Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #7

[osu]

CBS This Morning

An intense search has turned up no sign of a missing Colorado mom who disappeared on Mother's Day. Authorities say Suzanne Morphew left for a bike ride near her home, and never returned.
@MolaReports has more on this story.

8:22am - 5/25/20

Video:
CBS This Morning on Twitter

 

[MsBetsy]

BBM:

If that's what you're saying, then what you're saying is factually incorrect.

I've not seen it reported anywhere that "the neighbor witnessed SM leaving on her bike ride and later reported her missing to LE."

If you have an MSM article that states the the neighbor witnessed SM leaving on her bike ride, I'd love to see that link.

JMO.

The only source that stated Suzanne WAS seen on a bike ride was Nancy Grace. The reporter stated the neighbor did see her riding her bike.

So there are two conflicting reports from two sources which imo, are not necessarily reliable. Neither reporter verified that they spoke to the neighbor, in fact the DM said she declined to comment.

So at this point I don't think we know for sure. I'm still waiting for either LE or the neighbor herself to clarify. It could be a long wait.

It would be great if a reporter would ask that question at the next PC.

Imo

 

[BrownRice]

That’s what I’ve been thinking - something was found and they went straight to deceased - LE does not make that decision lightly IMO - so what could cause this ? Luminal revealed something ? Hasty clean up?

Or they were able to determine an affair or financial issue pretty quickly on. Outside of being kidnapped or going off on her own, if it’s more personal, only logical outcome is bad.

 

[Wendyb1063]

A couple of thoughts I had last night as I lay awake in the middle of the night (hopefully I'm not violating any of the terms of service here). I'm still kinda new to this sleuthing stuff, so some of these questions may have obvious answers.

1. If a person is not a named suspect or POI, would they be free to travel about (as much as COVID-19 allows)? The comments made from the fire chief (the pacing, etc.) almost make it sound like BM is under house arrest. Of course, BM does not have his car, but I would think he'd be able to rent one. Perhaps he is (understandably) trying to avoid media. And it's understandable he wants to stay in the area in case Suzanne is found.

2. What are the kinds of things that the police can learn when they search a car? I assume they could look for physical evidence, but I would expect with a newer car they might be able to find evidence as to where the car has been and when, right? The phone could tell this information as well. How straightforward would it be to inactivate these things proactively? In other words, if you wanted to make sure no one could track your movements for a few days, can these things be turned off?

3. How long does it take to obtain DNA evidence from a bone fragment or a blood sample? The words "at this time" in the most recent statement from the CCSO seem like a potentially important qualifier.

IMOO.

Search in Salida for missing Chaffee County woman concludes, no searches scheduled for Monday

SABBM:

Investigators with the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, CBI and FBI went to the site to follow-up on leads they had received in connection to missing 49-year-old Suzanne Morphew, who had reportedly gone for a bike ride in the Maysville area on May 10 and didn’t return home.

Investigators searched several locations on the property, but say they were unable to make any connection to Morphew’s case at this time. <snip>

“Someone has that key piece of information in this case that will help us locate Suzanne, and I’m asking our community members to continue to use the tip line to provide any information, no matter how inconsequential the tip may seem,” said Sheriff Spezze.
________________________

Reading between the lines, I'm thinking there's a fairly high probability that this search was based off of a credible tip that LE received, likely coupled with electronic/cell/gps data putting someone connected to the case in that specific location around the time of SM's disappearance.

A credible tip + digital data would have been enough to get a judge to sign off on a search warrant.

Clearly, the search wasn't conducted as a result of a confession.

JMO.

 

[Ontario Mom]

If I was the neighbour that was asked to check on SM, I would go and check. Was the house locked or unlocked? Neighbour knocks and when no answer finds the door unlocked? ... goes in, calls out, and when no answer then, has a look around. Only thing she sees is that Suzanne's bike is gone so it would appear she went for a bike ride?

It seems reasonable to assume she did go to the house and knock, call out, look around, etc.
I mean, you're not going to call 911 about a missing person if you didn't even go knock on the door, right?
No one home, no sign of a bike, so reports to LE what she saw & what she was told by Suzanne's girls.

jmo

 

[Jackielee09]

Another baffling missing person case. I feel so sorry for her family & friends. May today bring about her exact location.

 

[oviedo]

Or they were able to determine an affair or financial issue pretty quickly on. Outside of being kidnapped or going off on her own, if it’s more personal, only logical outcome is bad.

Search warrants for bank records take about as long as cell phone records IIRC - I cannot recall a missing case that has had nearly zero information released by LE - why? JMO

 

[Seattle1]

<modsnip>

We can only discuss family news that's been reported in MSM, otherwise, sleuthing family members violates WS TOS. The linked news below confirms SM's father is alive. To my knowledge, there have been no public comments by the Moorman family.

Alexandria native goes missing in Colorado

 

[skyedaze]

So LE does not want to comment on the condition of the bike. Maybe it was not in a condition for riding to begin with. And what if they found her bike, but her helmet or clothes she usually wore to ride were at the house?

And the personal item found...whatever it was made LE very suspicious.

They are searching for a body and her discarded personal items because they think she is dead. Something very out of place that does not match the story has been discovered and fairly quickly.

Where is her phone? Where was he between her last known contact and the 911 call? And what was enough to get a judge to sign off on digging up that property alongside the FBI?

The silence from the family...that's weird.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I'm thinking it's weird that the girls had the neighbor's number. Unless SM had shared it with them due to her health problems. Presumably they would have called their father first, but why would he have the number? Why wouldn't he have called one of his fire fighter buddies, just in case there was a health concern?

I can't think of a time in my life when any of my relatives knew the number of my neighbors.

Some years ago we moved to a new neighborhood, and within the first few days the neighbor lady from across the street came over, introduced herself, and we had a little chat on the porch about the neighborhood, local amenities, etc.

Then she handed me a slip of paper with her number on it and said "call any time if you need anything".

She's old school, as this is what neighbors used to always do, when a new family moved into the neighborhood.

We used to call it the "welcome wagon".

I believe I've read SM's neighbor is 70 as it's been reported in the MSM.

She's from the welcome wagon generation, so I don't find it odd in the least she may have done something similar.

Purely speculation of course.

 

[MsBetsy]

She reported it as fact, on a police report. If she qualified that, and said she didn't really know, then the Sheriff's office is reporting something as fact that is not. I refuse to believe that. It's been exactly two weeks, and there has been no correction. In fact, the Sheriff has insisted over and over that this is still a missing persons investigation. IMO

Yes, she relayed the information to LE, but we still don't know if she actually witnessed Suzanne riding her bike herself or she was told that by her daughters.

I think her daughters had been trying to reach her on Sunday and became worried and contacted the neighbor. We don't know if they assumed she went for a ride, or were told by Suzanne or their dad that she was planning a ride that day.

So I believe LE included that in their statement because that's what they were told. It's never been verified that she was actually seen. In fact LE has never stated when she was last seen.

They would not correct the information about the bike ride or verify it because it's part of an ongoing investigation. Imo.

 

[vaporlass]

Suzanne's church video from Mother's Day. Skip ahead to 5:00 as they lag the start for latecomers. It's pretty special, I can see why it was her church home. Hope she got to watch it.

How do we know this was her church home? I couldn’t get video to play, so I apologize if it was mentioned in the video.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I just listened to it today for the first time and the looping of it over and over gives me deja vu.

Find Suzanne Morphew

Anyone know why the FBI is involved?

The presser the sheriff's office gave on the 15th, he said they're involved in the case at the request of Chaffee County Sheriff's Office.
I've seen the FBI's evidence response team Evidence Response Team | Federal Bureau of Investigation on the riverfront property search site, so we know they're there to assist in what they specialize in.

 

[Feistyomi]

I'm thinking it's weird that the girls had the neighbor's number. Unless SM had shared it with them due to her health problems. Presumably they would have called their father first, but why would he have the number? Why wouldn't he have called one of his fire fighter buddies, just in case there was a health concern?

I can't think of a time in my life when any of my relatives knew the number of my neighbors.

Gannon...
I do not see anything strange about relatives having neighbor having phone number, particularly
if there were health concerns...sort of a neighborhood watch...

while I am here, reading to catch up, seeking answers to these questions:
When, and who was the last person to have contact w/ SM, other than BM?

What was her physical appearance/status in days before disappearance? She was so vibrant and striking in the px we have seen, but cancer can take that away.

I have other questions, feel certain I will find the answers here eventually....

 

[Jackielee09]

Maybe LE asked family not to comment because it could muddy the waters. If the family feels confident in LE ability they may just want to let them do their jobs and they somehow know the public cannot help. Like.... they know she wasn’t out on a bike ride... therefore no one saw her. Hopefully the family & LE have a good relationship.

 

[vaporlass]

Yes, LE can clear someone without naming them as a POI first.

Many people were accusing Mollie Tibbet's boyfriend of being involved in her disappearance. She disappeared while out for a jog.

LE publicly cleared him, and verified that he was out of town at the time she was kidnapped.

I had considered a “stalker” but I think stalkers have been seriously hindered by Covid19 lockdowns. Add to that the relatively secluded location. I wonder if all the neighbors have been cleared?
I know FireChief said she was known to RIDE her bike on Sundays, but I’m not convinced there was a bike ride, plus that guy is saying a lot of things I am not sure are factual.
Let’s say she was “abducted” -Still a 99.999% chance it was someone she knew based on her secluded location and staying in so much from Covid 19 lockdown.
Even though FireChief said her “downfall” was being nice to people, I’m not sure the people in Colorado could have known her very well with her going to Cancer treatments, then Covid19 in the past year. I saw on her FB page that she recommended HandyMan services in the area ... he was also a volunteer FireFighter ...
With the little that we know, it’s easy to understand why many of us think BM was involved and the Sheriff’s actions thus far bolster my opinion.

 

[Seattle1]

The only source that stated Suzanne WAS seen on a bike ride was Nancy Grace. The reporter stated the neighbor did see her riding her bike.

So there are two conflicting reports from two sources which imo, are not necessarily reliable. Neither reporter verified that they spoke to the neighbor, in fact the DM said she declined to comment.

So at this point I don't think we know for sure. I'm still waiting for either LE or the neighbor herself to clarify. It could be a long wait.

It would be great if a reporter would ask that question at the next PC.

Imo

I'd go so far as to say that it's a fact that NG's podcasts consistently do not translate accurately to print media!

For example, NG stating the neighbor saw SM leave on her bike followed with the disclaimer "if it's true" --takes on a completely different meaning when the disclaimer is accidentally omitted in print media.

We most recently saw the exact same thing occur when NG said the bike was found on the bridge but this was also misrepresented as a statement of fact when her disclaimer was omitted.

I believe the best evidence that SM was never seen on her bike by the neighbor that reported her missing is the Missing Person press release dated May 11, 2020 by Chaffee County Sheriff's Office.

The press release provides that the reporting party contacted CCSO at about 5:46 pm to report that their neighbor, Suzanne Morphew, age 49, from the Maysville area had reportedly gone for a bike ride in the area and failed to return home.

Neither the neighbor or CCSO ever reported that SM was seen on her bike. In fact, CCSO has never confirmed a bike ride took place or that the bike was recovered.

Fast forward 10+ days from the date SM was reported missing and the step-mother of one of the daughter's friends has also confirmed that sadly, nobody ever saw SM on her bike on Mother's Day.

Missing Person - Chaffee County Sheriff

‘Nobody actually saw her on her bicycle’: Questions persist amid changing reports on the investigation into Suzanne Morphew’s Mother’s Day disappearance

 

[GraceG]

A couple of thoughts I had last night as I lay awake in the middle of the night (hopefully I'm not violating any of the terms of service here). I'm still kinda new to this sleuthing stuff, so some of these questions may have obvious answers.

1. If a person is not a named suspect or POI, would they be free to travel about (as much as COVID-19 allows)? The comments made from the fire chief (the pacing, etc.) almost make it sound like BM is under house arrest. Of course, BM does not have his car, but I would think he'd be able to rent one. Perhaps he is (understandably) trying to avoid media. And it's understandable he wants to stay in the area in case Suzanne is found.

2. What are the kinds of things that the police can learn when they search a car? I assume they could look for physical evidence, but I would expect with a newer car they might be able to find evidence as to where the car has been and when, right? The phone could tell this information as well. How straightforward would it be to inactivate these things proactively? In other words, if you wanted to make sure no one could track your movements for a few days, can these things be turned off?

3. How long does it take to obtain DNA evidence from a bone fragment or a blood sample? The words "at this time" in the most recent statement from the CCSO seem like a potentially important qualifier.

IMOO.

Searching a car. It typically starts with a series of photographs depicting the vehicle. The photographs start with the exterior and are taken from each side, each corner, front, rear, tag, vin, any decals, any damage or custom accessories. The interior of the vehicle is photographed from the front drivers area, from each side with the doors open, the ignition area, the dash, the glove box, the instrument panel, the rear seat area, and the trunk (or truck bed) area.

Then an organized search is done to find items of evidence not observed during the initial examination. The vehicle is usually divided into sections (similar to an organized zone search pattern) for the search. If other items of evidence are located during the search, the investigator or forensic technician can then place a series of evidence marking stands alongside the items of evidence to take a series of photographs depicting the location and relationship of any evidence found. If the search for pathways and directions of projectiles (ballistic evidence) is necessary, the investigator can insert string or dowel rods to track the trajectory(s)

The next step in the process would be the collection of evidence. Starting with the most fragile (any trace evidence aboard.) Steering wheel, inside door handles, and driver’s side belt buckles and trunk are swabbed for DNA. Any hair found is collected for DNA (note, you can only get DNA from a hair if the follicle is present).

Lastly comes the mechanical processing for any latent fingerprints and an examination of any digital data from the auto's own systems.

DNA from blood can take up to several weeks to process. It’s not usually the processing time itself but whatever backlog LE has for such testing. When the FBI is brought in they can usually get the DNA tested much faster than local LE.

 

[vaporlass]

IMO it's normal behaviour. Neighbours in country locations support each other.

True we have a neighbor like that, he lives across the road from the end of our driveway. Mind you, he can’t see our home at all, just the end of driveway. My husband saw him and he asked about the “black car that leaves every morning at 5:30am” ... he hadn’t seen it in a while, he told him. My husband explained it had been our daughter staying with us for awhile but she was no longer staying with us... that’s how it works and personally I’m very thankful for those Gladys Kravats nosy neighbors.

 

[Dave F.]

How do we know this was her church home? I couldn’t get video to play, so I apologize if it was mentioned in the video.

I couldn't get it to play, either; and could not locate the Mother's Day service on the church website or the church's website channel. This is last week's service May 17, 2019. Skip to start at 18:49 of 1:25:54
I have watched the whole video and have studied the extensive website. <modsnip: Do not state information as fact without providing supporting links> Both the community of Salida and the family must have some comfort in having the support of such a beautiful and caring church IMO
Click on the link. The screenshot is just to show what the screen looks like at the 18:49 starting point

Note: Church website is at this link:
Grace Church Salida