Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #18

[scapa]

I’m no bike expert, but that looks like a mountain bike. No idea of the make

Geometry, top tube and front fork look like Santa Cruz to me (I'm a long-time MBer and racer though not based in the US). Quite a few from their range use Maxxis tires as their OEM and the colour looks a bit like the one on an SC a friend rides (pictured below). There a few others that would fit the bill, but the main thing to note perhaps is that these are serious bikes, pricey but excellent, and anything in that 4k range would rock those CO trails.

NOTE: It isn't clear to me from the pix or article whose bike that is. I'd expect anyone riding the trails near the Ms to own something with full suspension, higher-end gear train, disc brakes and profiled pedals tho.

 

[Murphy1950]

Are we sure that is SM's/the found bike? It appears there is another bike between the vehicle and that light blue/teal bike.

No reason to think it's hers or even belongs to anyone in the Morphew family. I would think hers is being held as evidence.

 

[girlhasnoname]

Geometry, top tube and front fork look like Santa Cruz to me (I'm a long-time MBer and racer though not based in the US). Quite a few from their range use Maxxis tires as their OEM and the colour looks a bit like the one on an SC a friend rides (pictured below). There a few others that would fit the bill, but the main thing to note perhaps is that these are serious bikes, pricey but excellent, and anything in that 4k range would rock those CO trails.

NOTE: It isn't clear to me from the pix or article whose bike that is. I'd expect anyone riding the trails near the Ms to own something with full suspension, higher-end gear train, disc brakes and profiled pedals tho.

ITA with your post, and I'd add another possibility might be the Juliana Furtado due to Suzanne's size/frame. Big money for these types and the riders take it seriously, as I believe she did.

 

[Dave F.]

Police and FBI wrap up search at property where missing mom Suzanne Morphew's husband worked | Daily Mail Online
can you tell what kind of bike this is? It may have been discussed already - I'm curious.

There has been much discussion previously about the brand and model of the bike. My best guess is that it is a Salsa Rustler SX Eagle Bike with suggested retail price f $2,649.00 The local dealer is Absolute Bikes of Salida. It is an excellent choice of all-around trail bike for an experienced woman cyclist. IMO

https://salsacycles.com/bikes/rustler/2020_rustler_sx_eagle

https://www.absolutebikes.com/absolute-bikes-brands/

 

[FlyerFan28]

Trek mtb owner here, our tires are Bontrager, not Maxxis.
That looks more like a Santa Cruz Blur Blur

 

[Dave F.]

True. But if you don’t live in a town, you still end up going to town occasionally. Unless BM did all the town stuff and you stayed home 24/7. Do they get their groceries delivered? Does BM only shop? Do they pick up their mail or is there a box somewhere? Guess I need some kind of info on something, anything.

I don't mean to shut any doors.
It's high up Monarch Pass, just below the Continental Divide.........I don't think there was any impulse running to grab some takeout by anyone in the family. That's one of the things that is given up to live the dream lifestyle. <mod snip> The pictures seem to indicate that she shopped local. My guess would be that many people have come forward to LE to report the last time they saw her. LE is not sharing any of that information with the public, which leads me to believe that there is something they don't want the public to know, like who she was with, or who was following her, or even who showed special interest in her.
Also, I believe LE can track all of her movements DOWN Monarch Pass and into towns by her cell phone activity. They should have been able to recover around eleven prior days of activity; and should have been able to get a search warrant first thing Monday morning. They would not need her physical phone to do this.
IMO

 

[kkdj]

There has been much discussion previously about the brand and model of the bike. My best guess is that it is a Salsa Rustler SX Eagle Bike with suggested retail price f $2,649.00 The local dealer is Absolute Bikes of Salida. It is an excellent choice of all-around trail bike for an experienced woman cyclist. IMO

2020 Rustler SX Eagle | Salsa Cycles

https://www.absolutebikes.com/absolute-bikes-brands/

Since this is a professional bike are there groups that get together to ride. Is this sometimes a sociable thing?

 

[DellaC]

Trek mtb owner here, our tires are Bontrager, not Maxxis.
That looks more like a Santa Cruz Blur Blur

Agree.

 

[LietKynes]

yep we are at that point now - no new news so we rehash old stuff. I don't mind, I like being reminded of things I may have forgotten these past 7 weeks.
JMO

Same.

 

[DellaC]

There has been much discussion previously about the brand and model of the bike. My best guess is that it is a Salsa Rustler SX Eagle Bike with suggested retail price f $2,649.00 The local dealer is Absolute Bikes of Salida. It is an excellent choice of all-around trail bike for an experienced woman cyclist. IMO

2020 Rustler SX Eagle | Salsa Cycles

https://www.absolutebikes.com/absolute-bikes-brands/

Agree on thinking the bicycle is Salsa brand. Pricey, but good bikes. My son is proud to sport his Salsa shirt (which is much more affordable than the bikes).

 

[LietKynes]

True. But if you don’t live in a town, you still end up going to town occasionally. Unless BM did all the town stuff and you stayed home 24/7. Do they get their groceries delivered? Does BM only shop? Do they pick up their mail or is there a box somewhere? Guess I need some kind of info on something, anything.

bbm
Agreed.
The person(s) who knows the answer to your questions isn't talking.

Suzanne didn't live all by herself.
There is a husband and two daughters who aren't small infants.
I'm guessing the daughters may not be speaking out of fear, which is understandable.
But the other, who knows ?
It's a mystery.
So you and I as well, may be in for a long wait.
Imo.

 

[FlyerFan28]

Since this is a professional bike are there groups that get together to ride. Is this sometimes a sociable thing?

yep. and her information was recently shared in a ladies mountain biking group that I'm in. No one had any clues.

 

[FlyerFan28]

Bike probably belongs to someone in the search group. Could be a Yeti as they are made in CO.

 

[Ontario Mom]

No, it’s not a fact that she went on a bike ride at all. In fact, many of us believe that the bike ride never occurred in the first place, and the bike was staged.

Using other recent high profile Colorado cases as a guide, the silence of law enforcement is indicative of one thing: they know this is a homicide, and not an abduction.

I think they have a prime suspect, and a rough picture of what occurred. As we don’t know what evidence they have, and because there is no body, I think this is going to take many months until we see a major development.

Not very often I say this, but I really want you to be wrong on the BBM section.

 

[Ontario Mom]

May 24th, Press Release - Chaffee County Sheriff
snipped
“Someone has that key piece of information in this case that will help us locate Suzanne, and I’m asking our community members to continue to use the tip line to provide any information, no matter how inconsequential the tip may seem,” said Sheriff Spezze.
---
I find this little comment from the Sheriff to be meaningful - as in - they think there is someone else who knows IMO. so there could be a KK or a buddy that knows something. and perhaps they have that piece of information now?
JMO

Sorry, what's a "KK"?

 

[Dave F.]

Since this is a professional bike are there groups that get together to ride. Is this sometimes a sociable thing?

At the first link is information on the Absolute Bikes Women's Mountain Bike Clinic rides. Note in the masthead picture that there is a woman in the center wearing the exact same helmet as SM. I'm not sure this is SM, however. The principal in Absolute Bikes who leads these runs has an identical helmet.

At the second link is the Absolute Bikes Guided Rides.

At the third link is the Monarch Crest Shuttle. To join a group ride, I presume all she would have to do is phone Absolute Bikes and ask them to pick her up at the CR 225 turnout on Hwy 50.

Also, Absolute Bikes has a coffee shop connected to it, with an outdoor patio in season. As far as I know it does not have a name, but it's address is 300 West Sackett. The fourth link shows the front of Absolute Bikes, with the coffee shop visible behind it.

https://www.absolutebikes.com/womens-mountain-bike-clinic/

Guided Rides - Absolute Bikes Adventures - Guided Mountain Bike Rides in Salida, Colorado

https://www.absolutebikes.com/monarch-crest-trail-shuttle/

https://www.absolutebikes.com/about-absolute-bikes/

 

[BeckyF]

BBM
Alternate theory; those close to the Morphews may be “publicity shy” because they are scared of BM. MOO

I have wondered the same thing.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I don't know how to bring a post over from a previous thread so:

@Cassady commented "For those that missed it, this recent update https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...Suzanne-Morphew-holding-hope-safe-return.html indicates that the family of the missing person and volunteers helping them have been searching, canvassing, putting up fliers, etc. trying to find the missing person. The family is likely doing many things in their search efforts that nobody on WS or the media knows about...IMO" CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #17


This seemed like new news to me since I didn't recall hearing it before. But if you read that section of the article very carefully, what it actually states is that BM's nephew TN is thanking all those who have searched, canvassed, etc. His exact quote in that article was straight from the MoneyGoMe account most recent update:

"He thanked those who have aided in the search to find the mom-of-two. 'Whether donating financially, hiking the mountains, hanging posters, canvassing, preparing and delivering food for volunteers and so much more - please know that your thoughtfulness and compassion are so appreciated and that it has sustained the family throughout the difficulty of the search,' Noel wrote."

While his or her family members might actually be doing some of those things (and other things the public has no knowledge of, as you suggest), this article doesn't actually say that his or her family is out there doing all these things. Just thought it was important to point that out for clarity's sake.

 

[FelicityLemon]

No reason to think it's hers or even belongs to anyone in the Morphew family. I would think hers is being held as evidence.

Yes. I can only speak for myself; it also makes sense that some of the searchers would use bikes themselves. If at that time they suspected a crime, SM's bike wouldn't be mounted out and exposed like that if they wanted to preserve anything.

 

[gitana1]

BM may have needed to be cleared quickly, but it is apparent this has NOT happened. For if it had, this investigation would have immediately taken off in a different direction. It hasn’t and it’s been 7 weeks. MHO

Right. The timeline shows the reverse, IMO. After extensive searches for nine days, they got a search warrant for the family residence. Four days later (13 days after SM went missing), they excavated his work site.

Their language seemed to change. They’ve never issued anything indicating an unknown abductor took her.

Is it possible that a known abductor took her as at least one poster (@Feistyomi?) seems to believe, and they’re just not coming out with that info because they’re gathering their evidence against that person?

It’s possible. I guess it’s possible that nine days after the searches they obtained evidence of some other person having possibly stalked and/or harmed her.

However, there was enough in the first 9-13 days to obtain probable cause to search locations associated with the husband. And in absence of any evidence about a stalker,
I’m relying on the odds in these cases to guide my suspicions.