Even before there's a POI or an arrest?
So...in this case of Suzanne Morphew, if LE has 10 suspects or POI's, if the case were in Indiana, we'd all know who those people were? But not their addresses.
I've seen newspapers from California from 1960 and earlier where it is clear that police had "rounded up" a slew of suspects and then found minor charges to bring against each, so that they could be booked. Of course the Zoot Suit Trial is the most famous, but there are many others. We stopped doing that a long time ago in California and as
@Dave F. says, it's been that way a long time in Colorado as well. I've also lived in several other states in the West (NM, West Texas, Utah) and have followed trials in the other Western states for years - it's been a long time (if ever) that LE released information about any persons prior to an arrest.
Now I will say that this gives a lot of latitude to LE and CO seems to be the most tight-lipped. I watched it start during the JonBenet case and all that has ensued since then. We wouldn't have the information we do have about that case had not some LE and prosecutors, after leaving their employment, wrote books. Lots of books and interviews.
What is unusual in this case, really, is the near total silence of everyone in Salida. Apparently, there's only one other permanent resident in Maysville who might know anything and she has said what she wants to say. Usually, in a small town, there's at least one town gossip who wants to speak to the press off-record. However, in today's journalism we have some unusual situations where many newspapers do not want "off-record" statements unless the person's identity is known both to the editor (who also talks to the person) and the journalist has good reason for protecting their identity (safety). This isn't done so much any more - so my issue is always with the press, not the courts.
For example, again in the Kenzie Lueck case, the neighbors did start to talk to reporters before LE released similar information. LE released a lot of information right upon arrest and did not attempt to conceal search sites while the searches were happening.
When a crime happens in the small town where I grew up, all I have to do is go to FB and read the gossip shared (usually with qualifications and provisos) by my former high school classmates. The local police are known for "leaks." I think they believe a certain number of leaks can make a suspect trip him/herself up. I also think they hope that letting someone know they're onto them makes that person more likely to confess and therefore avoid stricter sentencing (that's what they say). But it's the residents themselves who talk and share info. A woman recently barricaded herself into her house, was well-armed, and fired a few shots (at a neighbor's house), then set the living room on fire and fled out the back door. Even while it was happening, the neighbors were tweeting about the various issues and causes.
SO...it's interesting that Salida is so quiet. Is it because it's a resort town? Would an entire town obey LE if asked to stay quiet? Is everyone quiet for their own reasons? Is it just local culture? Is there a collective reason for quiet? All of these things can happen in any town, but Salida is an outdoor-adventure oriented town.
To me, the one thing that LE ruled out early that perplexes me is the involvement of a stranger. I wish I knew what the rumors are about that and how they think they ruled that out. So quickly.
And, it would seem, permanently.