Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #42

[Deleted member 102539]

WOW... You just blew my mind with that. If she was drugged then killed where she was left he wouldn't have to worry about cadaver dogs picking up anything in the car. Maybe he told her they would go somewhere for mother's day.

I just wrote quasi the same.

 

[Deleted member 102539]

Do we have any clue what their normal weekend routine would have been? IMO

Maybe, it wasn't a "normal" weekend, when the girls were away on a camping trip. We don't know, how often they visited Puma Path, if they didn't live there.

 

[MissTilly]

Now here’s a crazy thought, we could cross-apply Rossmo’s Theory to see what area pops up, but we need 5 Data Points (and a mathematician lol). I don’t think we have 5 points, do we?

1. House
2. Hotel

(eta: Firehouse? Again, when was he there last. Did he go by there to pick up equipment, etc.)

3. Poncha Market

 

[Birmingplumb]

If the dumpster is the green big thing, I'm wondering, how one might be able to search in it, without climbing into it?

Don't remember a search at the city garbage dump be mentioned . If thy knew about the trash search from the worker, what would stop them from going to the dump and looking? Or > imo

 

[elliefant]

I wish we knew more about the 3.5 hours Andy spoke about. I’m sure it relates to the disposal (but not necessarily the killing).

(1) Is it a 3.5 hour window? If so where was BM immediately before it and immediately after it? And when is it? Saturday? Overnight? Sunday morning between 5am (BM claimed seeing Suzanne) and collecting M employee for beach house job? Or some other time?

(2) Or does the 3.5 hours just mean we don’t know of BM travelling more than 3.5 hours away during the relevant weekend? The house to the hotel is about 3hrs and we know he went to the wall site for a paltry effort, could that have been a further 30 mins away?

I hope it is (1) above, as it seems so much more solvable in terms of finding Suzanne. For the same reason I hope there is a reason beyond expediency that the search has been closer to home than eg the route to Broomfield.

Would PE know what/when the 3.5 hours is?

 

[*Verdigris]

OK, so here's a little distraction for us while we are all bummed-out about not finding SM --
Since the beginning of Suzanne going missing, every time I looked at her photos, I always thought she reminded me of someone, but couldn't think of whom.
I finally figured it out -- she reminds me so much of former model Cheryl Tiegs.
They could be sisters!

(Well, actually age-wise, they could be mum/daughter - but photos at the same comparitive age, they look so similar.)
(imo)


Cheryl Tiegs (public photo)
credit: models.com/models/cheryl-tiegs
other two photos credit: DM article

 

[branmuffin]

not that i know of. Honestly, and this makes me sad, i picture SM being stuck at home by herself alot. The girls are old enough they probably hang out with the friends and I have dont doubt BM always claims to be "working" and just does whatever he wants regardless.

I know some posters think SM was the one in the family who liked to ride the trails but I think BM rode too. It's highly unlikely that he borrowed a mountain bike to do his own 'searches'. When BM asked the neighbour to check to see if SM's bike was there, I'm sure he gave a description, not just 'the' bike since the girls probably rode, too.

 

[Warwick7]

Do we have any clue what their normal weekend routine would have been? IMO

During COVID has anyone had a normal week end? Especially in May...

 

[Warwick7]

not that i know of. Honestly, and this makes me sad, i picture SM being stuck at home by herself alot. The girls are old enough they probably hang out with the friends and I have dont doubt BM always claims to be "working" and just does whatever he wants regardless.

On the flip side the one thing that gives me a glimmer of happiness is: it sounds like this wedding stuff was making her happy.

I can't tell if she was looking over pictures of the wedding or helping with the wedding. Whatever it was, my head is telling me she was excited.

 

[branmuffin]

Magz, (and everyone)
here is the fabulous timeline
posted previously by our great
@OldCop

>>>>>>>>>>

<<<<<<<<<<

***This was posted by OldCop
on Thread #37 ***

Has this been added to the timeline, no discussion thread? It's a pretty valuable tool which can be tweaked as verifications come in.

 

[Deleted member 102539]

Alright, getting close. I added an eta above as a thought, but I don’t think there has been any mention of that, (firehouse), but I’ve been wondering about it, which is why I added a question mark.

So.

1. House
2. Hotel
3. Longhorn Ranch Property
4. Construction site with beach
5. .

The only one here I know that can do Rossmo’s Theory is @shadowraiths; (not sure if @dotr has ever tried)

@MassGuy, you any good with math? Posting the formula, standby (in case we get a 5th data point)


https://www.websleuths.com/forums/attachments/attachment-2-jpg.104853/

5a Their church?
5b Landscaping office (if BM has one)?
5c A Rehab (if SM was at a Rehab at all and if he visited her)?
5d Treatment Center (IF BM was there, without accompany her to the treatment inside the building)?
5e Their family weekend vacation spot somewhere?
5f A relative, living in CO too?
End of brainstorming for the moment.

 

[oviedo]

Has this been added to the timeline, no discussion thread? It's a pretty valuable tool which can be tweaked as verifications come in.

yes post #293
CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 , MEDIA,MAPS,TIMELINE *NO DISCUSSION*

 

[Warwick7]

Reverse Rosmosis

LE is surely between a rock and a hard place, as @OldCop said, balancing investigation integrity with family or public need to know.

The biggest problem, as I see it, is that our dear Suzanne herself is likely between a real rock and hard place, and that is the bedrock of Colorado, the whole state is built of rocks and hard places...

Whether there was a master plan or generalized idea, I don't know, but I'm beginning to feel that, in his dark-herculean effort to conceal the crime, he DID NOT put effort or thought into an alibi. I think WE have assumed ANYBODY who'd do such a thing would work up an alibi. I think his alibi was: I saw her, she was sleeping. If her bike is gone, she must have gone on a bike ride. I wasn't there.

Broomfield doesn't make for a good alibi. Besides, from the sounds of it, his alibi/story may have shifted as facts became known. I think Broomfield was all and only about removing his crew from Salida, somehow JP features into that too, just don't know how. By his own mouth, BM tells us he offered this "opportunity" and "they jumped on it". He paid them to NOT DO A JOB. He parked them. And paid them to stay parked. Why?

The challenge for LE in my opinion is that he must have had access to multiple vehicles overnight and at least one was untrackable. I suspect that Suzanne was concealed temporarily atop tools and/or in a toolbox and/or in a cooler.

I think there was a bobcat prowling under dark of night.

I think it all started in the home. Officers TWICE went to Kelsey B's townhouse and reported no signs of a scuffle (my assessment), even though poor Kelsey was BLUDGEONED in that space. Intentional clean up designed to thwart detection. BM had CONSIDERABLE time for clean up, except for some afternoon time in Salida, he had a span of suntime hours to sanitize a crime scene. IMO everything else happened during moontime.

Meanwhile, the bobcat continued to move around Maysville, Salida and parts unknown.... perhaps leaving sign and scent in its wake.

LE has this. They'll get him.

I'm with @MassGuy -- sloppy crime, successful concealment... but what happens in dark WILL be seen in the light. In time.

One tip away.

JMO

Great post @Megnut !!!!

 

[oviedo]

I think such a statute would be possible. However, I also worry about the problems it may cause:

1. If the defendant has minor children, will seizing his/her assets impoverish them? What about innocent spouses, who may be joint owners of the assets: do they have the burden of proving their innocence lest their assets be seized? Would a jury finding be required to determine which costs were "extraordinary" and which were not?

2. If the defendant moved his/her assets into a trust, will this defeat the statute? Would there be a "lookback" period in the statute to defeat the trust? @oviedo may be able to explain lookback periods better than I can

3. Will the incentive of recouping search costs cause agencies to prioritize victims and defendants from families with greater economic wealth? We already know that -- in general -- a higher socio-economic status correlates with more attention from authorities. Would such a statute exacerbate this situation?

I think a good lesson can be learned from civil forfeiture laws in drug cases. Police departments & prosecutors can obtain title to property, such as cash, cars, & real estate. I would posit that police departments' drug units grew after civil forfeiture laws were enacted in the 80s/90s because of the financial incentive they created: civil forfeiture could fill a fiscal void without increasing taxes. At the same time, civil forfeiture created some of the issues referenced above.

All this is not to say that such a statute is not a good idea, just that the issue should be studied & debated from different angles. Indeed, different states may decide differently on the issue, which is appropriate in a federal republic.

BBM - 2. I asked one of our lawyers and in the context of estate planning you can do whatever you want with your assets as long as there is no pending litigation (you haven't been served with a lawsuit) or judgment against you. I'm going to guess that he may have set up a new trust (pure speculation) where he is the sole trustee (SM would have been the co-trustee if she wasn't missing in a normal Trust set up in my state) but I cannot imagine him disowning his heirs - possible? unlikely IMO. I am now considering another angle - perhaps he wanted to be the only one loved in his immediate family? Is jealousy a part of this? could be IMO
all JMO and not legal advice

 

[Warwick7]

I know PE guys are seasoned cops but is it possible that LE wanted it known that those sites were ostensibly unprotected overnight? If LE actually had hidden surveillance, perhaps they were hoping a spooked mountain liar would slink into the picture...

LE may have a really good idea that the lion is raking digital media....

Just a thought --

JMO

This is where I stand. At first I was so upset. Like others it irked me that AM had to guard an area. But in reality, "If LE actually had hidden surveillance, perhaps they were hoping a spooked mountain liar would slink into the picture..." This makes total sense.

 

[oviedo]

Is it possible that BM has a trail camera pointed at SM's final resting place?
Monitoring virtually? BM continuing his control?

RIP Suzanne.
MOO

If he does and is using the internet will LE know (I think the remote cameras have an IP address?) - we need one of our technical sleuthers to advise us -
JMO

 

[LietKynes]

Is it possible that BM has a trail camera pointed at SM's final resting place?
Monitoring virtually? BM continuing his control?

RIP Suzanne.
MOO

That is a great idea !^^^

It'd fit with what we know of his character and if LE keep tabs on BM he may lead us to Suzanne.
Trying to be patient.

 

[Tate123]

I know some posters think SM was the one in the family who liked to ride the trails but I think BM rode too. It's highly unlikely that he borrowed a mountain bike to do his own 'searches'. When BM asked the neighbour to check to see if SM's bike was there, I'm sure he gave a description, not just 'the' bike since the girls probably rode, too.

To me he doesn't look like a mountain bike rider. They are typically lean. He would have to expend an awful lot of energy climbing those hills on a bike with the extra weight he carries. jmo

 

[Love Never Fails]

To @MsBetsy and also @TIGER0822 who asked for my opinion yesterday, (but the thread closed before I had a chance to respond), I’m still on the road for another 12 days or so, mostly off the grid. It takes all night to catch up when I finally get service. In some respects, catching up at the end of the day allows me to move through all the ups and downs quickly without waiting for hours for news. The following is my opinion only:
As a retired LEO, I tend to support the police, but also know that mistakes can be made, that there are officers who should not be on the job, and that sometimes, despite your best efforts, things do not go as planned. I also know that justice is not always swift, that investigations can be frustrating, but that 99 and 9/10ths of all officers work their hardest for the victims of crimes and the public they serve.
When I watched the drama on Monday play out, I was frankly concerned and surprised. Why did the Sheriff not provide the support to AM’s search that he promised? Why were the sites of cadaver dog hits not secured? Why were video footage that may be important to the case not collected by LE? Was BM correct in his assertions that LE has mishandled the case from the beginning? I started to have doubts. What was going on? Of course now I know that some of the reporting was not true or incorrect, that hit sites were being analyzed, and that CCSO continues to do a massive amount of work together with their partners, principally the CBI and the FBI.
This search organized by AM with the help of @ProfilingEvil was an extraordinary undertaking; an act of love by a brother who wants his sister found and to whom four months seems like a lifetime. For CCSO, who I really believe wanted to support this effort, this multi day search involving hundreds of volunteers was a logistical nightmare. We do not know what locations are significant to LE at this time. We don’t know where they may still be searching based on gps or cellular data. We now have hundreds of well-meaning folks who could potentially destroy or corrupt potential evidence. We have the problem of contamination or planted evidence. Cadaver dogs, as wonderful as they are, when not working a case together with LE, present their own set of problems as we saw on Sunday and Monday. I do believe that CCSO wants to support SM’s family, but does not want to jeopardize the case. They are between a rock and a hard place.
A lot of folks were concerned or angry when the question of budget came up. It’s not as if the CCSO has unlimited monies that can be spent as they choose. They receive their money from the county budget which is a finite amount. I have attached a copy of the CCSO 2020 budget. This budget allots $12,000. for Criminal Investigations and $75,000. for overtime for the entire year. This amount is minuscule in a months long investigation. It must also cover every other case that comes up during the course of the year. It’s not that they don’t want to spend the money, it’s that they don’t have it to spend.
I, like most others here on WS, wish I knew more of what LE has for evidence. It is particularly frustrating to me because I was the one who used to get that evidence to analyze. It makes me want to be an “insider” again. Knowing what goes on behind the scenes gives me confidence in the efforts of LE so far in this case. By virtue of the manhours involved, the inter agency cooperation, the searches conducted, and the tips received, I feel strongly that they continue to put forth their best effort in trying to determine what happened to Suzanne and who did it.
I’m not surprised at how things became derailed on Monday. There was so much hope when the search started. Everyone was high on hope. It was easy to become angry, defeated, depressed, and deflated when we didn’t get the outcome we wanted. It is common to lash out under these circumstances. “Look at all we’ve done. We’ve tried as hard as we could. Why didn’t we find the answers we needed?”
I didn’t want to come off as an LE fanboy in this response, but I guess I did. We know CCSO acted quickly from the very beginning. I don’t think they dropped the ball. In this case, so far, I’m still confident in the Suzanne Morphew Missing Person Task Force.

Thank you @OldCop. I really appreciate you.

 

[MissTilly]

What was achieved by the search by AM, 700+ volunteers, associated dogs, horses, drones, etc?

1. demonstrated the implausibility of the mountain lion theory
2. demonstrated the implausibility of the bike crash/hit by a car theory
3. demonstrated the implausibility of the wandered off hurt/ill and “got in the water” theory
4. demonstrated the implausibility of the abduction/SA theory
5. demonstrated the implausibility of the suicide theory
6. provided additional physical items for analysis - towel, tarp, blanket
7. provided significant local, county, state, national and international publicity for SM’s case
8. provided members of the local community with a safe environment to express their concern/support
9. provided future organisers of volunteer searches with some valuable lessons - both in terms of what worked well and what could be done differently
10. reinforced the need for dog and S&R teams to be certified/validated
11. put significant pressure on a potential perpetrator - with resulting erratic behaviour, which may be indicative of their involvement

ETA:
12. prompted additional tips
13. prompted provision of additional documents - tree invoices, etc.
14. prompted information re DV being given to AM
15. demonstrated the implausibility of the kidnap for ransom theory


I think AM and the volunteers should be very proud
moo