Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #35

[citygirl]

7 months for FDulos, 2 months for LStauch.
This abductor had the opportunity to learn from both.

Followed FD. Didn't follow LS.
Still haven't found JFD and now SM is on the spectrum.
How is it these men are so adept at hiding the bodies?
Blows me away.
MOO.

 

[citygirl]

Especially after BM remarking about his Mess up with the "Mechanical Bobcat" thing.
A replacement part ??

FROM ARTICLE-
'It was only because I didn't know the time that I did something, a mechanical thing, to my bobcat,' he stated.

'I was confused and I just found out my wife was missing, and I was a little bit not in my right mind when they were asking me these questions, but I did the best I could and I answered everything. I never once declined any interview.'
Barry claims that the local Chaffee County Sheriff's Office initially bungled the investigation, and are now trying to cover their tracks. "

SOUNDS to me that BM bungled and is now trying to cover HIS tracks.
Husband of missing Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew, 49, claims cops have 'destroyed evidence' | Daily Mail Online

BM is the gift that keeps on giving.
MOO.

 

[al66pine]

Could LE Have Ordered Release of SM’s Cell Geo-Location, Rcvd it Sooner?
Law in Colorado R.S. 18-9-312* allows LE to issue order to cell co to provide geo-location info to LE if supervising rep of the LE agency has "probable cause" to believe --- "(I) An emergency situation exists that involves the risk of death or serious bodily injury to the named person or...;  and (II) The time required to obtain a search warrant ... would increase such risk." sbm
BUT
18-9-312. 1.5(e)(1.) requires LE to request a court order from a judge within 48 hours after ordering cell co to provide location of named person. In effect retroactive authorization. Failure to secure a warrant results in 'suppression' that is, the info provided by cell co may not be admitted as evd in a crim procedure.
IOW "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine re info unlawfully obtained by LE, and evidence resulting from it, is inadmissible as evd in crim trial.
Caveat: ^ My interp comes ^ from quickly reading CO statute itself, w'out searching case law, so may be off base.
As always, welcoming comment, clarification, correction, esp'ly from our legal & LE professionals.

Q1. If, based on CO law, CCSO or CBI had ordered cell co to provide geolocation of SM's phone, would they have had or not had probable cause or reasonable basis for believing "emergency situation exists that involves the risk of death or serious bodily injury and time required to obtain a search warrant ... would increase such risk.
Q2. Assuming the supervising rep of CCSO or CBI believed so and ordered cell co to provide geo-location, is it likely a ct would have issued a order or warrant?
Q3. Would getting geolocation info this way (presumably sooner, than by usu. procedure) have substantially changed the course of investigation?

_______________________________________
* 2016 Colorado Revised Statutes :: Title 18 - :: Criminal Code :: Article 9 - :: Offenses Against Public Peace, Order, and Decency :: Part 3 - :: Offenses Involving Communications :: § 18-9-312. Hostage, endangered person, or armed person in geographical area - telephone, electronic, cellular, or digital communications
Or https://codes.findlaw.com/co/title-18-criminal-code/co-rev-st-sect-18-9-312.html

 

[Dalgliesh]

I found his text to LS to be extremely obnoxious. This isn't about rumors or protecting BM or yourself from gossip, it's about a missing mother and closure for her girls. Justice.
He should replace that smug little attitude with some straight talk and empathy. jmo

I agree. This is a cynical attempt to bid up the value of an interview, MOO.

 

[Feistyomi]

I think it was on the last thread that we touched on the Anne Marie Fahey case. She was slender but quite tall (I want to say 5’10”) and her body fit into a large cooler after her legs were reportedly broken. (I hate typing that). There didn’t seem to be any indication of dismemberment.

I had similar difficulties on GS forum, part of me wanted to test the suitcase with my 10 yo grandson, but no, just no, so horrible to have to consider these options.

 

[TIGER0822]

I've posted the link numerous times, but JP has said that he spoke to BM Saturday afternoon, in Salida. He didn't say what time in the afternoon, but that certainly does narrow down the timeline quite a bit.

 

[Spartygirl]

the 3rd contractor- not Morgan -not the ex con- the one thats dropped off the radar----therein lies the key IMO.

The one that sent the text message that he is not going to answer questions and how ridiculous it is that people are believing what "other" people are saying.
Yes.. his loyalty to BM shines through-
I bet he got his paycheck and hush-hush money.
JMO

 

[DetectiveFoyleWannabe]

I just re-watched the MG interview and something that stood out to me was that the initial plan for the Broomfield wall was just supposed to be MG and Barry going up to fix the wall. Then he “changed everything” according to her.

While I have seen some people on here saying the reason he got JP involved was to possibly accuse him of stealing tools, etc. I think instead the reason why he wanted MG to get a crew together to go up there was because he didn’t want his alibi to come out and have it be him at a hotel with another woman which would look bad for obvious reasons.

I also just feel the “he changed everything” comment further makes me feel this was in no way pre-meditated. I think he lost his temper which resulted in her death.

ITA with this post. 100%

I think that as a man who works with heavy equipment would not normally use the words he used in describing "doing a mechanical thing" with the Bobcat. He would just go on and say what he actually did unless it would sound suspicious. It was like he was purposefully not saying what it was that he actually did with the Bobcat. JMO

My only issue with LS is that she didn;t ask a follow up question like "what sort of mechanical thing"...

 

[Hatfield]

I don't know how tall Suzanne was or what she weighed but she looks so very tiny in her pictures.

I just did an experiment with one of my DH's Igloo hunting coolers and my 5'5" tall daughter laid on her back in it with knees to her chest but couldn't get her head down enough for me to close the lid. Then another employee walked up and he's 5'3" and he curled in a ball facing down and he fit just fine. And he didn't even take his ball cap off.

Thanks so much for testing the theory about a cooler possibly being used. I agree it is very possible so long as it was one of the large ones like that one.

Your demonstration brought back memories of when a fellow WS'er tested out dragging their husband down the hall during the Jodi Arias trial.

 

[Cindizzi]

I don't know how tall Suzanne was or what she weighed but she looks so very tiny in her pictures.

I just did an experiment with one of my DH's Igloo hunting coolers and my 5'5" tall daughter laid on her back in it with knees to her chest but couldn't get her head down enough for me to close the lid. Then another employee walked up and he's 5'3" and he curled in a ball facing down and he fit just fine. And he didn't even take his ball cap off.

I’m not sure who entered SM info into NAMUS, but it says
Height 5’4
Weight 110

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[AdyStand]

That is the million dollar question isnt it.

One question I have is did he physically see any person of his crew Sunday in the Denver area before he showed up back in Salida area?

The reason this is important is if he did not see any single person of his crew in the Denver area on Sunday, then he may have only been there in the very early morning hours in that room with the smell. He may have left Sunday morning and he could have spent the entire day Sunday in another location.

I also feel like we keep going off that BM left the house at 5am on Sunday. But it was BM that told us that, right? What if he had even more time?

 

[Itsapuzzle]

Has it been revealed why BM fired MG? I mean, we have her side of the story, but what does BM say? Surely he's not saying it's because she gave LE her phone ..... h'mm, what did he tell LS, very curious, I feel like it was left out of the interview for some reason.

 

[Dave F.]

Was the location of the bike something that could be seen from the street or even from other hikers/bikers? It is incredibly odd that no one reported seeing a bike there all day Sunday.

Here is a Google Earth aerial shot showing the location of SM's home, the neighbor's home, and the location where the bike was found. It was about 15 feet below the roadway, in thick trees, basically at the bottom of the canyon wall, approximately a hundred yards from the South Arkansas River, which is very small but fast-flowing.
It was not likely to be found soon, except by searchers The area is popular on weekends and holidays with trout fishermen, hikers, and mountain bikers. On May 11, it was a popular "jumping off place" for enthusiasts of "fat-tire bikes" which operate well in snow. The partially melted, hardened snowpack on the top of Monarch Pass was in excellent condition for this sport. IMO

The aerial view was produced entirely in Google Earth Pro, with no external editing.

 

[Gigi3]

I think that as a man who works with heavy equipment would not normally use the words he used in describing "doing a mechanical thing" with the Bobcat. He would just go on and say what he actually did unless it would sound suspicious. It was like he was purposefully not saying what it was that he actually did with the Bobcat. JMO

I absolutely agree with this! My husband is quite handy with fixing all types of stuff - from automobiles to machinery, and I’ve never heard him say it’s a mechanical thing! He always states what he deems the issue is.

So, I started thinking, maybe BM threw that out there to fish around and see if LS had information. Perhaps he was trying to see if other people or LE had let that be known? Remember, that statement came on the heels of AM saying his GPS data didn’t match up.

I’m not sure BM would be that smart, but you never know? JMO.

 

[Louise369]

I think that as a man who works with heavy equipment would not normally use the words he used in describing "doing a mechanical thing" with the Bobcat. He would just go on and say what he actually did unless it would sound suspicious. It was like he was purposefully not saying what it was that he actually did with the Bobcat. JMO

It’s possible that he was purposefully not saying what the mechanical thing was, I guess. However , when I describe certain aspects about my job to friends/other people who aren’t in my line of work , I often say things like this. Easier than trying to explain in detail when I know it’s Greek to them.

 

[EggSalad]

It’s possible that he was purposefully not saying what the mechanical thing was, I guess. However , when I describe certain aspects about my job to friends/other people who aren’t in my line of work , I often say things like this. Easier than trying to explain in detail when I know it’s Greek to them.

I think it’s because the “mechanical thing” is extremely incriminating and BM is trying to downplay it by not giving details to the public.

 

[Louise369]

Has it been revealed why BM fired MG? I mean, we have her side of the story, but what does BM say? Surely he's not saying it's because she gave LE her phone ..... h'mm, what did he tell LS, very curious, I feel like it was left out of the interview for some reason.

Absolutely. MG obviously did tons of work for him that weekend and she showed up for her jobs and was communicating With him just fine. Why on earth would you fire someone during a time when your wife was missing. “Oh my wife is gone , I forgot , I wanted to fire MG, let me do that now”? Seems like it would be low on the priority list.

 

[Momofthreeboys]

If the timeline plays out and Barry was in Denver all day Saturday then who threw the bike in the ravine and when?

 

[scapa]

I think that as a man who works with heavy equipment would not normally use the words he used in describing "doing a mechanical thing" with the Bobcat. He would just go on and say what he actually did unless it would sound suspicious. It was like he was purposefully not saying what it was that he actually did with the Bobcat. JMO

Yep.

A bit like the surgeon asking the SN to hand over that smallish cutty thing, or a chef looking for that flat flippy thing to sauté with or an accountant wondering about those table-y numbery things needed to complete the audit.

People who work with with tools and instruments regularly know how they work and what they do and what they're called. Unless they're trying hard not to mention them because their mind is a bit not in the right place, or whatevs.

 

[10ofRods]

I think it was simmering for at least a day based on what MG said. He was upset on Saturday, heading home to spend time with 'the wife'. Then, by Sunday morning he sounded as if he had had the worst night of his life. I think he killed her on Saturday, maybe in the evening?

My point about a history of DV doesn't seem to apply here, based on what we know thus far. That could change.

My sense is they were very much in love and had a lot of good years together.

Time will tell.
MOO.

Personally, I think the fractures that lead to homicidal domestic violence are longterm and seething. That's why people snap. 'The wife' becomes increasingly viewed as dead weight (by some husbands). Or, the husband becomes increasingly viewed as a nitwit and a spendthrift. It's a long build-up (IMO, I have no specific citations on this).

DV is not just physical violence. My ex only tried to strangle me one time (in 1979 - we remained married until 1991). We both went into therapy/counseling. I was brought up that marriage was forever. After the therapy, the violence was lessened (he had already "accidentally" cracked a rib by pushing me down some stairs - but that was "kind of an accident.")

The violence was lessened, in part, by my near total acquiescence to everything he wanted. Things were good, right? Until they weren't - at some point in the future.

Long term marital issues and the seething things that some spouses keep to themselves often result in violence. I've learned that when people snap, they can actually use fantasy-plans (if only I didn't have a spouse leads to various fantasy scenarios in which the spouse has evaporated - but with no real planning or strategies).

I predict that this was a sudden explosion of rage - but that the rage, itself, had been intermittent and that the person with the rage problem had had many thoughts of harm, vengeance, starting anew, etc. There's probably a sexual element here, as well, although we may never seen evidence or hint of it. I think it's there.

IMO.