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

[riolove77]

Don't most women who want out of a marriage after many years consult with an attorney and file for divorce? Why would a woman living in a million dollar home for decades with her husband just threaten divorce to her husband and not follow through with the legal filing? To me, that makes no sense.

JMO

Usually there is an associated conversation with the husband wherein she informs him she is leaving. That is extremely common. Again, not saying that happened here, but that is what happens.

 

[RickshawFan]

Here it is - I cropped to fit BM and bike. Caption states it was just before search of his home. Wasn't there an indication (a list somewhere) stating Suzanne's bike was this color?

Thanks for reposting that. I see that I'm wrong about the two bikes facing the same direction. They are facing the opposite direction.
Also, there's a strand of something down by the chain ring. Is that a coated wire for a lock?

 

[Love Never Fails]

I can't help but think all of the searches conducted in Jennifer's case - the park, the ski lake, the many Fore Group properties - and still no Jennifer has been found. I am hoping we aren't heading for a year of this searching for Suzanne.
IMO

If BM killed his wife, I’m hoping LE has enough evidence to go forward with a murder charge without the body. I believe LE and the DA had enough to convict Dulos but he should never have been allowed bail. I guess he knew the right people and it allowed him the freedom to decide his own end. In any case, he paid for it with his life. Poor Jennifer. I think the remaining defendants will go free and that in itself is a crime.

 

[Hatfield]

Agree.
MOO evidence is the only real way to get to the truth.

JMO
I agree because LE needs evidence that is accepted in a trial and will hold up in court to convince a jury.

The problem with just watching someone give a statement or trying to analyze their statements is it relies on someone else's opinion on what they are seeing. And the problem with that is some may agree with the person giving their opinion and others may disagree.

For example with the head shaking. Some may say it indicates they are not telling the truth where other people may interpret that to mean they were very upset with the whole situation and just shaking their head at the trauma of the whole thing.

I do think it can sometimes help us as a "tool" or an aide in giving us a first impression to see if the person sounds convincing or could they possibly be just blowing smoke. Similar to how a lie detector test is used only as a "tool".
We have all seen interrogations on TV where LE is secretly watching from another room and I am pretty sure they are making judgements on whether they believe what they are hearing. But its just a tool in the goal of getting real hard evidence that they will need.

Whatever impressions one gets, then we still have to obtain other solid evidence that can actually be used in a trial.

 

[Knox]

I just think that the perp also didn't expect anyone to report her missing as fast as they did.

Yes!

Or for LE to have 100 searcher's looking for her that quickly and the CBI & FBI to be brought in by May 14th. Sheriff Spezze doesn't mess around!!

 

[Jackielee09]

posts mentioning crime of passion. In Texas they call it “sudden passion” I believe if the perp had at least 30sec to stop their actions that would result in death if they continue, then that’s murder. Premeditated at that. Add the added terror of someone being “missing”
I’m not an attorney and I don’t play one on TV.

 

[Madeleine74]

About SMs family not knowing TN. BM has a lot of uncles, so that makes for many nieces and nephews.

BM supposedly has 2 sisters. His nieces or nephews would be any children by either or both of his siblings.

If BM has "lots of uncles" then he would be first cousin to any of their children. TN is a nephew of BM, not a first cousin.

 

[Spartygirl]

Long time lurker, first time poster.

We’ve followed countless missing persons investigations on here, and regardless of who conducting the investigation, we generally see the same things:

A physical description (clothing, height, weight, etc).

The time and date the person was last seen.

Public searches, daily press conferences, and appeals from the family.

Here, the FBI and CBI were on scene very quickly, and searches were conducted by law enforcement. They did not ask for public help in that regard.

That tells me that they knew a crime had been committed, and had a very good idea that the perpetrator was close to home.

We know how the CBI and FBI operate, and how they handle certain situations. I’m convinced this is a murder investigation with a strong suspect.

Not a stranger abduction. Not a runaway wife. Not an accident. Not an animal attack. Not a lost woman.

This could take a while.

Whooo Hooo-- Look who's bbbaaaaaaack !!!!!!
Glad to have you here MG !!!!

 

[riolove77]

Don't most women who want out of a marriage after many years consult with an attorney and file for divorce? Why would a woman living in a million dollar home for decades with her husband just threaten divorce to her husband and not follow through with the legal filing? To me, that makes no sense.

JMO

Usually there is an associated conversation with the husband wherein she informs him she is leaving. That is extremely common. Again, not saying that happened here, but that is what happens.

JMO
Hoping LE solves this case soon.

I have a general question about the term "Crime of Passion" if anyone knows. I think I have heard where Crime of Passion can be used as a defense strategy to sometimes get a lesser sentence.

I have never really understood it. The example that always comes to mind when I hear about Crime of Passion is an example like this.

A person comes home to find their partner in bed with someone else and then that person ends up killing someone.

My question is would a regular big verbal fight about any subject between a husband and wife that escalates into physical violence and death also be considered "Crime of Passion"?

If not, then what if the subject of the verbal fight started with allegations of infidelity, then would it be considered a Crime of Passion?

I dont know when it can be used as a valid defense strategy in the eyes of the law.

The easiest way to put it is you can get voluntary manslaughter in the former, second degree murder in the latter.

 

[Warwick7]

BBM. The article includes an incredible amount of unsourced speculation which is never helpful in cases such as this one. It's up to the donors to decide if they want to contribute to ********.com campaigns. Why the need to drag Barry's family into it to imply they are somehow at fault is really crossing the line, imo.

JMO

Crimeonline is a respected source on WS. Ellen Killoran is a seasoned journalist and @Leigh Egan is a respected member here. A few points may be unsourced, but it is not kind to call their work speculation or incredible amount of unsourced speculation.

 

[Fireflize]

NO DISCUSSION

A Chaffee County woman is missing after a neighbor said she went out for a bike ride Sunday and never returned
Chaffee County woman missing since Sunday after neighbor said she went out for bike ride

Yes!

Or for LE to have 100 searcher's looking for her that quickly and the CBI & FBI to be brought in by May 14th. Sheriff Spezze doesn't mess around!!

Double yes! They pulled together a massive search immediately. Sounds like they searched through the night as well. Moo

 

[Hoosierfan72]

So I tried to overlay specific points from a timeline that might shed some light, I think, on some of the words/actions/inactions that I've been puzzled by up until now:

May 11: Initial press release from CCSO. All indications are this is a missing person case. References a search that happened on the 11th. Missing Person - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 11: An email was circulated among SM/BM's former church in Indiana that references: The message notes that Morphew’s bike was found “crashed,” and mentions that a mountain lion had been seen in the area where the bike was discovered. ‘They can’t find her’: Message to church group shows desperate plea in early days of search for missing Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew [REPORT]

May 13: Follow up press release from CCSO. It does reference still a search for SM (including an inference that they did search on Sunday evening): Over the past 4 days over 100 search personnel from Chaffee County Search and Rescue, Department of Corrections, and the Chaffee County Combined Tac Team have scoured the area. Importantly, it also is the first mention, officially, that the Sheriff is opening a criminal investigation. In conjunction with the search the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the disappearance of Ms Morphew http://chaffeesheriff.org/2020/05/13/update-on-suzanne-morphew-search/

May 13: Sheriff tells MSM that he does not consider the odds of an animal attack "very high". Family: Suzanne Morphew's Husband Offers $100,000 Reward In Disappearance Investigation

May 13: BM offers $100,000 reward for "safe return" of SM. Family: Suzanne Morphew's Husband Offers $100,000 Reward In Disappearance Investigation

May 14: Press release from CCSO. CBI and FBI involvement noted. Search continues for Suzanne Morphew - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 14: Reward for "safe return" upped to $200,000 by matching contribution from unnamed family friend. Suzanne Morphew search: Reward for missing Colorado woman increased to $200,000

May 14: Article published where TN is interviewed (unclear if interviewed on 5/14 or prior to that), makes statement urging others to "ask Sheriff about the condition of the bike". References FB "Find SM" page and Gimme page. 'We Want Her Back': $200,000 Reward Offered In Search For Suzanne Morphew

May 15: 3 press releases re: the search in the area where a "personal item" was found

May 16: CCSO references that there were no broad-scale searches completed. It does reference "targeted" searches being done. Search continues for Suzanne Morphew - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 17: CCSO conducts water search and asks public to save video from 5/8 - 5/12. May 17 Search Press Release - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 17: BM releases video urging for "safe return" of SM. Missing Colorado woman's husband releases video pleading for her safe return - KRDO

Around May 17: It's not clear when TN stopped being the family spokesperson, but I can't find where he is quoted in MSM after 5/15, and the social media pages appear to not be updated after this date.

May 20: CCSO references the marital home search warrant. May 20, 2020 Press Release Suzanne Morphew missing person case - Chaffee County Sheriff

*****
So, I apologize if this is overly basic, but it clearly does seem to show a shifting narrative. The church communication, taken in conjunction with both TN urging release of information about the bike and the sheriff's office refusal to do so - and not even confirming the bike had been recovered - (but making a point to say the odds of an animal attack were very low) all point to someone close to the situation initially driving a story of animal attack (we don't know the source of that narrative, but the list of possibilities is pretty short). As that started to fall apart, it appears that the BM's narrative (per the reward offer and later video plea) is a kidnapping/ransom theory. It also appears that around the time that the animal attack narrative falls apart and the alternative kidnapping/ransom narrative emerges, TN stops being the family spokesperson. JMO, but a changing narrative raises red flags, especially if (and we have no way of knowing this, but TN might) the initial narrative was built on "facts" that have since been revealed as untrue. MOO.

 

[oviedo]

So I tried to overlay specific points from a timeline that might shed some light, I think, on some of the words/actions/inactions that I've been puzzled by up until now:

May 11: Initial press release from CCSO. All indications are this is a missing person case. References a search that happened on the 11th. Missing Person - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 11: An email was circulated among SM/BM's former church in Indiana that references: The message notes that Morphew’s bike was found “crashed,” and mentions that a mountain lion had been seen in the area where the bike was discovered. ‘They can’t find her’: Message to church group shows desperate plea in early days of search for missing Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew [REPORT]

May 13: Follow up press release from CCSO. It does reference still a search for SM (including an inference that they did search on Sunday evening): Over the past 4 days over 100 search personnel from Chaffee County Search and Rescue, Department of Corrections, and the Chaffee County Combined Tac Team have scoured the area. Importantly, it also is the first mention, officially, that the Sheriff is opening a criminal investigation. In conjunction with the search the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the disappearance of Ms Morphew http://chaffeesheriff.org/2020/05/13/update-on-suzanne-morphew-search/

May 13: Sheriff tells MSM that he does not consider the odds of an animal attack "very high". Family: Suzanne Morphew's Husband Offers $100,000 Reward In Disappearance Investigation

May 13: BM offers $100,000 reward for "safe return" of SM. Family: Suzanne Morphew's Husband Offers $100,000 Reward In Disappearance Investigation

May 14: Press release from CCSO. CBI and FBI involvement noted. Search continues for Suzanne Morphew - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 14: Reward for "safe return" upped to $200,000 by matching contribution from unnamed family friend. Suzanne Morphew search: Reward for missing Colorado woman increased to $200,000

May 14: Article published where TN is interviewed (unclear if interviewed on 5/14 or prior to that), makes statement urging others to "ask Sheriff about the condition of the bike". References FB "Find SM" page and Gimme page. 'We Want Her Back': $200,000 Reward Offered In Search For Suzanne Morphew

May 15: 3 press releases re: the search in the area where a "personal item" was found

May 16: CCSO references that there were no broad-scale searches completed. It does reference "targeted" searches being done. Search continues for Suzanne Morphew - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 17: CCSO conducts water search and asks public to save video from 5/8 - 5/12. May 17 Search Press Release - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 17: BM releases video urging for "safe return" of SM. Missing Colorado woman's husband releases video pleading for her safe return - KRDO

Around May 17: It's not clear when TN stopped being the family spokesperson, but I can't find where he is quoted in MSM after 5/15, and the social media pages appear to not be updated after this date.

May 20: CCSO references the marital home search warrant. May 20, 2020 Press Release Suzanne Morphew missing person case - Chaffee County Sheriff

*****
So, I apologize if this is overly basic, but it clearly does seem to show a shifting narrative. The church communication, taken in conjunction with both TN urging release of information about the bike and the sheriff's office refusal to do so - and not even confirming the bike had been recovered - (but making a point to say the odds of an animal attack were very low) all point to someone close to the situation initially driving a story of animal attack (we don't know the source of that narrative, but the list of possibilities is pretty short). As that started to fall apart, it appears that the BM's narrative (per the reward offer and later video plea) is a kidnapping/ransom theory. It also appears that around the time that the animal attack narrative falls apart and the alternative kidnapping/ransom narrative emerges, TN stops being the family spokesperson. JMO, but a changing narrative raises red flags, especially if (and we have no way of knowing this, but TN might) the initial narrative was built on "facts" that have since been revealed as untrue. MOO.

well done and nicely reasoned IMO

 

[lucidtx]

If SM had left voluntarily, all she had to do was alert her family she was safe and this investigation would be closed.

Why are you assuming her bike rides were short? The problem isn't the length of her bike rides, it's that her bike rides were in a rural area and she was alone. Very high risk.

JMO

If she did in fact go for a ride that weekend I assume it would be a shorter one because she was known to go for a ride every Sunday before church. Her regular ride likely wouldn't take more than a couple hours, and probably wouldn't be that strenuous because she wouldn't have wanted to be a totally exhausted sweaty mess before church. There's also no indication she geared up for a lengthier ride.

 

[Fireflize]

So I tried to overlay specific points from a timeline that might shed some light, I think, on some of the words/actions/inactions that I've been puzzled by up until now:

May 11: Initial press release from CCSO. All indications are this is a missing person case. References a search that happened on the 11th. Missing Person - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 11: An email was circulated among SM/BM's former church in Indiana that references: The message notes that Morphew’s bike was found “crashed,” and mentions that a mountain lion had been seen in the area where the bike was discovered. ‘They can’t find her’: Message to church group shows desperate plea in early days of search for missing Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew [REPORT]

May 13: Follow up press release from CCSO. It does reference still a search for SM (including an inference that they did search on Sunday evening): Over the past 4 days over 100 search personnel from Chaffee County Search and Rescue, Department of Corrections, and the Chaffee County Combined Tac Team have scoured the area. Importantly, it also is the first mention, officially, that the Sheriff is opening a criminal investigation. In conjunction with the search the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the disappearance of Ms Morphew http://chaffeesheriff.org/2020/05/13/update-on-suzanne-morphew-search/

May 13: Sheriff tells MSM that he does not consider the odds of an animal attack "very high". Family: Suzanne Morphew's Husband Offers $100,000 Reward In Disappearance Investigation

May 13: BM offers $100,000 reward for "safe return" of SM. Family: Suzanne Morphew's Husband Offers $100,000 Reward In Disappearance Investigation

May 14: Press release from CCSO. CBI and FBI involvement noted. Search continues for Suzanne Morphew - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 14: Reward for "safe return" upped to $200,000 by matching contribution from unnamed family friend. Suzanne Morphew search: Reward for missing Colorado woman increased to $200,000

May 14: Article published where TN is interviewed (unclear if interviewed on 5/14 or prior to that), makes statement urging others to "ask Sheriff about the condition of the bike". References FB "Find SM" page and Gimme page. 'We Want Her Back': $200,000 Reward Offered In Search For Suzanne Morphew

May 15: 3 press releases re: the search in the area where a "personal item" was found

May 16: CCSO references that there were no broad-scale searches completed. It does reference "targeted" searches being done. Search continues for Suzanne Morphew - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 17: CCSO conducts water search and asks public to save video from 5/8 - 5/12. May 17 Search Press Release - Chaffee County Sheriff

May 17: BM releases video urging for "safe return" of SM. Missing Colorado woman's husband releases video pleading for her safe return - KRDO

Around May 17: It's not clear when TN stopped being the family spokesperson, but I can't find where he is quoted in MSM after 5/15, and the social media pages appear to not be updated after this date.

May 20: CCSO references the marital home search warrant. May 20, 2020 Press Release Suzanne Morphew missing person case - Chaffee County Sheriff

*****
So, I apologize if this is overly basic, but it clearly does seem to show a shifting narrative. The church communication, taken in conjunction with both TN urging release of information about the bike and the sheriff's office refusal to do so - and not even confirming the bike had been recovered - (but making a point to say the odds of an animal attack were very low) all point to someone close to the situation initially driving a story of animal attack (we don't know the source of that narrative, but the list of possibilities is pretty short). As that started to fall apart, it appears that the BM's narrative (per the reward offer and later video plea) is a kidnapping/ransom theory. It also appears that around the time that the animal attack narrative falls apart and the alternative kidnapping/ransom narrative emerges, TN stops being the family spokesperson. JMO, but a changing narrative raises red flags, especially if (and we have no way of knowing this, but TN might) the initial narrative was built on "facts" that have since been revealed as untrue. MOO.

^^^^^^
Thanks Hoosierfan. Timeline does paint a picture in my opinion only of course.

 

[zecats]

Thanks for reposting that. I see that I'm wrong about the two bikes facing the same direction. They are facing the opposite direction.
Also, there's a strand of something down by the chain ring. Is that a coated wire for a lock?

Yes - right under his arm you can see in it the background on the bike.

Once again - photo and caption. Says Tuesday - which Tuesday? May 12? Or 19th?

 

[Truecolors]

If the father is the perp, wouldn't he anticipate his daughters would be concerned at not being able to communicate with their mother on Mother's Day?

JMO

If the father is the perp and this was an argument that boiled out of control (my personal suspicion), then I do think he’d realize after the fact that Mother’s Day is going to be a problem. The daughters are going to expect to talk to her that day, for certain.

But I don’t see that influencing the timing of the event either way, just the damage control after the fact.

If this is a case of domestic murder, the perp may “blame” the victim for “making him do it”. In his own head, I mean. He may not take responsibility for the act or the horrible timing and the extra pain that may cause his daughters. It might actually make him angry at the victim.

MOO, speculation only.

 

[Warwick7]

ITA

Shaking one's head "no" while speaking is one of the biggest tells that a person is lying.

Lying is hard on the psyche and the mind does not want to participate so it signals "no" to the viewer.

If I had to guess I'd say a lot of rehearsing went into that short performance and then, Whoops! the old brain gave it away! My opinion only.

Altho I agree with everthing you just said. I do remember the press conference with Clint Heichel, when his wife Whitney was missing. He shook his head back and forth as he spoke. He had nothing to do with her murder. It was their neighbor.
As for SM's husband, his headshaking bothers me.

 

[Madeleine74]

The problem is getting 2nd 3rd and 4th hand information. Someone told someone something that is reported in the media and it might not be accurate.

Example: SM was known to ride her bike before church on Sundays. Is that true? Or did someone tell someone else who assumed it was accurate and then told others? See how that works...it's very easy to be misled and for incorrect info to be spread far and wide.

 

[Madeleine74]

Altho I agree with everthing you just said. I do remember the press conference with Clint Heichel, when his wife Whitney was missing. He shook his head back and forth as he spoke. He had nothing to do with her murder. It was their neighbor.
As for SM's husband, his headshaking bothers me.

Did he shake his head back 'n forth as he said he loved her and wanted her back?