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

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I know exactly where my bike is and any serious biker does. I could easily tell a neighbor to go check the side of the garage for a blue bike. Do people really think you just leave your bike wherever... like a 10 year old? There are things to be legitimately suspicious about but when people grasp at straws, it gets ridiculous. Fury without any thought.
SM evidently wasn't around to tell a neighbor where to go to check on her bike. The neighbor had to magically know somehow or other.
 
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And quite frankly my experience in mountains with lions is that you will find their tracks, dens, hear them but not SEE them.
Respectfully snipped.

If she had been attached by a mountain lion, there would have been a ton of evidence on the ground and drag marks. I think it more likely that the condition and position of the bike and print evidence around the bike (or lack therof) alerted LE quickly what events transpired at that location, notably if there were expert Trackers involved (as others have noted). It's the subtle stuff...was there dirt on the bike tires? Was it the same dirt as on the trail? Was there bike tire tracks on the trail? Did they match hers? Was there footprints around the bike? Do the prints match hers? Are there prints from one or more others that were made at the same time? Are there vehicle tire prints near the location of the bike? Etc.

I seriously doubt she was attacked by a mountain lion.
List of fatal cougar attacks in North America - Wikipedia.
 
SM evidently wasn't around to tell a neighbor where to go to check on her bike. The neighbor had to magically know somehow or other.
I sometimes (but not always) keep my bike in my bedroom. It's that dear to me.
I disagree about it being "magical". It's very possible that between communicating with the daughters and BM, the neighbor got some very clear information about how/where to confirm whether SM's bike was on SM/BM's property. Either that, or she already knew enough herself to ascertain where to look for the bike and its appearance. Either of these are very realistic possibilities, IMO.
 
Respectfully snipped.

If she had been attached by a mountain lion, there would have been a ton of evidence on the ground and drag marks. I think it more likely that the condition and position of the bike and print evidence around the bike (or lack therof) alerted LE quickly what events transpired at that location, notably if there were expert Trackers involved (as others have noted). It's the subtle stuff...was there dirt on the bike tires? Was it the same dirt as on the trail? Was there bike tire tracks on the trail? Did they match hers? Was there footprints around the bike? Do the prints match hers? Are there prints from one or more others that were made at the same time? Are there vehicle tire prints near the location of the bike? Etc.

I seriously doubt she was attacked by a mountain lion.
List of fatal cougar attacks in North America - Wikipedia.
I would love to know the answers to those questions!
 
I’m stuck on one word in this video. Article.

Nobody has ever called what LE found an “article.” LE and MSM have always said ‘they found what they believe to be a personal item of Suzanne’s’.

It could be nothing. But rewatching it, I feel like Barry catches himself several times from saying things, and this was one of them. When we say the word article, we usually say “article of clothing”. He stopped himself and said they won’t tell us what it was.

It’s odd to me that he chose the word article.

It reminds me of the time LS said ‘plywood’ when she spoke of the board found in the woods when she was rambling to that girl on the phone or to crime online (I can’t remember which). It turned out to be a big piece of plywood, but none of us knew that then. In fact, nobody knew that until the AA was released.

JMO MOO IMO
Yes, just like he caught himself when he was describing the wheel of her bike.
 
Quotes of BM concerning mountain lion:

"Um the first night there was a mountain lion. The officer seen it walk by the car so we thought maybe she got attacked by a lion."
"My concerns were this way and that way if it was the cat because the cats they dragged their prey up the mountain and out of people's... we can't find sign for the cat but we got rain like right away that could've washed away a sign."

I interpret those statements as, on the first night BM was not the only one to consider a mountain lion as a possible explanation of what happened to SM. He says "we thought"
He states he was undecided about the cat;
"My concerns were this way and that way if it was the cat."
Nobody found a sign for the cat but they got rain which could have destroyed the sign.
I see this as him still holding out hope that some answer, no matter how awful, might yet be found. He statement tells me he's still undecided about the cat.
I don't see these statements he made showing that BM "pushing the mountain lion story."

ETA:
Statements are from the transcript made by Tyler / Youtube video that was approved by WS.

Mountain lions don't hunt during the day though. A hunter, as BM was, would know this. I have seen videos of Fooses Lake being very busy during May, a lot of people. Mountain Lions don't like being around people. I wouldn't think I would find a mountain lion in this area during the day when SM was said to be out bike riding. I am trying to remember the times I have seen mountain lions on roads and highways during the day when I lived in Montana. I've seen just about everything crossing the road, but only ran into mountain lions or their tracks in the woods where there is cover. They will see you, you will not see them.
Hiking and Biking in Mountain Lion Country
 
Interesting thought. I don't know what the norm is - if you'd at least see something from LE along the lines of "*advertiser censored* is no longer a focus of the investigation" or something that hedges from completely clearing them, but does indicate the investigation is looking elsewhere? I also wonder if LE could use a strategy of telling a suspect they are "cleared" as a way to disarm them and hope they slip up a bit. Not sure what to think.... but it's definitely a strange comment to make if untrue and if he thinks he is being recorded.
I have no reason to believe LE has ever been focused solely on BM and they may have told him privately that he was cleared. They may also have asked him and his family not to talk to the media because everything said is being parsed and dissected on social media by those who think he is guilty.

JMO
 
Mountain lions don't hunt during the day though. A hunter, as BM was, would know this. I have seen videos of Fooses Lake being very busy during May, a lot of people. Mountain Lions don't like being around people. I wouldn't think I would find a mountain lion in this area during the day when SM was said to be out bike riding. I am trying to remember the times I have seen mountain lions on roads and highways during the day when I lived in Montana. I've seen just about everything crossing the road, but only ran into mountain lions or their tracks in the woods where there is cover. They will see you, you will not see them.
Hiking and Biking in Mountain Lion Country
I think BM was throwing out all those possibilities hoping something would stick other than he had something to do with her disappearance.
 
Video as Basis for Defamation of Character?
Maybe he received a cease and desist letter from BM's attorney tied to defamation of character?
JMO
@MyBelle :) An atty rep'ing BM could write a 'cease and desist' letter for Def/Char, but I doubt it would do any good. Ditto, filing suit.
What false & defamatory* stmt did youtuber make/post about BM? What damages did BM suffer? {ETA: I did not hear stmt seeming to fall into 'defamatory per se'** category. See bolded text.} Imo, judge would grant motion for dismissal as petition fails to a cause of action upon which relief may be granted.
{ETA: Basing this ^ on vid w youtuber & BM talking. Have not seen any other vids.}
Maybe a verified atty will weigh in to the contrary. Thx in adv.

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* "Civil defamation
Although laws vary by state, in the United States a defamation action typically requires that a plaintiff claiming defamation prove that the defendant:[138]made a false and defamatory statement concerning the plaintiff;
  1. shared the statement with a third party (that is, somebody other than the person defamed by the statement);
  2. if the defamatory matter is of public concern, acted in a manner which amounted at least to negligence on the part of the defendant; and
  3. caused damages to the plaintiff....
Defenses to defamation that may defeat a lawsuit, including possible dismissal before trial, include the statement being one of opinion rather than fact or being "fair comment and criticism".[141] Truth is always a defense.[142]" bbm sbm
^^^ Defamation - Wikipedia ^^^
**

"Defamation per se
Most states recognize that some categories of statements are considered to be defamatory per se, such that people making a defamation claim for these statements do not need to prove that the statement was defamatory.[143]
In an action for defamation per se, the law recognizes that certain false statements are so damaging that they create a presumption of injury to the plaintiff's reputation, allowing a defamation case to proceed to verdict with no actual proof of damages. Although laws vary by state, and not all states recognize defamation per se, there are four general categories of false statement that typically support a per se action:[137]

  1. accusing someone of a crime;
  2. alleging that someone has a foul or loathsome disease;
  3. adversely reflecting on a person's fitness to conduct their business or trade; and
  4. imputing serious sexual misconduct.
If the plaintiff proves that such a statement was made and was false, to recover damages the plaintiff need only prove that someone had made the statement to any third party. No proof of special damages is required. However, to recover full compensation a plaintiff should be prepared to prove actual damages.[137]

As with any defamation case, truth remains an absolute defense to defamation per se. This means that even if the statement would be considered defamatory per se if false, if the defendant establishes that it is in fact true, an action for defamation per se cannot survive.[144]" bbm
 
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imo tyson did nothing wrong.
he got a scoop. so what.
he was running by the seat of his pants.
he technically didnt lie to BM either.
BM asked him to put his phone away which Tyson complied with.
nobody asked him if he had a gopro attached recording behind him.

what is unethical is the suspected murder of a young mother still in the prime of her life.

my opinion only
And are we to believe he and his buddies covered a 200 mile radius? MOO.
 
SM evidently wasn't around to tell a neighbor where to go to check on her bike. The neighbor had to magically know somehow or other.

JMO
I agree.

I am curious if someone may have suggested to the neighbor to go see if she took her bike on a bike ride or did the neighbor just do that on her own while checking for her.

The other thing that really struck me about the recent video. When describing the bicycle and how it was moved up to the road prematurely, I got a sense that he was disappointed that LE did not uncover or see some sort of big clue that may have been present in the way the bicycle was originally positioned.

It may have just been his overall disappointment in the way things were handled but it seemed more than that to me.
 
At that time i don’t think they believed a crime or anything occurred. It probably just seemed like a women who went on a bike ride and hadn’t returned. If they found the bike down a ravine first thought would be she’s injured not that someone harmed her.

Worst case scenario, how could the bike in this case get "tainted" enough to actually hurt this investigation or case in court? It doesn't belong to the alleged abductor, so one wouldn't expect to find their fingerprints on it. If BMs prints are on it, that proves nothing because he could always claim he'd touched it in the past to put it on a bike rack. A total absence of any prints means nothing because of biking gloves or dried mud, rain, or a recent cleaning, etc.

Obviously if a car had dented it, LE would have handled it very carefully. But other than that, the bike's value lay in how and where it was found (abandoned, on its side, apparently). So I don't see how any "less than perfect handling" of the bike by LE could in any way hurt BM or hinder the overall case. And I don't even believe that it got "tainted" it in the first place or that it's real evidence, for that matter--I think that this is just another ploy by BM to distract us.
 
I have no reason to believe LE has ever been focused solely on BM and they may have told him privately that he was cleared. They may also have asked him and his family not to talk to the media because everything said is being parsed and dissected on social media by those who think he is guilty.

JMO
If they truly have cleared him and haven't announced anything AND haven't visibly shifted the focus of the investigation (outward toward an abduction, for example), I'd be pretty upset if I were BM. Not that LE has to take the SO's feelings into account, but that does seem particularly awful to let someone twist in the wind like that, under the public's scrutiny, if you really have cleared him from suspicion (unless you have a prime suspect that you are closing in on and don't want to tip your hand).... but I certainly don't get that vibe from this case.
 
BBM:

Oh, I'm sure he's terribly unhappy with the investigation.

LE isn't pursuing the lines of inquiry he wanted them to follow.

He must be feeling quite frustrated about that.

JMO.

I would love to know what the private investigator he hired is investigating. I find that fascinating. What a predicament.
 
B: So I told my wife, I said “Listen the girls gonna be home and they want to spend Mother's Day with you, Mind if I go get started? She said “That’s fine”

I struggle with this... Mother's Day is not just for your children to celebrate with you but usually for your husband to say thank you for being a great mother. It is by far the busiest day of the year in the restaurant business. It is a "family affair" type of holiday.
Another red flag IMO
With Covid-19, were there a lot of restaurants offering sit-down dining on Mother's Day?
 
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