Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #9

[MassGuy]

"Investigation revealed" could also mean "reportedly". We don't know who LE got the information from.

That’s exactly how I see it. If their investigation determined that she did go on a bike ride, we would know that.

The door would be wide open to a kidnapping, and we would see behavior that corresponds to that (sharing of much more information, and frequent press conferences).

 

[Angleterre]

Great post!

Thank you I appreciate that

This is 100% the reality
As a SIO ( senior investigative officer) I was responsible for leading a murder investigation and teams of detectives and forensic experts etc and I can tell you that the evidence from one cell phone alone can run into thousands of pages for my detectives to read through and decipher what, If anything, is relevant to the case . So can you imagine when you have numerous people involved in an investigation, wether it to be rule them in or out or as an alibi or a victim, just how onerous this task is? And it is just one small part of the investigation. Any investigation strategy revolves around various strands for example:
1. Intelligence
2. Cell phone analysis
3. Victim file to include all that is known about them
4. DNA evidence
5. Forensic submission as a whole
6. Search parameters and recovery
7. Disclosure
8. Actions - those raised that need investigation and those that are considered but not deemed to take the investigation further ( but it still all needs recording )
9. Forensic mapping
10. Witnesses
11. Media strategy
I could go on but I think that you get the drift that any investigation of this type is massive and takes time and has to be that way to get it right so that by the time it gets to the Court process, there’s no room for doubt or for weaknesses in the investigation to allow the accused to get off on a technicality or procedural issue etc
Be patient and all will bear fruit

And on top of all that, the biggest and most onerous task besides cell phone evidence retrieval, is CCTV ! And that is a biggie ... it takes Detectives hours upon hours to go through and watch CCTV to enable them to ascertain if there is anything of evidential value on each individual recording and that can be CCTV from the street , from a shop, car park, toll booth , buildings, churches , Public CCTV along a route and individual CCTV in peoples driveways or on their mobile phones etc
You start to get the idea of just how much work is involved in a major investigation and that’s before you go to a judge to swear out warrants and arrest the perpetrator. Once an arrest takes place, you then have interviews and downstream monitoring in real time of the interviews and then liaison with the CPS in UK and attorney general I think maybe in the USA? And then putting the whole file of evidence together and ensuring full disclosure to the defence ... it’s massive workloads and it goes on and on ...

 

[Angleterre]

Great post!

Thank you I appreciate that

This is 100% the reality
As a SIO ( senior investigative officer) I was responsible for leading a murder investigation and teams of detectives and forensic experts etc and I can tell you that the evidence from one cell phone alone can run into thousands of pages for my detectives to read through and decipher what, If anything, is relevant to the case . So can you imagine when you have numerous people involved in an investigation, wether it to be rule them in or out or as an alibi or a victim, just how onerous this task is? And it is just one small part of the investigation. Any investigation strategy revolves around various strands for example:
1. Intelligence
2. Cell phone analysis
3. Victim file to include all that is known about them
4. DNA evidence
5. Forensic submission as a whole
6. Search parameters and recovery
7. Disclosure
8. Actions - those raised that need investigation and those that are considered but not deemed to take the investigation further ( but it still all needs recording )
9. Forensic mapping
10. Witnesses
11. Media strategy
I could go on but I think that you get the drift that any investigation of this type is massive and takes time and has to be that way to get it right so that by the time it gets to the Court process, there’s no room for doubt or for weaknesses in the investigation to allow the accused to get off on a technicality or procedural issue etc
Be patient and all will bear fruit

And on top of all that, the biggest and most onerous task besides cell phone evidence retrieval, is CCTV ! And that is a biggie ... it takes Detectives hours upon hours to go through and watch CCTV to enable them to ascertain if there is anything of evidential value on each individual recording and that can be CCTV from the street , from a shop, car park, toll booth , buildings, churches , Public CCTV along a route and individual CCTV in peoples driveways or on their mobile phones etc
You start to get the idea of just how much work is involved in a major investigation and that’s before you go to a judge to swear out warrants and arrest the perpetrator. Once an arrest takes place, you then have interviews and downstream monitoring in real time of the interviews and then liaison with the CPS in UK and attorney general I think maybe in the USA? And then putting the whole file of evidence together and ensuring full disclosure to the defence ... it’s massive workloads and it goes on and on ...

 

[MassGuy]

Despite rumors, CBI spokesperson tells me there has NOT been a body found near #suzannemorphew home. She is still a #MissingPerson Investigators are still following up on hundreds of tips.

Lauren Scharf on Twitter

 

[Dave F.]

Sq footage vs linear foot, actually if you took basic block, figured sq ft, then did linear walk around perimeter, which brings up the large lots, Is it possible neighbor found bike on her way to check in SM? Personal item could have been significant enough to raise alarm...JMO/speculation/ whatever.

Anything is possible, but I think the 2,000 foot figure came from a writer for television personality NG, who may have just used Google Earth or Google maps to calculate "line of sight" distance from SM's house to the landmark "leaked" as the location of the bike. In the context of that show, I think NG was trying to emphasize the closeness, not the distance. The neighbors house is 500 ft away by line of sight, and 700 feet away by a visible trail from patio to patio on Google Earth. Fooses Lake Dam fits the 2000 ft line of sight criteria exactly, but Fooses Dam Bridge is uphill from the dam / lake in a ravine. Nothing in this case is simple, but wherever it turns out to be located when revealed, my opinion is that it was pretty darn close to home. IMO

 

[Knox]

 

[JosieMae]

Unless the killer confesses I don't believe Suzanne’s body will be found.
I think it was premeditated and the killer believed his plan was foolproof.
When he is arrested it will be interesting to see what his biggest mistake was.

Sadly, I agree. Hopefully there is some solid evidence and perhaps a confession. Otherwise, she probably won't be found.

 

[osu]

DBM

 

[susiQ]

Maybe the bicycle aspect of SM's disappearance does figure into it. Perhaps there is damage to the bike that suggests a motor vehicle hit it and paint transference has already been established to identify make, model and year, so they know they are looking at something more than a panicked anonymous motorist who took off but someone closer to home.

Or perhaps the bike had issues prior to SM being reported missing which made it unlikely for her have taken it out in the first place? Just a thought.

 

[TKG]

Or perhaps the bike had issues prior to SM being reported missing which made it unlikely for her have taken it out in the first place? Just a thought.

Yes, this! IMO TN wanted people to inquire regarding the condition of the bike. Maybe her brakes were jammeD before the “reported ride” and he knew, therefore making the story of a bike ride even more telling. MOO

 

[Ontario Mom]

I’m sure we would all like to know if daughters are at home with dad. I thought we aren’t allowed to discuss them? Well if they DID bug the house and if they ARE all there maybe that will help the investigation. I don’t think they would be in danger from him anyway especially now. Moo

We're not, according to @sillybilly (and the rules). Other than what has already been said in MSM, of course.

 

[MassGuy]

Or perhaps the bike had issues prior to SM being reported missing which made it unlikely for her have taken it out in the first place? Just a thought.

I think that’s entirely possible. If that is the case, they must have known that right away. Something told them right off the bat that something wasn’t right (nefarious).

Hypothetically, let’s say that someone told them that her bike wasn’t operational, and there’s no way she rode it to where it was discovered. Going further, say they managed to retrieve video evidence that pointed to the bike being staged.

Either of those things would allow them to all but rule out an abduction, which is why they aren’t following that playbook.

Even if it’s neither of those, there just has to be something equally compelling that is directing their focus inward.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Extremely rare. Why does everyone keep assuming she was on a bike ride?

It's been explained, by several members. The answer isn't going to change

 

[Ontario Mom]

Despite rumors, CBI spokesperson tells me there has NOT been a body found near #suzannemorphew home. She is still a #MissingPerson Investigators are still following up on hundreds of tips.

Lauren Scharf on Twitter

One of the really great things about NOT following cases on social media, is that you never get all worked up by the latest load of carp rumor started by someone who (usually) just wants to be a creepy troll. I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't even know there was a rumor today.

 

[Dave F.]

Maybe the bicycle aspect of SM's disappearance does figure into it. Perhaps there is damage to the bike that suggests a motor vehicle hit it and paint transference has already been established to identify make, model and year, so they know they are looking at something more than a panicked anonymous motorist who took off but someone closer to home.

The unconfirmed data that:
(1) the bike was found 2000 feet from the house
(2) the bike was found near a bridge
(3) the bridge was in or near a ravine
can ONLY be interpreted as the bike being found at the Fooses Dam Bridge above Fooses Lake, which is a one-way bicycle ONLY bridge. If she was coming down the high speed descent trail from Monarch Ridge Trail to Fooses Lake, the approach to the bridge from the uphill side is very short. If a person was standing on the bridge, she would have had only one choice...........to steer for the side of the bridge on her right, slam on the brakes and hope that the impact on the rocks flipped her completely over the bike and she landed just belong the rocks. If this scenario happened, she was probably hurt pretty badly. This scenario also fits with the other unconfirmed fact:
(4) the brakes were locked on the bike
and the last unconfirmed fact:
(5) the bike was damaged in some way, suggesting an accident.
Did it happen this way? How would I know? It's just one way that everything fits. IMO

 

[TKG]

DBM


Edit unavailable. Verbiage changed to allow question.

Is it common practice for LE to release a home after processing to a family if one of the family members may be a focus/POI or suspect for a violent crime? How do they protect other family members? TIA

 

[Dave F.]

Could some bad actor have taken one of SM's bikes out of her garage and staged an accident to make it look realistic? Certainly. Creative technicians for dramatic cinema do it all of the time. I believe the give Academy Awards for these "Special Effects". IMO

 

[windrower]

Anything is possible, but I think the 2,000 foot figure came from a writer for television personality NG, who may have just used Google Earth or Google maps to calculate "line of sight" distance from SM's house to the landmark "leaked" as the location of the bike. In the context of that show, I think NG was trying to emphasize the closeness, not the distance. The neighbors house is 500 ft away by line of sight, and 700 feet away by a visible trail from patio to patio on Google Earth. Fooses Lake Dam fits the 2000 ft line of sight criteria exactly, but Fooses Dam Bridge is uphill from the dam / lake in a ravine. Nothing in this case is simple, but wherever it turns out to be located when revealed, my opinion is that it was pretty darn close to home. IMO

I think Dave is correct, that the 2,000 foot distance was reported first (and only?) by NG.

Fooses Lake also has a bridge across the dam spillway, besides the one upstream from the lake.

I, too, think that whatever has been found was close to her home. Hwy 50 was closed for part of a day while searchers looked for additional items that might be SM's, from milepost (MP) 190-210 for the search. MP 190 is just north of Sargents and MP 210 is just west of Maysville. A lot more of the highway was closed than they searched, but I assume that was to stop traffic above and below the search area at places where there was a choice of travelway to take instead of Hwy 50. In other words, the highway was closed at intersections with other roads, and not because LE was searching the whole ten miles. IMO

I don't remember reading before about the 2.5 mile search area near County Road 225 and Hwy 50. County Road 225 is the turnoff from Hwy 50 you'd take to get to Puma Path and SM's house.

U.S. 50 closed as search for Morphew intensifies

As a result, U.S. 50 Monarch Pass will be closed for an undetermined amount of time. The highway is closed between mile markers 190 and 210.

WATCH: Chaffee County Sheriff gives update about missing woman

Highway 50 over Monarch Pass was temporarily closed for part of Friday as crews searched. Nearly 90 investigators searched a 2.5-mile area near County Road 225 and Highway 50 in search of clues.


Local, state, and federal investigators searched steep and rugged terrain in an effort to attempt to locate additional items of Morphew after investigators believed to have found a personal item of the missing woman on Thursday. Investigators aren’t releasing details about what may have been found.

The sheriff’s office said Friday’s search was targeted to “a specific area just west of County Road 225 and Highway 50.” That’s just outside of Maysville, which is where Morphew lives.

 

[Angleterre]

One of the really great things about NOT following cases on social media, is that you never get all worked up by the latest load of carp rumor started by someone who (usually) just wants to be a creepy troll. I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't even know there was a rumor today.

I didn’t ! That’s why WS is so great

 

[Angleterre]

One of the really great things about NOT following cases on social media, is that you never get all worked up by the latest load of carp rumor started by someone who (usually) just wants to be a creepy troll. I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't even know there was a rumor today.

I didn’t ! That’s why WS is so great