since their move, continue to show them to be a happy, loving couple. Anything else is our speculation thru the lens of the internet. JMVHO

 

[Hatfield]

SBM for brevity
That was the case of Hania Aguilar. That was such a heartbreaking case
Found Deceased - NC - Hania Noelia Aguilar, 13, abducted and murdered, Lumberton, 5 Nov 2018 *Arrest* - #5

Yes thanks. That was the case I was thinking about.

From other camera footage that LE obtained, we were able to see the path the perp walked toward her house. After he drove away with her we even got to see the vehicle on a main road after the abduction from what I recall.

It is great when LE gets as much camera footage as possible to link up the routes a perp would take. Espeially for this case as there are only a few main road options the perp would take so even if a main town is much further away, if LE has the right day and time frame and know what vehicle to look for they may be able to identify when the perp went through certain towns.

Heck, for that matter, LE could either prove or disprove if BM went to Denver by checking cameras in a town on the way. So long as they know vehicle and the right day and time frame.

 

[JosieMae]

I am more concerned that perhaps BM was actually where he claims to have been on Sunday and perhaps he took SM with him along the route so all these searches in the area of their home are pointless. =(

I'm afraid that may be what happened and, sad to say, she won't be found. I wonder if BM was hauling any earth-moving equipment on his trip to Denver?

 

[JosieMae]

Duplicate.

 

[DizzyB]

Sadly, I think you're right.

With P. Frazee the investigators were fortunate to find the tooth, and also the side chick friend who pointed out blood evidence.

I really was waiting for the side chick. Purely my opinion, no evidence whatsoever.

 

[Dave F.]

The silence is very weird...The only case I can compare is Amy Harding Permann last winter. Not a single family member or a friend uttered a word about Amy, no BOLO, no public appeals or searches or vigils at all. Not a single interview. Lots of people suspected BF.
We found out later that LE and I would assume a family knew exactly where she was from the get go...But the case remained the missing person case till she was found in the river...

The Amy Harding Permann investigation was never anything but a missing person case. She was missing in the river, until she was found. Wild speculative accusation was rampant on social media, and there was some "reading between the lines" in this forum, but in the end she was found in the river, where LE had been looking for her the whole time.
There was significant local gossip, but Montanans are not prone to gossip in public. If you don't have a back fence in Montana to lean on, you are probably not in the loop and aren't going to get the memo.
Colorado was never like that, in my opinion, and may never be. I once sneaked into Colorado Springs for the private baptism of a family member. Within days, a more distant family member said he heard gossip that I was seen in that church. I said: "God is the only witness to that, and obviously is the source of that rumor. I can't deny it." (Actually it was the bishop who performed the ceremony that ratted on me). As we saw in the original CBS Denver broadcasts from the neighborhood of the concrete dig, news people might just as well have stood in the middle of the street holding out a microphone and persons with first person comments will get in line and drive by (kind of like firemen with a boot, people like to give). The fact that they have nothing specific to reveal does tend to give me an overall picture that no one has an inside track on what happened. IMO