Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #13

[carbuff]

I keep hoping for news.

 

[TruthIsStranger]

There should not have to be a legal requirement. Also an absence of requirements by no means justifies a lack of transparency and accountability for how taxpayers money and confidence is being maintained. Nor does a lack of legislated requirement invalidate the public frustration when no transparency is offered.

What do you want to know from LE specifically?

 

[TxGidget]

I am unclear what the reporting standards are for Colorado, so I may be missing something otherwise obvious, but I am a bit confused as to why cops were so quick to mobilize because a neighbor said someone seemed to be out late from a bike ride they believed they were on?

In many other jurisdiction there would be a requirement for more than that before mobilizing, as well a deamnd that a family member file a report. Jumping on a phone call from a neighbor just seems odd to me.

Is this a norm in Colorado?

Oh, just one more thing - Why are some some family members such as her Nephew, running a ******** for things like;

-Supporting the wellbeing of Suzanne's family.
-Food for family and volunteers.
-Housing accommodations for family.
-Compensating family and volunteers for their time spent away from work and with the Morphew family.
https://www.********.com/f/suzanne-morphew

Are these not things that her husband would be coordinating (especially the first item of that list) and apparently more than able to fund given the area they live, the multiple real and business assets (Suzanne Morphew Missing: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com) as well as he fact that he initially was able to offer $100k for info leading to her location then later able simply double that to $200k?

Are not Suzanne's family and her husband working together to locate her?

I believe the nephew is on BM’s side of the family, and for at least a little while TN was the M family spokesman. So his side has initiated the G******* account. Have we heard anything from her relatives?

 

[Warwick7]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed> Sheriff Spezze told CBS that the case is not a criminal investigation at this point but the possibility of foul play has not been ruled out....

Suzanne Morphew Missing: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

 

[Feistyomi]

I agree, <modsnip>. She seems very close to her daughter's; I can't see her "choosing" BM over them. I understand it's difficult for many women to leave an abusive situation but often times it's due to lack of means and/or support. Especially after recently beating cancer. I'm sure she had an amazing support system that didn't disappear on her when she recovered. And would the adult daughter really consent to this guardianship if she or any of her mom's family had doubts?

I can't decide if I think he's guilty but I lean towards not. He, and his demeanor, remind me of my son's father. He doesn't deal well with public display of emotion, and is very awkward and inarticulate with it. Incidentally he is also a very saavy, intelligent contractor,excellent in his field but often times, outside of that he can come off as
kind of a big doofus. He's also a huge BullSh*tter and can have a convo with anyone. I get this same vibe from BM.
I imagine if I were to go missing he'd behave exactly as he did when our beloved
dog was missing, but he'd be dying on the inside and looking much like BM, like he's aged a decade in a week.

IMO

ITA you said it so well, IMO Suzanne was probably the family spokesperson, and BM stayed out of the limelight. One reason he isn’t in the pxs of the three gals, he was behind camera. The px w/ his arm over her shoulder is such a lovely px. She absolutely glows and I see nothing to indicate that she is anything but totally secure in his gentle gesture. Your description of your son’s father is true of so many men. I suspect BM is one of those. He strikes me as a big teddy bear! He HAS aged and become scruffier w/ the passing days.
BM reminds me of my son, w/o my DIL to take care of him, he would soon revert to his childhood sloppiness.
if this is a random abduction, IMO BM truly has no direction to focus the hidden bear.
That’s what I saw in the second video. I prefer to say the bear in BM only comes out when his family is in danger, and that was part of the flailing arms. Nowhere to direct that energy.

 

[Madeleine74]

LE does not need help from the public in every single case. Sometimes murders happen without witnesses and the murderer never tells a soul. How could the public possibly know anything in a case like that?

Good point. Cases for some segment of the public are 'entertainment,' for lack of a better word. LE not providing info enrages those folks who feel entitled to it.

Of course here on WS justice for the victim is the goal, with cases ending with a successful and fair prosecution of the perp(s).

 

[BeckyF]

BBM:

1) We don't know what evidence LE has collected.
There is no factual basis for claiming "a month and nothing."

2) Many, many husbands/wives have been arrested months, even years, after murdering their spouses.
The length of time an investigation takes has absolutely nothing to do with spousal guilt/innocence.

3) Claiming that "it's always the husband," is no more true than saying that "it's never the husband."
However, LE cannot and should not turn a blind eye to the statistical probabilities.
That doesn't mean they don't consider other possibilities, and follow up on leads that may point them in
another direction.

4) The belief that, "If I can't see anything going on, nothing must be happening," is a fallacy.
We can't see what LE's doing behind the scenes.
That doesn't mean they're not making progress.

JMO.

Thank you. You have more patience than I do.

 

[Megnut]

Some third party discussion of maintaining silence

‘We’re in the dark’: Missing Suzanne Morphew’s family waits and worries two weeks after Colorado mom’s mysterious disappearance [EXCLUSIVE]

 

[LietKynes]

I believe the nephew is on BM’s side of the family, and for at least a little while TN was the M family spokesman. So his side has initiated the G******* account. Have we heard anything from her relatives?

bbm
Aside from a brief blurb expressing doubt as to whether Suzanne actually went on a 'bike ride', no, they have been silent.
Make of that what you will.

It does not sound promising --b/c if LE thought she'd been abducted or lost --they'd encourage Suzanne's family to speak out !
LE have good reasons in many cases to ask the family not to say anything.
The article and link are in the media timeline thread.

 

[theyellowtape]

Great questions! I can only reply to one of them. Chaffee county is an outdoor recreation paradise that is subject to more than it's share of disasters like runaway fires and bad traffic accidents. A high number of human beings get lost, and the situation can escalate rapidly due to the extremes of conditions in the mountains. Rapid response is a cornerstone of what Chaffee county residents expect from their tax dollars, and the constantly improving record for rapid response is a plank in every John Spezze election campaign platform. So, my answer is YES, the rapid and heavy LE response to a report of a Chaffee county resident missing from a bike ride was pretty normal. It's what they do, and they do it well. IMO

Thanks for the insight.

 

[marylamby]

bbm
Great post !!! ^^^
Good questions and tbh they are cringe-inducing for someone who supposedly cared about their spouse.
MOO
<modsnip: Snarky comments or insinuations are not allowed>


I wanted to add that the swift response of LE would make it appear that they sensed something horribly wrong from the start.
Not sure what that is, but I'm thinking someone could have called about life insurance for a missing and presumed deceased Suzanne ?
As in-- 'hey, she's gone and could be dead. Where's my money ?'
Or something to that effect.
Sounds totally crazy but there could be many reasons for the unusual response.

The mother of BM is also on the crowd funding page; and there's no mention of anyone on Suzanne's side of the family.
My .02 --- I doubt that Suzanne's family will receive any of it.
It's one thing to say that funds will go to the 'wellbeing of Suzanne's family' ; and quite another to actually hand over the money.
Fwiw, I do not see that happening.
If any of that is to go to Suzanne's relatives, why aren't any of them named on the crowd funding page ?
Maybe the two families are working together but it doesn't appear that way; imo.

Technically, the ARE SM's family, by marriage. Her birth relatives aren't named because they wont benefit from the G**. I doubt they are even in CO, likewise her daughters.
That left a really foul taste in my mouth, too. Along with a bit of teeth grinding.

 

[Warwick7]

There is incredible silence on the part of LE.

The very little we have has spoke volumes to me:

1. Sheriff Spezze stated the case is not a criminal investigation at this point...

2. possibility of foul play has not been ruled out....

3. BM is cooperating, we hope he continues to do so.

4. LE have stated that this is not an animal attack.

5. LE digging up property of where BM worked.

These point can not be ignored.

 

[Songbird1973]

I am unclear what the reporting standards are for Colorado, so I may be missing something otherwise obvious, but I am a bit confused as to why cops were so quick to mobilize because a neighbor said someone seemed to be out late from a bike ride they believed they were on?

In many other jurisdiction there would be a requirement for more than that before mobilizing, as well a deamnd that a family member file a report. Jumping on a phone call from a neighbor just seems odd to me.

Is this a norm in Colorado?

Yes, it is normal for LE to immediately begin searching if someone could be lost in that area. My siblings went for a little hike several miles from Suzanne's home, and my mom and I got nervous when they didn't come back to the area we had picniced at. I called LE and they sent a deputy immediately to talk to us. He said he would drive up a non-public road in the area to see if he could see them, and then he would call search and rescue. The group returned before he got back, and we were embarrassed, but he said if there's any chance someone could be lost, they preferred to start searching immediately so they didn't become "more lost."

 

[LietKynes]

I havent seen it either. It's such a pivotal piece of information, that I would remember. I would very much like to see a link too, because it may well help to explain some of BM's behaviours which lead us to suspect him.

Fwiw, in the earliest day(s) of Suzanne's "disappearance" --that was the time for her husband to speak up.
To say after a day or two that it was "Too early" didn't sit well with many people and possibly LE as well.

I doubt very much that LE told the family they couldn't hold a press conference and let people know what to look for and a more recent photo that was taken a year ago or more.
Certainly the husband could have held a presser in the first day or two.

If the family on Suzanne's side has been advised that LE are working an active investigation, they may have decided to let LE do their job.
They may have not spoken or provided a more recent photo and clothing description because LE told them she is not missing.
MOO.
There could be many more reasons for the continued silence that won't be clear until there's a break in this case.
So frustrating.
But if LE can be patient than, so should we.

The first presser had LE saying this was a criminal investigation, according to the links in the media thread.
This is an open criminal investigation,” Spezze said during a brief interview.
Missing Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew: husband offers $100k reward

Sheriff Spezze has since said that it (criminal investigation) cannot be ruled out.
I think he has been very careful with his words.
Kudos to him and to the other law enforcement and investigative agencies working this case !

Imo.

 

[carbuff]

I hadn't had a chance to look at SM's Namus page until today. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

And I think I'm ruling out (in my own head, for myself only) several possibilities.

The page belongs to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office. And it says, without qualification, "Suzanne Morphew went missing on 05/10/2020 while on a bicycle ride on County Road 225 and West Highway 50, located in unincorporated Chaffee County."

It hasn't even got the "reportedly" from the sheriff's press release.

 

[LietKynes]

I hadn't had a chance to look at SM's Namus page until today. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

And I think I'm ruling out (in my own head, for myself only) several possibilities.

The page belongs to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office. And it says, without qualification, "Suzanne Morphew went missing on 05/10/2020 while on a bicycle ride on County Road 225 and West Highway 50, located in unincorporated Chaffee County."

It hasn't even got the "reportedly" from the sheriff's press release.

Thanks for the link, carbuff !

It's telling that Suzanne's side of the family doubts the 'bike ride'.
They must be so distraught.

 

[brooks]

I think Suzanne was killed by a mountain lion.

 

[theyellowtape]

Yesterday on Fox news in an article on Suzanne, BM's relatives said LE does not want them talking about the case, it might interfere with their investigation. So this is why you don't hear anything from BM!!! I am going to continue looking for the article.

Police say that about every investigation. Bottomline: if people talk about a case, yes, It may hurt the investigation, however it may also help. Why else do many departments now establish and incorporate CRIMINT divisions into their investigations and include activities like monitoring forums like this one for leads?

Law and order is a public duty and cops are to be trusted facilitators of that shared effort, not the sole source of it.

 

[Boxer]

I think Suzanne was killed by a mountain lion.

Why do you think so?

 

[AllGrace]

I think Suzanne was killed by a mountain lion.

Why do you think this? Law enforcement has stated it is unlikely. Mountain lions cannot just carry a body off leaving no evidence. There would be blood, hair, a tooth, a fingernail, a torn piece of clothing, evidence of drag marks or other disturbance in the brush/grass/forest.