Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #6

[Nerissa]

Maybe it's me (probably!)....but I'm skeptical at how candid LE seems to be about this search

Like a big fat: 'nothing to see here' with Leslie Nielsen a la 'naked gun' or something

Lol, yeah....I don't know.....

<modsnip>



TIA & JMO

 

[Nerissa]

And, perhaps LE haven’t considered anyone else because they have plenty of cell data to show someone was lying about things from the get-go. Leticia Stauch was arrested BEFORE Gannon’s remains were found by a local worker in Florida. Despite the fact they did not have his remains, they were confident from evidence they obtained they knew who did it and made an arrest. Of course, she’s innocent until proven guilTee . Just because they have not located SM, and we all hope they do, does not mean they don’t know who did it. They had probable cause to seal off the house and probable cause to search this property. Judges don’t sign search warrants willy billy.
JMHO
ETA: In case you missed it, it’s not just the Sheriff investigating. He’s got the FBI and CBI for back up.

You answered me before I asked! Thanks

 

[Ray_of_hope]

The reward specified "for her safe return."

All indications combined with LE's activities imply SM is not safe, and without such an outcome, no reward will ever be paid out.

Thank you @Madeleine74

 

[Madeleine74]

The truth is, "we" know very little and almost nothing has been confirmed by LE. All the suggested scenarios are not confirmed by officials in the case.

IMO it's hard to accept when one is interested in a case and wants to know everything going on. Knowing it all won't happen until such time there is a trial, where the state will present evidence. That could be years away.

There's nothing LE needs from "the public at large," and just a few things needed from the local Salida public--information, tips, and any videocam footage showing activity that could be SM (or BM) between May 8th and May 11th.

 

[otto]

Well, That is disappointing in one way, but good news in another way, if she is still alive.
I don't think she is, but JMO
Although, LE doesn't always tell us everything either.

We have four possible scenarios:

• voluntary disappearance
• accident
• kidnapping
• murder

The first option was ruled out for unknown reasons. The second option was thoroughly investigated and she was not found anywhere near her bike or in the nearby water. The third option has a $200,000 no questions asked gift attached to it. The fourth option means there's no ransom request (does that even happen anymore?) and Suzanne is involuntarily missing, likely deceased.

Crime scenes are

• bicycle location
• personal item location
• home
• construction site

My impression is that investigators are looking for a body at specific locations connected to her husband.

 

[kay74]

I hate to bore people here by being repetitive but I’ve written several times about how this was never handled like a standard missing person case. No BOLOs with a description, no requests for anyone in X vicinity (where bike or “personal object” was found) to report anything they saw, not even any requests for people to review their residential cameras (just “keep the footage—but please don’t send it to us”). That works fine when there really is a lot of evidence implicating someone. Doesn’t work well at all when, as in this case, there apparently is not. I think the sheriff basically had a feeling, and he’s not finding evidence to support that feeling. No matter who (if anyone) is ultimately charged, the handling of the case is a defense attorney’s dream. An outsider points to the husband, who was always the chief suspect, and the husband screams “they never even considered anyone else.”

I agree with this totally

 

[Lilypad13]

Well that was depressing news I’m walking my dog and just checked in and saw the announcement that search has concluded without finding anything. How awful for her family to endure that. I feel so bad for them and I feel bad for the all those FBI agents that had to do all that work for three days - hopefully they get paid the big bucks?! Probably not. I haven’t seen any photos today but I don’t think they could’ve possibly dug up that entire amount of concrete. I guess they were focusing on specific areas after the x-ray or whatever they did. I guess it would be easier to dump ashes into the river right there than to bury it in dirt under concrete. I wonder what they were looking for it just seemed like they were so sure something was under there. It seems strange that MSM has not picked up on this case because to me it’s just as interesting and tragic as many other high profile cases that have been mentioned. Well I’m going to keep checking in and monitoring the case and reading your posts but I’m not going to post as much anymore because I just can’t seem to do it right and I’m getting posts deleted. It’s too hard to censor my thoughts and then when I do post it’s too long. I’m honestly not a big talker at all! Just writer ha ha. Even though the end of the search was a big letdown the only good thing is she has still not been found so I’m going to keep praying for a miracle that she is found alive!

 

[Spartygirl]

LE did not say "at this time" nor did they imply "unless lab results indicate otherwise."

We may assume something needed testing but as of this moment, that is not part of the official 'public record'.

The news article said " Investigators searched several locations on the property; however, they were unable to make any connection to Suzanne Morphew’s case at this time.
Crews conclude search at Chaffee County property, no leads found

 

[Boxer]

The reward specified "for her safe return."

All indications combined with LE's activities imply SM is not safe, and without such an outcome, no reward will ever be paid out.

Yes it's strange. Like a big missing part of the reward poster.


"For her safe return or reliable information that leads to the arrest of any one who has harmed or killed Suzanne."

 

[susiQ]

We have four possible scenarios:

• voluntary disappearance
• accident
• kidnapping
• murder

The first option was ruled out for unknown reasons. The second option was thoroughly investigated and she was not found anywhere near her bike or in the nearby water. The third option has a $200,000 no questions asked gift attached to it. The fourth option means there's no ransom request (does that even happen anymore?) and Suzanne is involuntarily missing, likely deceased.

Crime scenes are

• bicycle location
• personal item location
• home
• construction site

My impression is that investigators are looking for a body at specific locations connected to her husband.

That pretty much sums it up @otto!

 

[Ontario Mom]

I hate to bore people here by being repetitive but I’ve written several times about how this was never handled like a standard missing person case. No BOLOs with a description, no requests for anyone in X vicinity (where bike or “personal object” was found) to report anything they saw, not even any requests for people to review their residential cameras (just “keep the footage—but please don’t send it to us”). That works fine when there really is a lot of evidence implicating someone. Doesn’t work well at all when, as in this case, there apparently is not. I think the sheriff basically had a feeling, and he’s not finding evidence to support that feeling. No matter who (if anyone) is ultimately charged, the handling of the case is a defense attorney’s dream. An outsider points to the husband, who was always the chief suspect, and the husband screams “they never even considered anyone else.”

Really interesting viewpoint. Thanks for taking the time to explain it.
What if... instead of the sheriff having a feeling, coming first, it was the evidence came in and pointed the investigation in the direction it did, from almost the very beginning?
I mean we don't have any idea what the evidence is, so we can't really say, with any factual certainty anyway, why the investigation has gone the direction it has.
You could be right. Or, it could have been an evidence lead situation all along.
It'll sure be interesting to find out, eventually.

 

[Nerissa]

Any sheriff, LE or FBI who goes off a 'feeling' with zero evidence....should be fired

Having said that I expect all LE to have their Hinky-o-meters set to 'extreme high likelihood'
& work back from that

JMO

 

[Spartygirl]

In all sincerity (& just to be clear): are you implying LE has bungled this from get-go by not treating SM as a 'missing person' - ?

IF so, I couldn't disagree more

JMO

That is not how I took it but I am not OP
I think what @Bridger was saying is LE did not approach this at the start as a Missing person investigation but rather more like a Criminal Investigation.
They did NOT bungle anything, if anything, they looked further than just a missing person and more investigation into a crime/homicide.
JMO, again I am not OP but that is how I understood the post.

 

[otto]

Really interesting viewpoint. Thanks for taking the time to explain it.
What if... instead of the sheriff having a feeling, coming first, it was the evidence came in and pointed the investigation in the direction it did, from almost the very beginning?
I mean we don't have any idea what the evidence is, so we can't really say, with any factual certainty anyway, why the investigation has gone the direction it has.
You could be right. Or, it could have been an evidence lead situation all along.
It'll sure be interesting to find out, eventually.

I'm inclined to think that investigators are following the evidence with a goal to rule out some people. When they cannot rule someone out, no matter how hard they try, that person becomes a person of interest.

 

[Mind your biscuits]

I sure hope some useful evidence was found instead of wasted highly valuable time and resources, based on speculation.

Maybe they dug up some prior home owners pet cemetery? I do wonder what they saw down there that made them go ahead and dig up the concrete. Moo.

 

[vaporlass]

Also considering everything we have read on SM and MSM depicts SM as very well liked and cared about. Seems to me more people would be speaking or pleading, or something?

They have only been there two years, she’s been battling cancer plus the last few months locked in due to Covid19. I don’t think I would feel comfortable taking sides or speaking out in that situation. It does not appear that she had any new close friends in the area. <modsnip> Very sad and heartbreaking.

 

[carbuff]

I'm inclined to think that investigators are following the evidence with a goal to rule out some people. When they cannot rule someone out, no matter how hard they try, that person becomes a person of interest.

Maybe that's what the point of this search was, and the fact that they didn't find anything is significant because it rules out one or more theories or persons?

 

[PingTheRouter]

Maybe they dug up some prior home owners pet cemetery? I do wonder what they saw down there that made them go ahead and dig up the concrete. Moo.

probably ran the ground radar over the concrete, it probably hit on an anomaly and it can be anything especially when they have been building around there, maybe they thought it was a grave who knows

 

[otto]

That is not how I took it but I am not OP
I think what @Bridger was saying is LE did not approach this at the start as a Missing person investigation but rather more like a Criminal Investigation.
They did NOT bungle anything, if anything, they looked further than just a missing person and more investigation into a crime/homicide.
JMO, again I am not OP but that is how I understood the post.

If this wasn't pursued as a missing person investigation, why were S&R working through the night, diving in waterways and walking the area where she was allegedly cycling? That was a missing person search - no other way to interpret it.

That was the start of the investigation. That search produced a bicycle and another personal item near the family home, but no evidence of Suzanne. At the same time, there would have been a parallel investigation to check Suzanne's phone and digital footprint.

If the last confirmed contact with her was on, for example May 8, then police would release a request for information about, for example, CCTV (such as doorbell cameras) footage to be preserved from May 8.

The next likely step was to look at the digital footprints of all family members. We all know that those closest to Suzanne have to be ruled out first. That's normal.

We are now at the point where it appears that one family member is still being ruled out. There's no reason to ignore everything that happened on May 10 until May 24.

 

[RickshawFan]

I hate to bore people here by being repetitive but I’ve written several times about how this was never handled like a standard missing person case. No BOLOs with a description, no requests for anyone in X vicinity (where bike or “personal object” was found) to report anything they saw, not even any requests for people to review their residential cameras (just “keep the footage—but please don’t send it to us”). That works fine when there really is a lot of evidence implicating someone. Doesn’t work well at all when, as in this case, there apparently is not. I think the sheriff basically had a feeling, and he’s not finding evidence to support that feeling. No matter who (if anyone) is ultimately charged, the handling of the case is a defense attorney’s dream. An outsider points to the husband, who was always the chief suspect, and the husband screams “they never even considered anyone else.”

BBM We can't assume there's no evidence. There might be a whole lot of evidence piled up at HQ. We just plain don't know.