Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #20

[Truecolors]

My apologies, not personal to you but then he (Barry) shouldn't be a first responder IMO. I don't need expensive and HIGHLY TRAINED first responders ignoring technology that will, save my life...

I’m considering his (BM’s) version of the events as expressed to TD. He said they should call LE to “be safe”. I’m trying to get into his mindset, as reported by him. IMO, that doesn’t sound like someone who is thinking emergency response is needed.

MOO

 

[OldCop]

ITA ^^

I’ve written this almost exactly several times. Couldn’t he have called one of his FF friends to run over? Connections in the CCFD or LE that he would trust to help him? How could he tell the neighbor he was worried and then ask her to call 911? IMO this is one of the most telling parts of his story.

As if he wanted others to find her missing.

I think he did he did call one of his FF friends after CCSD was called. I think that friend ran over to see what was happening and was there when the bike was found. I also think he told Barry about the bike. Barry called his nephew who ultimately revealed the bike was found Sunday night. LE didn’t want information about the bike being found made public. I think this may have been why the FFs were asked to stay away from the search area. They did not want them telling BM what else they had found or what their theories were at the time. I further think this is why BM asked his nephew to ask LE the condition of the bike. IF he staged the bike and thought he was clever about how he had done it, (made it look like an accident or abduction), he wanted LE to publicly state that.
MOO

 

[sripey]

With CBI and FBI involvement, LE has a ton of resources. If they had any suspicion at all of a stranger abduction they would have had the typical missing-endangered press conference. They have the capacity to investigate multiple avenues at once. LE silence in this case means they have uncovered convincing evidence pointing them in a single direction. The search warrants they have acted on show the direction that evidence points. Suzanne did not leave to start a new life. She was not attacked by a wild animal. She was not abducted by a stranger. In this case, I am confident that LE roughly knows what happened to Suzanne.

 

[lamlawindy]

This was discussed on a previous thread and I think it was @Dave F. who pointed out that CDOT cameras don't record.

Road Conditions, Speeds, Travel Times, Traffic Cameras, Live Streaming Traffic Cameras, Road Closures and Road Work Information provided by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) a branch of Colorado Department of Transportation

Can I get a recording of a specific camera on a certain date and time?

As per CDOT policy, no camera images are recorded.

Right. This is one of the hardest things to explain to clients. Everybody thinks that cameras at intersections always record video or images that are stored perpetually in the cloud. Most often, these are not "cameras" per se but "electronic eyes" that tell a light that a car is awaiting a change in signal. The
cost of recording & storing such a high volume of video/images -- with current technology -- would be staggering.

 

[Tate123]

ITA
In emergencies, you streamline, the less calls the less time. Generally the person closest to the emergency needs to take charge, the neighbor needed to be the one who called. There’s always going to be a question only the person present at the scene can answer. There will always be someone manning the 911 line.

If you are calling in an accident, a heart attack or a stroke, time is of the essence. But by BMs own admission ( in the TD video) when they couldn't reach Suzanne the girls were a "little worried" and he said he agreed and was also a "little worried".
It does not make sense to have a neighbor relay all of Suzannes information to LE, time last seen, last conversation, what the family's plans were, where the girls were, where BM was etc. etc.
Any decent husband ( or even ex husband) would man up and call 911 themselves and give LE every last detail and bit of information they possibly could.
An act of cowardice at the least.

 

[Feistyomi]

I think most people would be so horrified by the thought that they couldnt say it out loud. Not to the public. How many people get killed and mauled off with zero evidence left behind? Im gonna go with zero.

I’m not sure which one is actually worse, TBH, the thought that a mountain lion feasted on my loved one, but mercifully already dead, or the thought that a sexual deviant may have taken my daughter and have her in an absolutely horrific torment, which this sadistic person intended to prolong as long as they could.
I think the fact that BM could talk about the first, gives us a clue about which one is more likely, and also which one he, himself has no control over. He’s hanging on to denial of the second alternative. JMO

 

[BeckyF]

Sorry this point has been discussed ad nauseum, and is getting old, very old. The 911 procedure changed in 2014 as posted by Seattle 1 CO - CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #19


"And if you're unaware, it was August 13, 2014 that the FCC began implementing the "Text-to-911 " service and established an initial deadline of December 31, 2014 for all covered text providers to be capable of supporting text-to-911 service.

This means there's actually a digital code for every Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP call center) (including Salida, Co), where emergency calls (like police, fire brigade, ambulance) initiated by any mobile or landline subscriber are terminated.

PSAP coding enables you to dial 911 from anywhere and give the dispatcher the code for the emergency locale you want to reach or they can look it up and connect you. It's that simple. Of course, you can still call the non-emergency number for Salida from anywhere for the same result."

Seriously, I can't imagine a volunteer firefighter would not at least know how to google the non-emergency number for Salida. And
seriously???

Add to that it's your loved one? I see No, Nada, Zero excuses for foisting that call on someone else to make. . and then wouldn't you be wondering if they made it? And anxiously waiting to hear what was said ?

There is no excuse. It was HIS job and no one else’s. He would have known her exact routine, any plans she had and if her not being reachable was suspicious in any way. It’s ridiculous, IMO, that he dumped this task on a neighbor. He had the whole sequence of events planned out, IMO.

 

[thaddeusjames80]

If BM called 911 from Denver or the Denver suburbs he would not have reached Chaffee County 911, he would have reached 911 in the area where he was.

That is probably why the neighbor made the call.

Good thought

 

[rainbowshummingbird]

There is no excuse. It was HIS job and no one else’s. He would have known her exact routine, any plans she had and if her not being reachable was suspicious in any way. It’s ridiculous, IMO, that he dumped this task on a neighbor. He had the whole sequence of events planned out, IMO.

I have read other posters take on Barry’s reluctance to call 911 and it made perfect sense to me why he would avoid dialing 911.

I doubt that Barry wanted to call 911 and have recorded his responses to the types of questions that a 911 operator may have posed: when was the last time you saw Suzanne, what were you doing when you last saw her, where are you right now, did you speak to Suzanne by phone today, what did she talk about, when was your last phone contact with her, did you text Suzanne today and what time was that, did she indicate by phone or text what her plans were today, etc? No way would he want to call and have this type of information recorded.

Add in the stress of trying to maintain a facade of care and concern for her. His tone of voice. Everything to be picked over and analyzed. No way Barry was going to touch 911.

 

[BeckyF]

I have read other posters take on Barry’s reluctance to call 911 and it made perfect sense to me why he would avoid dialing 911.

I doubt that Barry wanted to call 911 and have recorded his responses to the types questions that a 911 operator may have posed: when was the last time you saw Suzanne, what were you doing when you last saw her, where are you right now, did you speak to Suzanne by phone today, what did she talk about, when was your last phone contact with her, did you text Suzanne today and what time was that, did she indicate by phone or text what her plans were today, etc? No way would he want to call and have this type of information recorded.

Add in the stress of trying to maintain a facade of care and concern for her. His tone of voice. Everything to be picked over and analyzed. No way Barry was going to touch 911.

Right- because if you have nothing to fear, you just dial 911.

 

[Fireflize]

I have read other posters take on Barry’s reluctance to call 911 and it made perfect sense to me why he would avoid dialing 911.

I doubt that Barry wanted to call 911 and have recorded his responses to the types questions that a 911 operator may have posed: when was the last time you saw Suzanne, what were you doing when you last saw her, where are you right now, did you speak to Suzanne by phone today, what did she talk about, when was your last phone contact with her, did you text Suzanne today and what time was that, did she indicate by phone or text what her plans were today, etc? No way would he want to call and have this type of information recorded.

Add in the stress of trying to maintain a facade of care and concern for her. His tone of voice. Everything to be picked over and analyzed. No way Barry was going to touch 911.

ITA. Distancing. If this was staged, I imagine that he has primed his participants with the bike ride story. So by the time he arrives, his daughters, his elderly neighbor, and probably a FF buddy or two have told LE all about that. Surely they will buy it if everyone is selling it. But it doesn't look like they did. BM told TD that he was upset when he got home that night, I'm guessing too upset to talk much to LE. Moo

 

[Janeumayer]

Right. This is one of the hardest things to explain to clients. Everybody thinks that cameras at intersections always record video or images that are stored perpetually in the cloud. Most often, these are not "cameras" per se but "electronic eyes" that tell a light that a car is awaiting a change in signal. The
cost of recording & storing such a high volume of video/images -- with current technology -- would be staggering.

A lot of those cameras (especially at intersections) are motion-activated and take pictures when a car runs through a red light.

 

[Murphy1950]

I’m considering his (BM’s) version of the events as expressed to TD. He said they should call LE to “be safe”. I’m trying to get into his mindset, as reported by him. IMO, that doesn’t sound like someone who is thinking emergency response is needed.

MOO

I'm Ok with getting into his head, but what you just wrote says it all. We are talking about a man who had the ability to call contacts/friends who were available to serve as skilled emergency responders. Skilled...How many of us have those resources at our disposal? Why was 911 ever called at all if Barry was unsure. With a few calls he had the contacts to avoid that scenario and have an idea of what was going on at home just using his friends (who thank GOD, happened to be trained.) to keep him updated.

On another note, almost uncanny his luck as to how he managed to distance himself...I pity his poor neighbor who made the call, who needs that stress in their life?

Barry needed a stage IMO.

 

[BeckyF]

ITA
In emergencies, you streamline, the less calls the less time. Generally the person closest to the emergency needs to take charge, the neighbor needed to be the one who called. There’s always going to be a question only the person present at the scene can answer. There will always be someone manning the 911 line.

And how long did it take for the neighbor to get to the Morphew home, (not sure if neighbor walked or drove) look around, call out for her, maybe walked around the house, etc., and determine bike was missing? If SM had a medical emergency such as a stroke, heart attack, fall, head injury, or something else very serious, talk about wasted time!

 

[GordianKnot]

A lot of those cameras (especially at intersections) are motion-activated and take pictures when a car runs through a red light.

Speaking of red lights, does anybody here think that BM ran through a bunch of red lights in his rush to get back to Salida from Denver as soon as he possibly could to help look for SM?

Yeah. Me, neither.

JMO.

 

[dmac55]

Deleted by me

 

[Daisyeve]

Well, if Suzanne had been determined to be deceased, then the property would've passed to Barry 100% outside of any will anyway. Recall that the Petition indicated that Suzanne is a "joint owner" of the property, not a "tenant in common." These are legal terms.

A "joint tenancy" is one where the other owners have right of survivorship. For example, if a husband & wife own property as joint owners and the husband dies, then the husband's ownership "share" passes to the wife by operation of law. Indeed, even if his will states that his "share" of the property should go to another person, that will provision will fail because the law views his "share" as having been extinguished at his death.

Sounds like this goes under motive.

 

[OldCop]

One thing that I would like to hear WS folks chime in on: How likely is it that a full-fledged search party would go out immediately after receiving a missing persons report? Is this standard procedure in wilderness areas where the elements or wildlife could pose a threat to the individual? I have no SAR background, but thought LE might take more time to assess the situation before bringing out the "big guns". Also, it seems I must have read somewhere (possibly seen on TV, though I don't watch much) that a person had to be missing so many hours before a formal report could be filed. I have wondered whether there wasn't something more at the scene--house or along alleged route--that warranted 2 dog teams + 100 people in relatively short order.

A lot depends on the “totality of the circumstances”. Obviously when a very young child is reported missing, they usually begin a search ASAP. How about a ‘responsible’ adult? An unreliable adult? As unfair as it may be, a responsible adult who goes missing is likely to get more resources more quickly than an unreliable adult. This does not have to do with wealth, but rather with predictability. This is why many serial killers target prostitutes or drug addicts. They figure their victim will not be missed right away.
In SM’s case you have a seemingly responsible adult with a stable homelife who allegedly didn’t return from a bike ride in her neighborhood. We know the first Chaffee County Sheriff’s press release read that SM didn’t return home after “reportedly”going on a bike ride. The first responding LE likely obtained the story, looked around her home/property, tried to ascertain where she might have gone riding, and called in for other nearby officers to help look around the area. As darkness began to fall and SM was still missing and because of the remoteness of the area, more resources were called in. I firmly believe that LE originally thought that SM had fallen and injured herself. Something in the very early stages of the search seemed to sway them from this likelihood. Nevertheless, they spent the next week with all manners of searchers; on foot, K-9’s, divers, SAR teams in an effort to find her.

 

[TKG]

DBM

 

[KLM6]

I think he did he did call one of his FF friends after CCSD was called. I think that friend ran over to see what was happening and was there when the bike was found. I also think he told Barry about the bike. Barry called his nephew who ultimately revealed the bike was found Sunday night. LE didn’t want information about the bike being found made public. I think this may have been why the FFs were asked to stay away from the search area. They did not want them telling BM what else they had found or what their theories were at the time. I further think this is why BM asked his nephew to ask LE the condition of the bike. IF he staged the bike and thought he was clever about how he had done it, (made it look like an accident or abduction), he wanted LE to publicly state that.
MOO

Interesting. So perhaps the reason LE did not want to reveal that they found the bike was so that they could watch and see who went back there to see if it had been found? For some reason I hadnt thought of that.

But then BM's 'close friend' was there and gave him a detailed description of where the bike was found and the wheel was facing.....

Perhaps then the big cat walked by and that distracted close friend from seeing the condition of the bike???