Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #30

[TKG]

MOO, LE arrived to the Morphew residence for a wellness check before BM was home. They entered the house, and smelled a strong odor of bleach.

Completely agree with your hypothesis...

 

[ajaylee]

My guess is that the employee notified LE right away, and this is all part of their orchestrated slow drip of incriminating info to get BM to crack!

JP's behavior was very peculiar, IMHO.

His boss calls and tells him he has a family emergency. JP goes to the hotel room, boss didn't leave tools for the job, so JP just sits there for two days and then goes home.

But he sees personal mail that his boss left behind when he allegedly took off to deal with an urgent family matter.

Now, I don't know about you folks, but if I had been in JP's shoes, there is no way I would have been reading that mail or doing anything with that mail besides letting my boss know he had left it behind and asking how he wanted me to get it back to him.

JP gave the mail to the FBI. ??? When did he talk to the FBI? IIRC, they weren't the first to respond to reports of SM missing, and most folks would have returned the mail to BM immediately. Was JP holding on to the mail for some reason?

I'm not suggesting JP is involved in SM's disappearance in any way, but he certainly didn't behave the way I would have behaved in his shoes.

 

[LietKynes]

Actually I'm leaning towards MassGuy's earlier hypothesis that this wasn't premeditated but something sudden occurred-- that forced BM's hand ?
If what many of us fear, has actually happened ?
<modsnip>
Poor Suzanne.
She didn't deserve any of this.
MOO

 

[TxGidget]

Per the DM, there were more than one letters/docs from Insurance co.s or one Ins co.
I don't think they were from the home mailbox.

I wonder where the M’s have their mail delivered. We have a second home on a lake, and there isn’t mail delivery to the residence. He could have picked it up at a community mail station or the Post Office on his way out of town. And left it behind as more evidence of his presence at the hotel.

 

[Knox]

I've wondered if he was determined to invest in buying and building on that new property of his and Suzanne was refusing to sign on the dotted line for him. It would be just awful to have to tell his buddy that his wife told him "no, he can't play." Moo

That and MORE! Add in the Indiana sale, what would Suzanne have wanted to do with the proceeds?

 

[10ofRods]

JP's behavior was very peculiar, IMHO.

His boss calls and tells him he has a family emergency. JP goes to the hotel room, boss didn't leave tools for the job, so JP just sits there for two days and then goes home.

But he sees personal mail that his boss left behind when he allegedly took off to deal with an urgent family matter.

Now, I don't know about you folks, but if I had been in JP's shoes, there is no way I would have been reading that mail or doing anything with that mail besides letting my boss know he had left it behind and asking how he wanted me to get it back to him.

JP gave the mail to the FBI. ??? When did he talk to the FBI? IIRC, they weren't the first to respond to reports of SM missing, and most folks would have returned the mail to BM immediately. Was JP holding on to the mail for some reason?

I'm not suggesting JP is involved in SM's disappearance in any way, but he certainly didn't behave the way I would have behaved in his shoes.

I would assume that BM had paid for the room, for a certain period of time and that after that period was over, JP would leave the room, taking all things with him that he thought were either his or BM's, while wondering why in heck BM hadn't come back...

Or, apparently, contacted him about what to do. For JP, this was a free vacation in Denver until it wasn't.

 

[K9Enzo]

About that photo in the DM article....

Grilling out while your wife is missing and (according to the 26-second infomercial ) possibly abducted ?
Really ?

I get it that the photo was taken July 18th if D.M. is accurate, but still.
Husband of missing Colorado mom spent the night before her disappearance at cheap Denver hotel | Daily Mail Online

View attachment 262371 View attachment 262372 View attachment 262373

I mean, he still has to eat, right? It doesn't appear to be a block party but him in the privacy of his home (well he thought) and grilling food. IMO

 

[Fireflize]

Well this is what I get for going to the grocery store this morning! And I purposely did not get on WS so I would go and get in and out quickly. Just WOW!!! DM dropped a bomb! I finally got caught up and ya’ll have covered most of my thoughts and questions already. If it is true then the only thing that makes sense to me is that this was not premeditated far in advance or completely planned out well. All of BM’s lies and stupid mistakes seem like he was in complete panic mode. Why would he tell so many conflicting stories? Why would he leave wet towels and mail in the hotel room? I thought the communication with Suzanne’s friend ended at 9 pm but Chris tweeted to clarify it was around 2:30 pm on Saturday. Was Suzanne killed Saturday afternoon? Did Suzanne get the mail and open a bill that she didn’t know about? Property taxes that were past due and she thought had been paid by BM? Then BM arrives home while she is messaging with her friend and a fight ensues resulting in a rage killing? When did BM check into the hotel? Why check in on Saturday and tell LE he left at 5 am Sunday? Did he leave the hotel and drive home to sneak attack her? If he ambushed her then why was it planned so poorly? I feel like it was a rage killing and BM did his best to clean up the scene of the crime at home and decided last minute on the job alibi. I would like to know when he made the hotel reservation...did he call Sat afternoon? Before Saturday? Did he just show up? Could he have placed Suzanne in his truck and drove to the hotel in Broomfield checking in while leaving her in his truck? Or did he leave her in a temporary spot on their property? If it was still daylight he couldn’t risk burying her yet. He could have been sitting there thinking and trying to figure out what to do for hours...comes up with the bike abduction plan and decides how to dispose of her body...leaves hotel and drives back home after dark and gets a change of clothes and Suzanne’s bike (and possibly her helmet and bike clothes) and throws the bike down the ravine and hides the personal items and then drives to the work site and retrieved equipment needed for his next grim task...once completed he drives back to hotel, showers and cleans tools with bleach etc. I hope LE found blood and evidence in his vehicle. Surely they have him entering the hotel on camera?! What did he carry in to his room? Did he stop somewhere and buy bleach or did he take it from the house? What would cause BM to rush out of the hotel room leaving evidence behind? Was Suzanne’s friend calling him over and over? Was the friend calling the daughters? Were his daughters trying to reach their Mom and calling him? Was the friend threatening to call the police? Did he have his phone with him? What about Suzanne’s phone did he leave it at the house? Between the phone and the hotel surveillance how would he think he could get away with saying he didn’t leave until 5 am on MD? Was he just counting on LE buying the abduction theory and he didn’t think they would check out his alibi? Maybe he was just desperate and thought he would probably get caught anyway but was just trying something, anything he could to get away with it? Between his cell phone, hotel surveillance footage and truck gps how has he not been arrested already? And this employee said he was “ordered” to the hotel for this job (at the last minute?) and arrived Sunday night but BM had already left for a “family emergency.” So BM must have called him then or left a message but not told him what the emergency was or that his wife was missing? I wonder what time he called him? Does LE have a recorded message left by BM? I get the feeling he didn’t speak to him directly. How did employee get in the hotel room? Didn’t BM indicate he had a “crew” arriving? Did BM contact his employee again and ask him to wait there or why would he stay there until Tuesday with no job?? When did he give the mail to LE? Right away or how much time went by? Did BM ask him to get rid of it? Is it possible BM asked this employee to help him? I hope LE was able to search his hotel room and collect evidence. So many questions but the answers will surely come now. And one very big question is did the daughters know BM had this job and if so when did they think he was leaving? If BM really told Suzanne he needed to go set up for a job surely SM would have told them when Dad was leaving and that he wasn’t going to be home on MD! What if the daughters had no idea he would not be home? And when was the wedding of her friend’s child? Was there an urgency to reach Suzanne due to the timing of the wedding changing due to Covid? I think the friend is going to be the star witness at BM’s trial. BM was not counting on her being so alarmed. And did Suzanne say something about BM before communication abruptly ended? Did BM try and message her pretending to be Suzanne? I hope LE will communicate with AM re areas to search because Suzanne could be closer to Denver. Maybe that’s why AM is scheduling the search for later in September because they advised him to wait and by then they would have arrested BM and maybe get a confession or at least be able to narrow down the areas to search? I can’t wait to see what happens next! It feels like there is a lot of momentum now and I hope they are watching BM like a hawk because he might do something desperate now. I don’t think he will harm his children but they need protection just in case. I could see him shooting himself or throwing himself off of Crested Butte though if he thinks he will be arrested and everything he has done will come to light. Maybe some type of OJ chase? Hopefully his buddy will not be willing to drive him anywhere. Would LE kick in the door before first light to prevent any of this type of drama? All MOO & speculation and run on sentences because my mind is blown right now.

Well done, Lily!

 

[justtrish]

I guess I might be the only real cheapskate on here, but that doesn't look like a cheap hotel. At first I assumed Motel 6!

So is that hotel in real close to Denver?

They are definately not cheap. I think the DM likes to sensationalize everything. I am sure there are facts peppered in, but saying it was a cheap hotel just sorta implies the WOW.. man with expensive home goes to cheap hotel for work Mother's Day weekend..

 

[DizzyB]

https://twitter.com/LaurenScharfTV/status/1301213207860838401

NEW: A vigil for #SuzanneMorphew is planned for September 25 at 7 p.m. in Riverside Park in Salida, CO. #FindSuzanne #ShinebrightforSuzanne #Justice4Suzanne

 

[TxGidget]

It's a newer property - I wonder if they have keycard locks - and the computer records they generate.

Yes, there will be lots of records, and cameras outside and in the hallways.

 

[MrsWatson]

DBM already posted

 

[Stripehaven]

He would have to leave for a county like Russia

Right - his choices are very limited now due to COVID.

 

[Goldenseal]

A 'crew' of two, apparently. And, the job was a big surprise to Jeff Puckett.

Well, exactly. An employee who didn't know about the job until he got a call on Mother's Day about it. And you'll notice that JP hung around at the hotel for 2 days and did not mention any other workers showing up, or that the job was canceled, or that the 'employees that were arriving Sunday night' even existed. Honestly, all this mess comes straight from BM's fevered brain. You can't make sense of it.
I do believe the cops did alibi checking immediately, though. They knew. We don't, not yet.

 

[ivegotthemic]

I just can't muster the outrage about the guardianship process. The elder daughter was notified as required by law. To my mind she is in as good a position as anyone to speak for her mother and was allowed, even encouraged, to have legal representation on the issue. We also know that the Moorman family was aware even though they weren't officially notified (not required by law). There was ample opportunity for these parties to speak against the guardianship and nobody took that opportunity. I don't see that the process failed or was inadequate.

In this case, I think WSers are judging the process based on the assumption that BLM is guilty of some criminal act related to SM's disappearance. So the question being contemplated here is "how can a husband guilty of disappearing/conspiring to disappear his wife be allowed to control her assets?" As we are constantly reminded, WS is a discussion forum and this is perfectly allowed without any regard to evidence, reasonableness, legal standards, or even reality. However, transferring back into the legal world (IANAL!), the question being decided is more along the lines of "is there any evidence this person cannot act in the missing person's best interest?" IMO

We haven't talked about it much but sort of evidence could be presented to convince a judge against granting guardianship? (Other than the missing person turning up or evidence the proposed guardian is guilty of some crime directly related to the missing person, of course.) If there was evidence of marital strife would that be sufficient? Maybe if that marital strife was specifically related to how assets would be used?

As related to this case, I think it would have been interesting if someone had objected to the guardianship specifically on the grounds that how BLM has acted since SM's disappearance shows that he isn't qualified to act as her guardian because he doesn't have her best interests at heart. IMO IANAL

You have several good questions. I'll do my best to be brief but this is a kind of complex area of law so you might need to strap yourself in. The court prioritizes who has the most claim to guardianship in indian its:
The following are entitled to consideration for appointment as a guardian in the order listed:

• • a person designated in a durable power of attorney
• • the spouse of an incapacitated person
• • an adult child of an incapacitated person
• • a parent of an incapacitated person or a person nominated by will of a deceased parent of an incapacitated person or by any writing signed by a parent of an incapacitated person and attested to by at least two witnesses
• • any person related to an incapacitated person by blood or marriage with whom the incapacitated person has resided for more than six months before the filing of the petition
• • a person nominated by the incapacitated person who is caring for or paying for the care of the incapacitated person. IC 29-3-5-5(a).

BM has the most claim to be guardian, so the court would appoint him unless they felt there was a conflict of interest (which he would not present evidence of) or he was unfit. anyone can ask the courts permission to be apart of a guardianship hearing but the discretion on who can and cant attend is left to the sole discretion of the court. Ive been trying to find a concrete answer for you but the only real .

29-1-10-6 Removal of personal representatives; prior acts - The court may remove the representative in accordance with either of the following:
(1) The court on its own motion may, or on petition of any person interested in the estate shall, order the representative to appear and show cause why the representative should not be removed. The order shall set forth in substance the alleged grounds upon which such removal is based, the time and place of the hearing, and may be served upon the personal representative in the same manner as a notice is served under this article.
(2) The court may without motion, petition or application, for any such cause, in cases of emergency, remove such personal representative instantly without notice or citation.

The court doesnt layout a specific test that i could find that could serve as a checklist to say yes i can prove a, b, and c, so the guardian is removed but they do give some vague examples -

a failure of intergrity such as refusing to perform the administrative duties as required or breaching the trust of the ward.  Helm v. Odle, App.1959, 157 N.E.2d 584, 129 Ind.App. 4

a failure to file investment paperwork - how and in what timeframe the court needs to be informed of a wards the inventory and accounting of assets is procedurally mandated by law and failure to meet these requirements can have you removed

incapacity - An administrator may be removed for habitual drunkenness, without other evidence of his incapacity to perform his duty as administrator.  Gurley v. Butler, 1882, 83 Ind. 501. The fact that an administrator could neither read nor write was not a sufficient ground for removing him on an application of a creditor under the statute.  Gregg v. Wilson, 1865, 24 Ind. 227. (included this one for fun, oh the law is great sometimes)

they also list refusal to obey court orders. or in cases of emergency. I spent alot of time trying to figure out what would actually constitute an emergency and this is literally the most clear definition I could find: In construing the foregoing provision of Subd. 6, supra, the Supreme Court, in the case of State of Indiana ex rel. Cassel v. Johnston et al, 1933, 204 Ind. 563, 570, 185 N.E. 278, 281, said: ‘The emergency, however, should be clear and imperative before a court should take such a drastic measure to remove an executor or administrator without a citation so that the parties in interest may have their day in court.'... like im sorry the literally leave it this broad.

The burden to prove BM is unfit in on whoever files the motion to have him removed. and the legislative notes further state that removal of a guardian is left to the sole discretion of the courts.



That being said from what I found marital strife would not be enough, all marriage go through ups and downs so IMO it would have to be something signficance give the court gives spouse priority. The court is most concerned with whats in the best interest of the ward, so it will always rule to do what would serve them best. So if potentially a standard for incapacity wasnt met they may rule to remove BM anyways because its in SM best interest

Hopefully this is what you were looking for. The law in this area is a bit of a hot mess (IMO) but im happy to try and help clear up any other question you have. apologies explaining the law is just lengthy some times

 

[ajaylee]

More importantly, at least for me-why did LE know right off the bat that this was no bicycle accident? What were they aware of from the get-go?

Lot of road cyclists in Colorado. I'm sure the police have seen bicycle accidents. I don't recall any cases where a cyclist crashed, left their bike, and were never seen or heard from again.

1) LE never mentioned any damage to the bike - I don't recall ever even seeing a picture of the bike. If SM had been hit or just fallen, the bike would likely have shown damage, even if just an obviously new scrape on the handle bars. It would also be interesting to know the bike's position when found.

2) if there was a bicycle accident, there should be evidence of the rider - walking away looking for help, being dragged away by a mountain lion, etc. If there was a hit/abduction, again, the bike would likely show evidence of being hit.

Does we know if SM had her phone with her when she disappeared?

 

[Kimmer]

REALLY good question. I couldn't find any for the longest time, every time I went to the store the shelves were empty. But, maybe there is a use for it in landscaping that he'd have had some on hand already.

Or maybe it was some that was brought from home.

 

[Knox]

Home | Daily Mail Online

How has this not come out until now???? WOW

From article:

"Suzanne Morphew, 49, (middle with her husband Barry and their two daughters) was reported missing on Mother's Day and her bike was found near her $1.5 million Salida, Colorado home. At the time, husband Barry, 52, was 150 miles away in Broomfield, Colorado, working on a landscaping job for transport company RTD-Denver. But his home quickly became the focus of the police investigation. Suzanne's brother accused Barry of refusing to take a polygraph test and said he doesn't feel that Barry is 'fully cooperating' with the investigation. DailyMail.com can reveal that Jeff Puckett, (top right) a co-worker of Barry's took over his Denver hotel room (bottom right) on May 10 and found it scattered with wet towels and stinking of chlorine. A manager at the property confirmed to DailyMail.com that they do not use chlorine to clean guest rooms. The co-worker also discovered a pile of mail in the room - including a letter about property insurance - and later turned it over to the FBI. DailyMail.com can reveal Barry was granted guardianship of Suzanne in order to sell a property in their native Indiana on Tuesday."

About the letter on property insurance, what was it in that letter that stood out from the other mail to get a special mention?
Was it a cancellation notice?

 

[RumorMonger]

If Suzanne was with him at the hotel,she would have been seen on security cameras.
The hotel would know she was seen arriving but not departing.

This was never alleged or even hinted, right? Or did I miss it?

 

[Seattle1]

Does DM pay for stories, I can't remember? I wonder how CCSO feels about all the new revelations being spilled? Helping or harming their case?

They sure do!

From their terms and conditions:

4. FEES AND PAYMENT

4.1 In consideration of the provision of the Content by the Supplier, ANL [Associated Newspapers Limited] shall pay the Fees which shall be all inclusive for the rights granted above (including syndication) .

4.2 ANL will send Supplier a self-generated invoice (“Invoice”) reflecting the uses along with the payment of the Fee, no more than forty-five (45) days after the use. If the Supplier believes ANL has used Content that is not reflected in an Invoice, or for which payment was not made within forty-five (45) days after the use, the Supplier will promptly notify ANL:

[..]

https://scripts.dailymail.co.uk/static/mol-fe/static/mol-fe-contributors-form/pdf/contributors standard terms and conditions 2017-08-14 v4.pdf