Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #48

[Deleted member 102539]

In the September 10, 2020 bulletin of the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, the status of the case was:
"On May 10, 2020 Suzanne Morphew was reported missing from her home near Maysville, Colorado."

It's enough precise and finally a reason for modification of this WS thread's title, I think. Do bury the bike already, please!

 

[HongKongPhooey]

It's one thing to have an alibi for the time and date that LE have confirmed a crime took place.

It's another thing to have an "alibi" for a date and time that someone's narrative insinuates a crime took place.

JMO

 

[JosieMae]

I have to go back and dig again myself, but for some reason I had the impression from the LS interview that when JP met BM in Salida Saturday afternoon, he was asked if he would be available to work on the Broomfield job. When JP said yes, I think BM told him he’d get back to him. JP said BM called him Sunday morning to confirm the job. MG said BM told her to pick up JP.
I think BM needed the Sunday alibi badly. However, he did not want to go up to Broomfield with MG. I’m sure he had things to do on the way. He also had to be ready to leave to go home when his daughters raised the alarm. He didn’t want to leave MG alone in Broomfield because that wouldn’t make sense. She obviously couldn’t fix the retaining wall by herself.
So he concocted the need for additional workers and had
MG pick up the others and bring them to Broomfield. This showed proof of a job and at the same time allowed BM to travel alone and do what he needed to do from Saturday night to Sunday night.
MOO

Brilliant. I never thought of this. A simple yet elegant explanation of the last-minute change of plans.

This theory makes the time of his conversation with JP even more critical. Was SM alive at that point?

 

[Deleted member 102539]

I have to go back and dig again myself, but for some reason I had the impression from the LS interview that when JP met BM in Salida Saturday afternoon, he was asked if he would be available to work on the Broomfield job. When JP said yes, I think BM told him he’d get back to him. JP said BM called him Sunday morning to confirm the job. MG said BM told her to pick up JP.
I think BM needed the Sunday alibi badly. However, he did not want to go up to Broomfield with MG. I’m sure he had things to do on the way. He also had to be ready to leave to go home when his daughters raised the alarm. He didn’t want to leave MG alone in Broomfield because that wouldn’t make sense. She obviously couldn’t fix the retaining wall by herself.
So he concocted the need for additional workers and had
MG pick up the others and bring them to Broomfield. This showed proof of a job and at the same time allowed BM to travel alone and do what he needed to do from Saturday night to Sunday night.
MOO

bbm
He knew since Saturday/Sunday night, he would get a call on MD with SM missing, so it wouldn't have been approbiate, to be away in Broomfield for "working" without permit AND have booked a hotelroom AND being with a young woman only. IMO

 

[Megnut]

As of May 9th, was there a dirt pile, containing broken up concrete from the original dirt work to prepare the Saluda jobsite for a new build? Did someone at, say 11:30 pm on May 9th, load that dirt onto a trailer and drive it to Broomfield and dump it at the wall? Because he needed dirt fast?

The whole Broomfield thing, this has to be -- pun aside -- the dirtiest alibi every offered.

JMO

 

[Barry]

Changing the height of the wall would be a modification, and not a repair IMO. The height would have (or at least should have) been a design and engineering specification. MOO.

ETA: Unless, of course the wall wasn't built to that specification (which would be kind of scary )

 

[Ontario Mom]

I'm certainly not an expert on retaining wall construction, but here's what I know:

1. There is a footing layer which in this case consisted of a row of block the length of the wall which was set in some sort of medium or substance....it looks kind of like concrete that is two feet wide and eight to 12 inches deep.

2. There are anywhere from two to seven tiers of block above that footing, forming a wall that is shorter at the upper end and tallest in the section before the tapered lower end Each layer of block is held to the previous layer by that mesh that you see. There is no "mortar", so it can be taken apart without harming the individual blocks. Each layer (or course) is slightly offset back into the hill from the layer below it, to spread the ground pressure evenly against the back side of the wall.

3. The top caps are set with adhesive, which is similar to mortar except with more binding ability. If a large flat blade screwdriver is used like a chisel (with a hammer) to break the adhesive bond, the capstones should all pop off unharmed.

So yes..........the wall should have been repairable with the mortar and hand tools that BM left for his crew. What they did not have the tools for was the replacement of the earth and seeded ground mats that BM had moved back away from the wall with his Bobcat. Obviously he didn't trust his employees with the machine, and planned on doing that part himself.

I question LS's contention that the wall was raised. That would not have been repair work, but would have been a change order to the original work contract. Nobody is going to build a higher wall for free. JP, in his interview with LS, insisted on describing how the wall was built back in October, and saying he didn't have the tools to do that. Since he wasn't describing a repair job, I wonder if he even understood what they were doing there. It looks to me like CC finished the job by himself after JP and MG left.

The backfill and smoothing of the earth behind the wall was obviously done by Garrett, with their own machinery. They obviously had the machinery and I'm sure BM's friend was happy to help, as I'm sure BM offered to pay for it. At the end of any construction job, it is not at all unusual to see "punch list" items which need to be finished or corrected, actually done by others, that the sub-contractor has hired for convenience. In this case, I'm sure it was a great help to BM. I do not believe for a moment that the entire wall was torn apart and rebuilt again between the second and fourth weeks in May.

When a job like this is done, any of the major material like the block and capstones are bid directly to the general contractor. The subsequent order is at a fixed guaranteed price, for specified or approved materials. If new block or capstone was required, the general contractor (Garrett) would order the materials as a change to that supplier order. It's the traditional way to do it, but it also ensures that they get matching items. The adhesive, sand, etc for repair would not necessarily fall under that. BM could have ordered them anywhere. I'm looking at pictures that clearly show the wall got taken down and rebuilt properly, so I'm not buying into the "no materials" claim.
Basically, I see both MG and JP having very firm ideas which don't seem to me to even resemble the work to be done. Since CC and CL built the original wall, it seems like CC was the only one there who understood what BM expected. Somebody put it back together right, and it sure wasn't MG or JP.
It's all my opinion. IMO

MG & JP were there, and did some amount of work on this project on Monday 05.11
LS has been there, and done her due diligence by getting the facts about the who/when/where/why.

I'll take their word for what was done, by whom, when & how.

 

[Fireflize]

I have to go back and dig again myself, but for some reason I had the impression from the LS interview that when JP met BM in Salida Saturday afternoon, he was asked if he would be available to work on the Broomfield job. When JP said yes, I think BM told him he’d get back to him. JP said BM called him Sunday morning to confirm the job. MG said BM told her to pick up JP.
I think BM needed the Sunday alibi badly. However, he did not want to go up to Broomfield with MG. I’m sure he had things to do on the way. He also had to be ready to leave to go home when his daughters raised the alarm. He didn’t want to leave MG alone in Broomfield because that wouldn’t make sense. She obviously couldn’t fix the retaining wall by herself.
So he concocted the need for additional workers and had
MG pick up the others and bring them to Broomfield. This showed proof of a job and at the same time allowed BM to travel alone and do what he needed to do from Saturday night to Sunday night.
MOO

Thx for excellent recap. You are a master at keeping up with the details...

 

[Fireflize]

It's one thing to have an alibi for the time and date that LE have confirmed a crime took place.

It's another thing to have an "alibi" for a date and time that someone's narrative insinuates a crime took place.

JMO

Yes! That's the reality that torments BM 24-7.
Poor guy. He thought he had it all figured out, how to get away with murder. Simple, he thought. Tell LE she was alive when he left home at 5.
Moo of course.

 

[MsBetsy]

Chris just tweeted the following:

For the Record, I gave this to CBI in Sept 2020.

View attachment 270130 View attachment 270133 View attachment 270134 View attachment 270135
https://twitter.com/187cjm/status/1322747214284861441?s=21

So are the PE guys suggesting that Barry was there on Mother's day prepping the job with his Bobcat? Couldn't the work done in the pictures have been completed after Suzanne went missing and he had to return to Salida? Do they know who finished the work?

Did they say why they sent this information to CBI in September? Wouldn't LE have known about these details back in May?

It says twitter unavailable so I can't read what it says. I'm just trying to figure out what they are implying. Are they suggesting Suzanne's body might be hidden somewhere in the wall or in the ground? Or are they supporting his alibi that BM did work for several hours at the jobsite on Sunday?

 

[SeattleStew]

Brilliant. I never thought of this. A simple yet elegant explanation of the last-minute change of plans.

This theory makes the time of his conversation with JP even more critical. Was SM alive at that point?

Nope. She wasn't in my opinion. And I think BM was digging in that trash bin outside the sandwich shop looking for an old sandwich wrapper or two that he could present as part of his alibi.

 

[SeattleStew]

So are the PE guys suggesting that Barry was there on Mother's day prepping the job with his Bobcat? Couldn't the work done in the pictures have been completed after Suzanne went missing and he had to return to Salida? Do they know who finished the work?

Did they say why they sent this information to CBI in September? Wouldn't LE have known about these details back in May?

It says twitter unavailable so I can't read what it says. I'm just trying to figure out what they are implying. Are they suggesting Suzanne's body might be hidden somewhere in the wall or in the ground? Or are they supporting his alibi that BM did work for several hours at the jobsite on Sunday?

IMO they are saying that SM is mixed into the darker soil and concrete chunks. Sorry to have to write that.

 

[OldCop]

More Blocks for Wall?
@Harmony 2 True, issue was not defective or broken blocks.

But one issue, per one or some interviews: wall needed to be made taller so more blocks were needed.
Other issue was reportedly "straightening out" the wall. <--- both points, iirc. Sorry, no link.
ETA: @MassGuy several posts up provided link, w pdf stating "add height to wall." Source was Chris from P/Evil twitter, which also noted that Chris gave that info to CBI in Sept.
ETA2: No, blocks were not just stacked on top ofu ea. other. There was also iron rebar in grid/mesh form (terminology?) between the rows of blocks and extending past the blocks, into the backfill to reinforce. After soil compaction by heavy machinery, weight of backfill helps keep wall in place, despite rain and snow putting pressure on backfill to push wall forward and collapse.

“Install one dead man every 6 to 8 feet around the entire wall. Continue building up the retaining wall, using landscaping screws to secure each timber.”

How to Build a Timber Retaining Wall

Couldn’t resist this. Recently built a bulkhead/retaining wall around our backyard pond to prevent erosion. The deadman in a wooden retaining wall works on the same principle as the mesh or grid in a stone wall.

 

[Megnut]

“Install one dead man every 6 to 8 feet around the entire wall. Continue building up the retaining wall, using landscaping screws to secure each timber.”

How to Build a Timber Retaining Wall

Couldn’t resist this. Recently built a bulkhead/retaining wall around our backyard pond to prevent erosion. The deadman in a wooden retaining wall works on the same principle as the mesh or grid in a stone wall.

Yikes.

 

[OldCop]

I am not a lawyer, and I'm not going to attempt to explain the difference in Colorado between Murder in the First Degree, Murder in the Second Degree, and Manslaughter. The article at the link offers some really pertinent, but brief comments on the differences.

On May 13, 2020 the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office issued a bulletin which said:

"On May 10, 2020 the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office responded to County Road 225 and West Highway 50 on a report of a missing woman. Investigation revealed that Suzanne Morphew, age 49, from Maysville had gone for a bike ride in that area and had not returned home."

In the September 10, 2020 bulletin of the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, the status of the case was:

"On May 10, 2020 Suzanne Morphew was reported missing from her home near Maysville,
Colorado."

Obviously the CCSO no longer is confidant that the bike ride is a key element of SM's disappearance. I can see that, and you can see that. What I can't see is WHY LE now thinks that. We simply have been given no information.

I like to look at facts, and we all know there aren't very many of those in this case.

What Constitutes Second Degree Murder in Colorado?

Update on Suzanne Morphew search Tipline established - Chaffee County Sheriff

September 24, 2020 search for Suzanne Morphew - Chaffee County Sheriff

RBBM
I don’t necessarily agree with this statement. We don’t actually know how many facts there are in this case. I happen to think there are quite a few we just don’t know about. We all do like to look and study them. Facts are what feed our passion, hobby, or whatever it is that brings us to WS every day.
Yes, we want to know the facts, but except for our own curiosity, we have no need to know. This is a basic tenet of investigations. Depending on the case, you don’t even share information with other members of your own department.

 

[Ontario Mom]

So are the PE guys suggesting that Barry was there on Mother's day prepping the job with his Bobcat? Couldn't the work done in the pictures have been completed after Suzanne went missing and he had to return to Salida? Do they know who finished the work?

Did they say why they sent this information to CBI in September? Wouldn't LE have known about these details back in May?

It says twitter unavailable so I can't read what it says. I'm just trying to figure out what they are implying. Are they suggesting Suzanne's body might be hidden somewhere in the wall or in the ground? Or are they supporting his alibi that BM did work for several hours at the jobsite on Sunday?

I have no idea what Chris is trying to say.
I don't do well with riddles, or vague references.
If someone understands what his point is, please do share here.

 

[OldCop]

Brilliant. I never thought of this. A simple yet elegant explanation of the last-minute change of plans.

This theory makes the time of his conversation with JP even more critical. Was SM alive at that point?

Saturday afternoon has always been the stumbling block in our timeline:
1) Someone claims to have seen SM & BM together in town.
2) JP claims to have met BM in person in town about the job.
3) MG was told by several people that BM was seen around Salida all Saturday afternoon, by himself.
4) SM’s bff claims SM suddenly stopped texting sometime on Saturday.

Right now it seems to be running 3 to 1 as to SM not being seen in town on Saturday afternoon.
MOO

 

[Chingaling]

Question: How could B have had the bobcat in Broomfield when we see a pic of it with crime scene tape tied to it in the PP driveway? I doubt they would have let him near the place.

 

[Dave F.]

Question: How could B have had the bobcat in Broomfield when we see a pic of it with crime scene tape tied to it in the PP driveway? I doubt they would have let him near the place.

Have you forgotten BM's spectacular mid-air shoe tying event, performed during the home search on Tuesday May 19, 2020?

Police search and carry out evidence bags from the $1.5M home of missing Colorado mom | Daily Mail Online

 

[OldCop]

DBM - Duplicate

Wait a minute.... According to Chris’s tweet, BM was only hired to do the dirt work. Sargon Masonry of Arizona was hired to actually build the wall. If true, Sargon would have been responsible for repairing the wall, not BM.