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

[carbuff]

Gannon...
Suzanne has an “admirer”, either in her sphere of influence or BM’s . They have knowledge of her habits and the remoteness of her home, and also BM’s absence that weekend.
They have been watching and waiting, for some time, perhaps developing a casual acquaintance, waiting for an opportunity.

So the weekend ride provides a bit of a good chance for plan to work...he is waiting for her to reach a certain point to have that chance meeting, even “causing her to jam brakes, offers to drop her off at home, throws bike in vehicle. She knows and trusts him, but as the route veers from her homeward path, she becomes alarmed, throws out the personal item... he restrains or knocks her out, and continues on their was.

he has knowledge of her bike ride route and stages bike along this.

this is just wild speculation, but the more of these we rule out, the more the probability of BMs guilt, several variations on this one.
JMO, if course.

Now, admirer could be someone in their old life, new life( bike club, church, BM’s work force, firefighters family, large suspect pool!

I can see a lot to support this theory.

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

Any recent changes to a life insurance policy or a new policy?

 

[Steelslady]

I've been checking everyday...nothing yet.

Last I saw she wasn't on the FBI list, either.

 

[scapa]

Sociopathy?

I don't think so, at least not in most cases. Whatever it's conceptual cracks and frailties, sociopathy is such a specific diagnosis, with a fairly high diagnostic bar, and there are far too many crimes where terrible things are done to victims who don't in any way deserve it, committed by people who don't seem to fit most, let alone all of those or other commonly-applied criteria. The Delphi Murders, maybe. A spousal killing, committed for profit? Probably not, in my limited and non-clinical understanding.

This case may turn out to be the work of a random, opportunistic sociopath. But the likely investigative direction seems to point towards someone known to her, either as the result of an altercation or a calculation that her passing would be expedient, either financially or otherwise. I don't of course see the world that way, but our jails and prisons hold plenty of people who did. Maybe they're all sociopaths, but I remember a case I saw in court as a kid of 14 or so (my dad was a litigator and judge) where the murderer said (paraphrasing) "I did not enjoy what I did and I wish I hadn't done it, but X was in my way and I knew I would resent and hate X for the rest of my life unless I was free of X, permanently. So I took the chance."

Was he a sociopath? Maybe, though nothing in his history to that point seemed to indicate it, and the prosecution went through it with a fine-toothed comb. He was found guilty,

 

[TKG]

<modsnip>

MOO A few days prior to being reported missing, the cameras mysteriously stopped working. SM had mentioned to her father in passing her brakes were jammed but she wanted to start riding more and have them fixed. Her phone sent a text indicating she was heading out for a ride on MD, likely her daughters had been trying to reach her for days. Maybe TN knew the condition of the bike because it too, was inoperable. The daughters not satisfied with answers called the neighbor to check.

All just speculation and MOO.

 

[TKG]

My first WebSleuths's post.

A few things we do know:
-neighbor calls 911 (Chaffee County woman missing since Sunday after neighbor said she went out for bike ride)
-rigorous LE search starts right away (Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, CBI, FBI now investigating disappearance of Maysville area woman)
-house cordoned off (when did this happen?) (Authorities cordon off home of missing Chaffee County woman)
-family offer cash reward for return of SZ early on (WATCH: Chaffee County Sheriff gives update about missing woman)
-the much cited BM video appeal suggests foul play/abduction (Missing Colorado woman's husband releases video pleading for her safe return - KRDO)
-no description of missing person at time of disappearance, no last seen date, etc.

If the 2 MMs contacted the neighbor and asked her to check on their mom, could the neighbor have seen "something" that triggered an immediate call to 911 (as opposed to her getting back in touch with the daughters)? [I'm thinking here of an open door or sign of forced entry, sign of struggle or injury, a message, alarm going off with no one home, rotting food on counter, 2 weeks of newspapers in the driveway, etc.] Could that same "something" have led LE to focus investigation (eg, definitely not an animal attack), hence cordoning off of home, family offering cash reward, BM video theme, etc? I suppose this is why so many folks have asked about the content of the 911 call.

I am following this WS discussion with morbid fascination and am impressed by the knowledge this group brings to the table.

Welcome and a great first post! Kicking the lingo, posting links. You are a natural!

 

[Fireflize]

My first WebSleuths's post.

A few things we do know:
-neighbor calls 911 (Chaffee County woman missing since Sunday after neighbor said she went out for bike ride)
-rigorous LE search starts right away (Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, CBI, FBI now investigating disappearance of Maysville area woman)
-house cordoned off (when did this happen?) (Authorities cordon off home of missing Chaffee County woman)
-family offer cash reward for return of SZ early on (WATCH: Chaffee County Sheriff gives update about missing woman)
-the much cited BM video appeal suggests foul play/abduction (Missing Colorado woman's husband releases video pleading for her safe return - KRDO)
-no description of missing person at time of disappearance, no last seen date, etc.

If the 2 MMs contacted the neighbor and asked her to check on their mom, could the neighbor have seen "something" that triggered an immediate call to 911 (as opposed to her getting back in touch with the daughters)? [I'm thinking here of an open door or sign of forced entry, sign of struggle or injury, a message, alarm going off with no one home, rotting food on counter, 2 weeks of newspapers in the driveway, etc.] Could that same "something" have led LE to focus investigation (eg, definitely not an animal attack), hence cordoning off of home, family offering cash reward, BM video theme, etc? I suppose this is why so many folks have asked about the content of the 911 call.

I am following this WS discussion with morbid fascination and am impressed by the knowledge this group brings to the table.

Welcome to Websleuths .

 

[kkdj]

When SM went bike riding did she usually go alone?
If she did, a stalker could have taken her. It's very lonely out there imo and anything could happen and nobody would know, hear or see.
Honestly, those kinds of places scare me. I would feel too vulnerable out there by myself.

 

[TKG]

The sheriff, as well as the bulletins, described a standard grid search covering all of the ground within a 2.5 miles radius of where she was last seen. A 2.5 mile radius creates a 5 miles circle. In this Google Earth Aerial view which I posted last week, there is a 2000 foot circle. As you can see, up the shoulder of the road, as well as literally every other reasonable location that I can imagine, was search intensely, following the grid pattern. Recently, when LE conducts a grid search, the searchers carry GPS transmitters and their path is logged on a topographic map. Every anomaly or random dog hit is marked, so that it can be investigated further if a need develops. IMO
Source of aerial view: Google Earth, generated entirely in GE

Your expertise is so helpful!

 

[carbuff]

I thought people on this discussion might find this interesting: it happened yesterday south of Bozeman MT.

Grizzly bear attacks man mountain biking in Big Sky

We talked about mountain lions but I don't think we mentioned the possibility of a bear. I would assume it's equally unlikely, but...?

 

[vaporlass]

Coincidentally, after reading these posts, I just clicked on a new thread re: a Memorial Day murder.

I’m linking this post over there as reference / possible insight.

Interesting. I’ve been thinking all day, just how often do women in their 50’s get abducted? murdered? I know there have been “abduction” scenarios suggested but is it even realistic statistic-wise to consider that a 50 year old would get abducted? SM was an exceptionally beautiful woman but what’s the likelihood that a predator took a 50 year old? Isn’t it more likely than a 50 year gets murdered by someone they know? Just wondering what y’all think?

 

[windrower]

Yeah-- I would like to figure out who sent this letter to their old church where they USED to live.

Just Odd to me that it wasn't BM or one of the daughters, and made my hinky meter rise a little bit.

rsabbm

IMO, the email may have been sent by a close family member of SM's who still resides in Indiana, and maybe even attends the church SM and family went to when they lived in Indiana. That person may have even written the email message. But I think the info in the message was given to the email sender was a very calculated way for the message-maker to get some information about SM's disappearance to folks in Indiana.

Very good points! there are only fourteen private properties in the subdivision, and only seven residences on them. Even for those seven, it hard to have a clear short of the street in front of your house when your front yard is a forest and your street.......well......um......isn't much of a street. I'm guessing doorbell cameras are going to do much good. I think LE wants video saved because doorbell cams across the county might have caught the perp as the vehicle drove to the neighborhood with the seven houses. IMO

rsabbm

There are only nine private properties in the same subdivision as the Morphews, which is MONARCH RIVER ESTATES III ROSI (as per the Chaffee County Assessor qPublic.net - Chaffee County, CO - Search).

Of the nine properties, I think four have houses, including the Morphew property. Only one other home is on Puma Path, and one other house with a driveway onto County Rd 225.

Another home not in their subdivision has a house with a driveway onto County Rd 225.

So four houses (which includes Morphews) altogether on the Morphew side of the river.

JR's house, which is the same subdivision as the Morphew home, and another house in a different subdivision but within sight to the Morphew home, are across the river from the Morphews, with a completely different access road to those homes.

As to doorbell cameras, etc., I got the impression it isn't just the houses close to the Morphew home, but properties along Hwy 50 and places in Maysville and other areas that might be of value to LE. But I could sure be wrong about my interpretation of LE's request.

As always, IMO.

 

[Hoosierfan72]

Gannon...
Suzanne has an “admirer”, either in her sphere of influence or BM’s . They have knowledge of her habits and the remoteness of her home, and also BM’s absence that weekend.
They have been watching and waiting, for some time, perhaps developing a casual acquaintance, waiting for an opportunity.

So the weekend ride provides a bit of a good chance for plan to work...he is waiting for her to reach a certain point to have that chance meeting, even “causing her to jam brakes, offers to drop her off at home, throws bike in vehicle. She knows and trusts him, but as the route veers from her homeward path, she becomes alarmed, throws out the personal item... he restrains or knocks her out, and continues on their was.

he has knowledge of her bike ride route and stages bike along this.

this is just wild speculation, but the more of these we rule out, the more the probability of BMs guilt, several variations on this one.
JMO, if course.

Now, admirer could be someone in their old life, new life( bike club, church, BM’s work force, firefighters family, large suspect pool!

Interesting theory. Accounts for the evidence we know (or think we know). It seems less likely than the obvious answer, but this is absolutely plausible, IMO.

 

[Lore Listener]

Grace Church in Salida.

All services have been online for a while. At 9 am on Sundays. Live stream from Mother's day if anyone is interested.

A lot has been said about BM & SM's church in Salida. I listened to about half of the Mother's Day sermon and heard the importance of "obedient mothers" stressed several times. Which would be a very unusual thing to hear at the churches and temples I have visited and attended, so I looked over the link to the church's "constitution" and bylaws, here: http://www.gracechurchsalida.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Constitution-revision-1.30.19-FINAL.pdf

This is a very, very conservative/fundamentalist church, indeed. I would not be shocked if one or both of BM & SM did not consider divorce an option, or at the very least were concerned about the hit their reputation/image might take in that community. I believe churches at this level of conservatism often consider the male in the marriage the "God-ordained head of household."

I think these beliefs must have absolutely had some impact on the dynamics of the marriage that must be considered in any assessment of the likelihood of murder/suicide/conflict/DV/motive/etc.

 

[Melrose]

Interesting. I’ve been thinking all day, just how often do women in their 50’s get abducted? murdered? I know there have been “abduction” scenarios suggested but is it realistic that a 50 year old would get abducted? SM was an exceptionally beautiful woman but what’s the likelihood that a predator took a 50 year old? Isn’t it more likely than a 50 year gets murdered by someone they know? Just wondering what y’all think?

She looks very youthful, so may have been mistaken for a lady much younger than 49 in the heat of the moment, or from a distance.

MOO. JMO.

 

[MagicKingdom]

After following this case through 8 different threads without having an account, I finally joined in.

I'm in an interesting position, as I have personally met and interacted with SM, MM, and MM a few times (but never BM), but would not go so far as to consider myself a family friend or in any way close to them - just brief acquaintances over a few years, only connected through social media now. While I have nothing new or interesting to add, thanks everyone for staying so committed and searching for the truth. It's been a great place to keep up with things as they happen as we all grow more desperate for answers.

Coincidentally, I also personally knew one of the victims of the Delphi Murders - I wish I had known about this site back then.

You all rock.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Last I saw she wasn't on the FBI list, either.

Neither the missing or the kidnapped lists, either. I checked a few days ago.
Then again, according to the CCSO daily updates, they list the FBI's involvement in this case as the ERT (Evidence Response Team).
I'm pretty sure there aren't any agents investigating her disappearance, they're just there to collect evidence the way they're trained to do it.

 

[vaporlass]

If they were recording...IMO (and operable)

Yes the rumors were they were NOT working that week but those were rumors ... interesting though because I heard it early in the beginning of all of this ... I’d love to know if it’s true or not. I’ve had security for years and never had a single issue with it working.

 

[MrX]

An animal is not going to clean up physical evidence. A family that knows they are innocent will not remain silent - they will be out searching every day and screaming from the roof tops. How many cases have we seen where family and friends are organizing daily searches, having pressers, etc.?

What are the other options?
1) She did a runner. Seems LE would know that and not be tearing up concrete weeks after the fact.
2) She was abducted. Considering that Amber Alerts are the Gold Standard for child abductions, I would think the same would apply to adults and they'd be bombarding us with "be on the lookout for this woman" messages.

Have we ever seen anything this? Closest I can think of is the Michelle Parker case and that family was constantly searching and doing interviews.

 

[cody22]

After following this case through 8 different threads without having an account, I finally joined in.

I'm in an interesting position, as I have personally met and interacted with SM, MM, and MM a few times (but never BM), but would not go so far as to consider myself a family friend or in any way close to them - just brief acquaintances over a few years, only connected through social media now. While I have nothing new or interesting to add, thanks everyone for staying so committed and searching for the truth. It's been a great place to keep up with things as they happen as we all grow more desperate for answers.

Coincidentally, I also personally knew one of the victims of the Delphi Murders - I wish I had known about this site back then.

You all rock.

Welcome to the forum....moo