Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #8

[Dave F.]

Same location - the parking lot that was not enroute between her house and Foose's Creek?
616 meters is 2011 feet.

View attachment 248742

I'm pretty confidant that the staff write who came up with that tagline looked it up Google Earth and used the ruler function, getting 2000 feet even, as the crow flies. I think I got 2006 feet from the garage doors of the house to the covered spillway of Fooses Lake Dam, which I thought someone might have confused with a bridge. The 2000 foot red line on MY Google Earth Aerial View is centered just inside the area of the first garage door from the main house, a spot where I imagined SM might have come out of the garage with her bicycle. IMO

 

[otto]

I found the photo that was used in another article that said the dive team was in a lake. I can't find that article, I am sorry, otto, I tried, but this photo was captioned as them being in a lake elsewhere:

The photo comes from this article:

Home of missing Chaffee County woman released back to family

You have to scroll way down to find this photo, so I posted it just so folks can see it without going crazy looking for it.

I don't know if this helps, otto!

It's surprising how shallow and deep it is within a few feet! It must be cold mountain run-off, good for hypothermia.

 

[pocketaccent]

But WHO would know that? Supposedly there was no one home with her that morning. So who would have seen her 'getting her stuff together' and plonking it on her head?

I don't think anyone saw Suzanne with her helmet on Mothers Day. She may be found later with the said helmet on though. Not alive.

Staging the scene completed by her killer.

-She went on a bike ride
-Kidnapped by a ruthless crazy killer
-______to death

IMO and speculation

 

[otto]

Thank you t so much for tracking down the water search photos and confirming that they are in the area of Foose's Lake (at Foose's Dam) and along that waterway.

 

[Satchie]

I don't disagree with you. Over the last several years, there are quite a few cases where LE have not named POI's even though the term has no legal significance. They also have not named suspects. The goal is to preserve the integrity of the investigation and evidence for trial and not to get a conviction in the court of public opinion.

JMO

Depending on circumstances, I think usually police don't want perpetrators to know what evidence they or don't have, or who they suspect. That increases the likelihood of self-incriminating behaviour or speech, from the perp becoming either paranoid, or cocky.

 

[Steelslady]

The CCSD attached 2 photos to their press release dated Sunday 5/17.

May 17 Search Press Release - Chaffee County Sheriff

Thank you, and I am so sorry- I didn't see your post, too. Much appreciated, @Cindizzi !

 

[otto]

I'm pretty confidant that the staff write who came up with that tagline looked it up Google Earth and used the ruler function, getting 2000 feet even, as the crow flies. I think I got 2006 feet from the garage doors of the house to the covered spillway of Fooses Lake Dam, which I thought someone might have confused with a bridge. The 2000 foot red line on MY Google Earth Aerial View is centered just inside the area of the first garage door from the main house, a spot where I imagined SM might have come out of the garage with her bicycle. IMO

Given that the search areas are so close to home, and one evidence marker seems to be outside of her route, it's hard to believe that got too far beyond her house when something went wrong.

 

[pepper 34]

Otto, I have just read about 8 articles trying to find a specific area. All said the same thing- the dive team searched several water ways for Suzanne.

There was a photo of the dive team searching a lake near her home, but I'll be darned if I can find that article with the photo in it! They did search several areas with water, though, according to the articles I went through. I am posting one of them that I just read now so you can see for yourself. I'll keep looking for the article with the dive team in the lake- it was in the first week of her disappearance, so this could take me awhile!

Home of missing Chaffee County woman released back to family


Shortly after her disappearance, investigators searched the Mayville area after deputies found a personal item belonging to Morphew. Dive teams also searched nearby bodies of water, with no results.

Here's a few photos from a water search from DM but no identification of the body of water was named in the article.

 

[Steelslady]

Here's a few photos from a water search from DM but no identification of the body of water was named in the article.

Thank you, @pepper 34 !

Does anyone know of the area where the no fishing sign is posted, lol? I'm on the other coast, I can't help you there!

 

[katydid23]

It appears the girls were bicyclists as well, given the 2 girl's bikes on the SUV, in the DM article. They likely biked with their Mom and knew what color her bike was.
Once it was found it would be very quick and easy to text them a picture of it to confirm.

MOO

I thought about that, but the girls had not been living at home for a time. And, in my opinion unless they were avid bikers themselves, there is no way they could tell the make or model, the color maybe. I see my husband's bike everyday and I could in no way give any information other than color and I would not be sure of that, yet it was definitely identified as hers. What about it, made it HERS so quickly upon being found. MOO MOO MOO

 

[Seattle1]

Just wanted to point out that the article states that BM laid mud prior to her disappearance, not Mother's day weekend. There have been several discussions on here about when he did the work but AFAIK we don't have a confirmation of exactly when it was done.. JMO.

I also recall a reporter stating he spoke to the homeowner who informed him he hired BM 3 weeks ago but again nobody defined the date BM performed the work.

 

[otto]

Although I am sure larger areas were searched, these three areas of interest are very close together.

Base map : qPublic.net - Chaffee County, CO - Map

 

[Dave F.]

Thank you! That is the lake next to Foose's Dam. Is that what leads you to believe that the bike was at the dam (bridge) rather than one of the other bridges in 5-6 mile range?

View attachment 248744
I didn't use a 5-6 mile range. LE has been very specific that they confined their search within a 2.5 mile radius area. Basically, I identified the three bridges, then theorized that the S. Arkansas Bridge would have been approached by her when she was riding away from the house (beginning her ride), while the Fooses Creek road bridge could be either coming or going, and the Fooses Dam bridge could only be when she was on her way home from her ride. So if she did this every Sunday morning, and it was a serious ride, what path did she take? The true trailhead of the Colorado Trail is a turn off of CR 225 which leads into the power line cut. It is 8850 ft elevation at the trails head. The trail heads up the power line cut. There is a popular worn footpath from what is mapped as the lower Colorado Trail that crosses the dam and joins the true Colorado Trail. The trail is clearly traceable all the way to the Monarch Ridge Trail at 11,400 ft, just before it joins the Loop Trail that originates at the viewing at the US 50 summit (Top of Monarch). The bicycle descent trail to Fooses Dam begins at 11,385 ft and drops rapidly to the bridge at 9,100 ft.
The link takes you to a very quick descent of the trail, ending on the flat wooded area up from Fooses Lake
https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=4bf7a9c717334545a908314ab47a3328

]
I didn't use a 5-6 mile range. LE has been very specific that they confined their search within a 2.5 mile radius area. Basically, I identified the three bridges, then theorized that the S. Arkansas Bridge would have been approached by her when she was riding away from the house (beginning her ride), while the Fooses Creek road bridge could be either coming or going, and the Fooses Dam bridge could only be when she was on her way home from her ride. So if she did this every Sunday morning, and it was a serious ride, what path did she take? The true trailhead of the Colorado Trail is a turn off of CR 225 which leads into the power line cut. It is 8850 ft elevation at the trails head. The trail heads up the power line cut. There is a popular worn footpath from what is mapped as the lower Colorado Trail that crosses the dam and joins the true Colorado Trail. The trail is clearly traceable all the way to the Monarch Ridge Trail at 11,400 ft, just before it joins the Loop Trail that originates at the viewing at the US 50 summit (Top of Monarch). The bicycle descent trail to Fooses Dam begins at 11,385 ft and drops rapidly to the bridge at 9,100 ft.
The link takes you to a very quick descent of the trail, ending on the flat wooded area up from Fooses Lake. A still shot from that video is added below, showing exactly what it looks like to first see Fooses Dam Bridge at high speed on a mountain bike. It's possible that someone blocked the bridge, and she veered right of the structure and toward a small boulder field remnant of a creek back there, losing control of the bike and being at the mercy of whoever did this. Or, it could be all my imagination, or any other scenario in between. IMO
MTB Salida - The Mponarch Crest Ride You Should Have Done - Bing video

 

[kkdj]

Personal items were found 2,000 feet from her own house. If I park in in about the center of the parking lot of my Costco store, select some cookies from the bakery, swing back to see if they have Charmin T/P in stock, veer into the fresh veggies to check the asparagus and possible artichokes, go through the checkstand and back to the car, I've walked 2000 feet.
The scariest part of this case is that whatever happened to her was no more distance from her house than a short shopping experience in Costco. IMO

You think something happened to her outside and away from the home? I don't. I think the findings were planted. jmo

 

[pepper 34]

Thank you, @pepper 34 !

Does anyone know of the area where the no fishing sign is posted, lol? I'm on the other coast, I can't help you there!

I can't tell you because I looked for water with a cement barrier that would come up to a person's upper thigh area... and also the sign and couldn't find it. Closest place it looked like to me was the run off area of Fooses Dam where water enters the lake. But, it didn't look enough alike with Google Earth for me to be convinced.

 

[katydid23]

Another option: a random passerby could have "staged" it. They could have seen a bike in the ditch and arranged it where someone coming along would notice it. This random person could have assumed it dropped off a car and someone would certainly come looking for it. And, voilà, there it is.

If a Good Samaritan found the bike in a ditch and 'staged' it so it could be found, I['d think they would come forward by now and say so.

 

[Dave F.]

You think something happened to her outside and away from the home? I don't. I think the findings were planted. jmo

I am making no claim to knowing anything about what happened. I've taken all of the legitimate clues that have been dribbled out to us, and followed them to one scenario that COULD have happened. Nobody else in this forum has even come close to putting together another full scenario, that works. I would like to see as many scenarios as people's vivid imaginations can dream up. One of them might bring her home. IMO

 

[pepper 34]

]
I didn't use a 5-6 mile range. LE has been very specific that they confined their search within a 2.5 mile radius area. Basically, I identified the three bridges, then theorized that the S. Arkansas Bridge would have been approached by her when she was riding away from the house (beginning her ride), while the Fooses Creek road bridge could be either coming or going, and the Fooses Dam bridge could only be when she was on her way home from her ride. So if she did this every Sunday morning, and it was a serious ride, what path did she take? The true trailhead of the Colorado Trail is a turn off of CR 225 which leads into the power line cut. It is 8850 ft elevation at the trails head. The trail heads up the power line cut. There is a popular worn footpath from what is mapped as the lower Colorado Trail that crosses the dam and joins the true Colorado Trail. The trail is clearly traceable all the way to the Monarch Ridge Trail at 11,400 ft, just before it joins the Loop Trail that originates at the viewing at the US 50 summit (Top of Monarch). The bicycle descent trail to Fooses Dam begins at 11,385 ft and drops rapidly to the bridge at 9,100 ft.
The link takes you to a very quick descent of the trail, ending on the flat wooded area up from Fooses Lake. A still shot from that video is added below, showing exactly what it looks like to first see Fooses Dam Bridge at high speed on a mountain bike. It's possible that someone blocked the bridge, and she veered right of the structure and toward a small boulder field remnant of a creek back there, losing control of the bike and being at the mercy of whoever did this. Or, it could be all my imagination, or any other scenario in between. IMO
MTB Salida - The Mponarch Crest Ride You Should Have Done - Bing video

Right where your map "say" Yellow Tape": I noticed during the helicopter video... close to where the video ends... Across Route 50 (on the far side of Route 50) that area is flooded with what's probably snow melt off. It appears dry in all Google Earth shots throughout the years and also on your map. But during the helicopter "tour" it's flooded. I wondered if LE spent any time over there checking that area out. I don't have the link for the helicopter video but maybe someone else does. I'm checking out for the night as it's 3:10 am here... but I don't mind looking for it tomorrow. (Looks like it's quite a bit of flooding, too, but it's impossible to see how deep the water is.)

 

[Dave F.]

One thing to keep in mind is that if she was on her usual ride, when something happened, then it was probably all over with shortly before 11:00 am. The area from Fooses Lake Bridge back to CR 225 (which includes Fooses Creek Bridge) is quite busy on a warm afternoon. Lots of people. The morning hours are mostly for locals, perhaps mostly due to driving distances for day visitors.
Also, the ONLY report to police of strange activity was in the morning hours, according to MSM.
IMO

 

[oviedo]

IMO <modsnip> - I have zero expectations she was alive on Mother’s Day
JMO