Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #14

[CronesEye]

I totally agree. Perhaps the homeowner is construction savvy, and felt the search was extensive enough. I personally want that reassurance. W/o being on the ground I really am confident here, concrete work is
Complex, there are rocks thruout that have to be worked down to get the smooth top, there is rebar, pipes, and so on. What you say is 100% correct, I would probably have demanded that LE clear my foundationIMO the owner was the driving force here... If construction is continuing that tells me homeowner is satisfied... key point also BM would have been obvious if he had been around, and anything he did would have taken a significant amount of effort and time. This is kinda big, for me...I am not trying to convince anyone, but I can actually check this off my own checklist.

My husband thinks he is in charge... our children know otherwise. This tells me more about Suzanne than BM. She is comfortable having him take charge, not threatened.

You know more about concrete than I do, I have only done small projects.
We all come from different perspectives to understand a particular scenario, thank you so much for sharing.

 

[Nerissa]

IMO, the FBI would not be wasting their time faking a big dig just to try and play head games. That would be a huge waste of time, money, damage to property owner's concrete pad. It would not happen.

Yeah..imagine you're correct. Though I wouldn't say they had NO reason to search there....more the way it was handled could indicate that other motives were at play.....

I think FBI could be pretty darn secretive if they wish: noting 9 other major searches that we, the public, had zero information of as a case in point (assuming the one we do know of is 1 of 10)

I find it interesting LE even mentioned the precise number of searches.

I don't think LE says anything that's anything less than calculated

JMO

 

[Warwick7]

Based on anecdotal evidence from SM's relatives who referred to him as a take charge guy or always being in control.

What evidence? Did I miss something?

 

[Lilypad13]

Someone else had a very good response to this, pouring concrete is not a one man process, there had to be numerous people, involved...we were so all in on the guilty wagon...
My husband could explain better, concrete sets up and this keeps everything moving... different sections poured and by time one section was poured the one before is already setting up...
We don’t know overlap of crews, either. Has anyone verified that BM was ever there w/o multiple people around.
I CAN ACTUALLY LAY THIS TO REST!!We actually poured our own concrete driveway at our previous house... it was crazy, but hubby and another guy alternated, we’d pour a section approx 20x 15feet(give or take) at our house and the the same at his house...The layers would show disturbances.

This I know, I was the scooby person, I’d take trowel and scooby the edges to get any air pockets out, this strengthened them.
By the time concrete workers left that site in Salida, much of the slab would have been setting up, it is doubtful they would have been able to leave before this process, was well underway. and likely someone would have covered it w poly sheets. If the workers had seen any disturbance the next morning it would have stood out and they would have honed in on that area, almost impossible to rework after putting anything in. Concrete is complicated...
It would not be possible to go in after all workers left, and even harder while crews working! JMO
I am 100% certain that BM did NOT put anything there, based on my experience. ( whell, 99.999999999999% sure, I have to keep my little toe touching fence)

I thought the speculation was that BM or someone else or several people together could have buried SM under the DIRT BEFORE the concrete was poured? Was that not possible. I don’t have time to look back right now but someone probably knows when the concrete was poured? TIA

 

[alleyoop24]

Regarding more searches / not enough searches, etc in the area. I've hiked and biked in that general part of Chaffee County. Not specifically that particular place where the bike was reportedly found, but the terrain is pretty similar.

Not only is the terrain steep once you leave the flattish areas away from water and the residential areas, in many places, there is a lot of dead-fall that makes it very slow going even for the nimble on foot. Reasonably, you wouldn't leave the trail if you were carrying a body, you probably wouldn't bike off-path there with so much good trail and jeep road nearby, an animal of the local non-imaginary sort couldn't drag you there to eat you, and even if you had one of those wheeled hunter carts you'd have a hard time. You're stepping over trees that are shin-high and higher. If you were disoriented, injured, and walking around lost, going uphill would be a major undertaking. If you went the "easy" way, downhill or flat, there are only so many places you can end up there because of the lay of the land.

So a foot search over huge area for a person wouldn't be very useful. Assuming trackers and dogs are effective, it seems unlikely you'd be able to get very far on foot without them finding you or your trail, if you could physically do it. The vegetation would make it very difficult to leave the trail on any sort of transportation.

If the perp or victim had a horse or llamas or something, then I guess that opens a possibility for transporting a human, but I haven't seen anyone say that domesticated trekking animals are in the picture.

Searches on jeep trails and dirt roads that go into the backcountry but are accessible by a high-clearance AWD or an ATV of some sort would make more sense to do than lots of foot searches. Some do have very steep dropoffs to the side of them, and some lead into heavily wooded but not heavily traveled areas. I don't know that they searched them, but they seem to know what they are doing to so I'm going to guess they did. In mid-May there was still enough snow above about 10,500-10,800 ft altitude to cut off access to most vehicles on trails and roads. To then try to accompany those vehicles with dogs everywhere would be a crazy hard undertaking without some sort of specific information to guide you, so it would be really hard to find anything that wasn't on the trail or road, I would think.

So, IMO, I think the wilderness searches in the area were probably very reasonable w/o specific leads to narrow the location, because otherwise it's an enormous and very difficult location to search.

 

[oviedo]

Good point. Most intimate partners who are involved in the disappearance (and murder) of their partner think no one beyond some immediate family will care. They never fathom how quickly it will become news, how big that news will become, how it will be known on several continents. I guarantee most of them are shocked by that.

Yes I agree it reminds me of PAtrick Frazee and Fotis Dulos a bit
Imo
eta PF

 

[LietKynes]

The property owner said LE used sonar or ground penetrating radar. Nothing I can find on whether any dogs were at the site. However, several MSM reporters said when they showed up on Friday May 22 they learned that investigators had started searching the day before. So we have no photos or video of the first day. Moo

Finding Suzanne Morphew: Investigators Search Husband's Job Site Near Salida

SALIDA, Colo. (CBS4) — A residential construction site is now the focus of the search for Suzanne Morphew, a Colorado woman who was reported missing from her Chaffee County home on Mother’s Day. The property owner confirmed to CBS4’s Rick Sallinger that Suzanne’s husband was hired to lay dirt on the riverfront land, located east of Salida.

The owner of the property told CBS4’s Rick Sallinger that he has known Barry Morphew for three weeks. The river front property was undergoing improvement. Concrete was laid over the dirt.

The property owner has told others that investigators have been using an x-ray type device to try to see through the concrete.

Bumping your great post. ^^^

I want to know what kind of 'tip' would lead LE in that direction and to take such invasive steps ?
More than just "she's missing and BM did some work there..." ?
Imo.

 

[Lilypad13]

Wichita police: Body pulled from Ninnescah River is not Savannah Schneider
They body we discussed that was found in the river (near or in a box) was not that of the missing Wichita woman. They are still working to ID the body...

Really? Wow I just saw this...thanks! The way the river flows and all the damns etc I had almost written this off. But if someone drove there and dumped the box/safe into the water. Someone who was familiar with the route? Maybe still a possibility? How long will it take to ID? Wouldn’t they check the DNA with SM’s? How long does that take?? I feel certain several experts on here could walk us through their type of process. Please & TIA!

 

[gamma gal]

I totally agree. Perhaps the homeowner is construction savvy, and felt the search was extensive enough. I personally want that reassurance. W/o being on the ground I really am confident here, concrete work is
Complex, there are rocks thruout that have to be worked down to get the smooth top, there is rebar, pipes, and so on. What you say is 100% correct, I would probably have demanded that LE clear my foundationIMO the owner was the driving force here... If construction is continuing that tells me homeowner is satisfied... key point also BM would have been obvious if he had been around, and anything he did would have taken a significant amount of effort and time. This is kinda big, for me...I am not trying to convince anyone, but I can actually check this off my own checklist.

My husband thinks he is in charge... our children know otherwise. This tells me more about Suzanne than BM. She is comfortable having him take charge, not threatened.

Well... it may have been easier for her to let him be in charge, but my theory is that her demise came when she objected....moo

 

[Murphy1950]

I thought the speculation was that BM or someone else or several people together could have buried SM under the DIRT BEFORE the concrete was poured? Was that not possible. I don’t have time to look back right now but someone probably knows when the concrete was poured? TIA

I agree that was the only viable speculation, that would have been possible....But I doubt it, especially if Barry was a solo act. Don't think his buddies/employees would help bury Suzanne. The slab would have been prepared the day before, leveled, possibly gravel added etc. I would find it hard to believe that not anyone standing around before the pour would not notice if there was some disturbance to the pad. You'd notice it. OK, so say they poured anyways, never suspecting a body but the disturbance would would stick in your mind to report if asked. I don't think LE was looking for a body, maybe an object....Fitbit, phone, that Barry could have easily slipped in unnoticed.

 

[gamma gal]

Really? Wow I just saw this...thanks! The way the river flows and all the damns etc I had almost written this off. But if someone drove there and dumped the box/safe into the water. Someone who was familiar with the route? Maybe still a possibility? How long will it take to ID? Wouldn’t they check the DNA with SM’s? How long does that take?? I feel certain several experts on here could walk us through their type of process. Please & TIA!

Did they ID the body in the Arkansas river in Wichita yet?

 

[Lilypad13]

Good point. Most intimate partners who are involved in the disappearance (and murder) of their partner think no one beyond some immediate family will care. They never fathom how quickly it will become news, how big that news will become, how it will be known on several continents. I guarantee most of them are shocked by that.

Yep, Scott Peterson for example!

 

[CronesEye]

FBI and CBI don't usually do the tasks of community police. It would be very rare. FBI provided its evidence gathering team. This team is not the same as the FBI's case investigation or profiling units. Typically, all that FBI team does is help with electronic data, rapid subpoenas, analysis, and also, new kinds of digital data collection that are developed all the time. For example, once they know the apps on Suzanne's phone and on other phones of interest, the FBI knows a lot about the kind of data one can get from that app company. It's amazing how much data is stored on individuals by various apps (even just game apps, but most families have something they use besides Messenger and FB). Most people have apps that track them (and save all the data) more than they realize. I suspect that's the FBI's main role here.

CBI, OTOH, is more likely to have major bio-forensic capacity than little Chaffee County. Just the examination of the bike, the pollen, the dirt, etc is in their bailiwick and you'd want their expertise if you were LE.

Do you have much experience in following true crime? Because neither the FBI nor CBI has the kind of person power to, for example, add people to on-ground search teams, watch videos collected, or go door to door. Most counties find themselves strained by having to do this kind of thing and we're lucky that Salida is small enough (and the County seat - so more LE resources) for them to do this. It's what you'd expect a small town with a strong sense of compassion and pride to do.

The FBI and CBI are probably now in the shadows, as I have never seen FBI agents go door to door in anything other than issues involving federal crimes (which is what their on-ground teams are trained to do - not state level criminal case crimes). CBI does not, AFAIK, have its own extra personnel at the ready to do this either (nor does any other state bureau that I know of).

I've seen other local services help out if the matters are not too ticklish (Highway Patrol, police from another city in the same county).

Can you give an example of a missing person's case where the FBI or a state bureau did get involved in that way on the ground? Year end stats for missing persons in the US was 612,000 for 2018. Can you imagine the number of agents the federal government would have to employ if it decided to do door-to0-door canvasing in each and every one?

I think it's important to understand just how massive a problem this is (Missing Persons) and how some cases (Suzanne's, Barbara Thomas's, Gannon's) get more press (Suzanne more than Barbara), more attention on WS, etc.

But for every Suzanne there are hundreds of others gone missing with *no* FBI or state level involvement at all. That's a reason that so many of us are interesting in what's happening in Mayville and Salida.

"I think it's important to understand just how massive a problem this is (Missing Persons) and how some cases (Suzanne's, Barbara Thomas's, Gannon's) get more press (Suzanne more than Barbara), more attention on WS, etc."

This is huge for me. My subconscious turns things over when I sleep, so I want to focus on only one case at a time, but the next one I want to go to is one that no one pays attention to or likely won't. Coming from an advocates point of view. No one is more important than anyone else. I am learning from everyone here though, I am new to this.
Also, I think it is important in creating a culture where one would not think it would be possible to get away with this, beyond even wanting to. That means hoisting up our legislation, families, communities, LE, courts; it's a multifaceted issue.
10ofRods, I think things seem to be getting worse. It seems more people come up missing all the time. At home and abroad. To me this is not progress. It isn't good for anyone.

 

[Lilypad13]

I agree that was the only viable speculation, that would have been possible....But I doubt it, especially if Barry was a solo act. Don't think his buddies/employees would help bury Suzanne. The slab would have been prepared the day before, leveled, possibly gravel added etc. I would find it hard to believe that not anyone standing around before the pour would not notice if there was some disturbance to the pad. You'd notice it. OK, so say they poured anyways, never suspecting a body but the disturbance would would stick in your mind to report if asked. I don't think LE was looking for a body, maybe an object....Fitbit, phone, that Barry could have easily slipped in unnoticed.

I would think if you went in the dark of night and knew how to spread the dirt and put everything back in place it would be possible. But I am not very familiar with construction so I will listen to those who really know & understand the process of laying a foundation. I think that rumor is stuck in my head that we aren’t allowed to talk about.

 

[GordianKnot]

Good point. Most intimate partners who are involved in the disappearance (and murder) of their partner think no one beyond some immediate family will care. They never fathom how quickly it will become news, how big that news will become, how it will be known on several continents. I guarantee most of them are shocked by that.

It's mind-boggling to me.

SM went missing in Colorado....COLORADO, of all places!
It isn't as though Colorado hasn't had numerous extremely high-profile cases in recent years, cases that received extensive national and international MSM coverage.

Someone is either staggeringly dumb, completely desperate, incredibly overconfident, or all of the above.

I'm going with "D," all of the above.

Final Answer.

JMO.

 

[gamma gal]

We don't know who or when the concrete was poured. It's possible that BM only supplied the dirt, graded and tamped or he may have hired the cement subcontractor at a later date and they set the rebar and poured.
We do know they used some sort of equipment and dug up a slab so they had to either be going on a positive result for something or even going on a tip.
There's a myriad of possibilities so there's really nothing to get that excited about.

And just where did he get this dirt???? Could she be there???

 

[Nerissa]

[QUOTEMadeleine74 said: ↑
Good point. Most intimate partners who are involved in the disappearance (and murder) of their partner think no one beyond some immediate family will care. They never fathom how quickly it will become news, how big that news will become, how it will be known on several continents. I guarantee most of them are shocked by that.]
(sorry quote function screwy)

People who murder, most especially those who murder loved ones & even then, absent any 'crime of passion', are the type of people who simply don't care about those they kill

They are selfish, abusive, sociopaths, psychopaths, narcissists etc etc

It doesn't occur to them that people feel, care about anyone aside from themselves much less a stranger because they don't care about anyone aside from themselves

They figure no one gives a hoot & it'll all just go away just like they want: & they always get what they want

Everything is all about them all of the time - if you aren't on board with that: well then....watch out

If BM is guilty - this is about image & entitlement & how finances affected that

JMO

 

[gamma gal]

I thought the speculation was that BM or someone else or several people together could have buried SM under the DIRT BEFORE the concrete was poured? Was that not possible. I don’t have time to look back right now but someone probably knows when the concrete was poured? TIA

Or, perhaps not the body but other pertinent paraphernalia was buried in the dirt.... moo

 

[Warwick7]

"No matter how small or insignificant something may seem, it could be that key piece of information that help investigators locate Suzanne,” Medina said. “Even if you just recall something that may have seemed out of the ordinary at the time, report that information — it doesn’t matter that it’s a month later. Investigators still want to know."

After 1 month and few updates, CBI says ‘a high level of commitment’ remains in Suzanne Morphew case

 

[GoBuckeyes]

"I think it's important to understand just how massive a problem this is (Missing Persons) and how some cases (Suzanne's, Barbara Thomas's, Gannon's) get more press (Suzanne more than Barbara), more attention on WS, etc."

This is huge for me. My subconscious turns things over when I sleep, so I want to focus on only one case at a time, but the next one I want to go to is one that no one pays attention to or likely won't. Coming from an advocates point of view. No one is more important than anyone else. I am learning from everyone here though, I am new to this.
Also, I think it is important in creating a culture where one would not think it would be possible to get away with this, beyond even wanting to. That means hoisting up our legislation, families, communities, LE, courts; it's a multifaceted issue.
10ofRods, I think things seem to be getting worse. It seems more people come up missing all the time. At home and abroad. To me this is not progress. It isn't good for anyone.

I like this!! ....."That means hoisting up our legislation, families, communities, LE, courts; it's a multifaceted issue."