Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #47

[Hoosierfan72]

IMO, following the money is definitely going to factor in on the charges and conviction of the party responsible for disappearing SM. I believe SM recovering from cancer was a game-changer for SM where she found herself wanting time apart from BM after she expected to receive a clean bill from cancer at her medical appointment on Monday, May 11, 2020. I believe attending the wedding of her best friend's daughter in Indiana was part of that plan as well as spending time with her ailing father.

As for the former Morphew residence located in Indiana, this sale was a done deal in June 2019. I also don't think it reasonable to change your mind and expect to get your house back one year after you've sold it.

According to Indiana public records, the pending transaction in June 2020 causing BM to seek guardianship of SM was a balloon payment due the sellers on the one year anniversary of the sale (June 2020) where buyers obtained conventional financing to cash out the seller.

Both BM/SM's signatures were required at closing to release their security interest in the property and convey the property deed to the buyers. BM needed to seek guardianship of SM because he did not have a general POA for his wife to sign the closing documents. (I think this fact is one more telling sign of the direction the relationship was headed).

While I don't believe the sale of the Indiana residence the issue, I do believe that the proceeds expected early June 2020 could very much have been an issue between BM/SM.

Personally, I think SM likely saw these proceeds as a means to reimburse herself for allegedly using her inheritance as the downpayment for the PP home. I believe SM most likely saw her inheritance not as a means to purchase joint real estate with BM but for the continuing support of the next generation or her own daughters-- just as SM received this inheritance from her own mother.

However, it does seem clear to me that BM's idea for the balloon proceeds had nothing to do with SM's wishes to be reimbursed. I think BM had already set his eyes on building lot #8 located in the Longhorn Ranch subdivision, and I believe SM disagreed that this purchase was an option for the proceeds from the Indiana residence.

Again, I don't think BM is capable of accepting the answer "no" to what he wants. BM wasted no time securing this vacant land which public records provide was secured by warranty deed (for Lot 8) on June 25, 2020.

MOO

I agree with the greed/money angle re: motive. Just a couple of thoughts bouncing around my brain about it:

• I do wonder if SMs recovery was a catalyst - facing a life-threatening illness can be a motivator for people, and I think it's possible that SM came through her cancer treatments with a "life's too short and too precious to continue to live this way (with BM)" and wanted a divorce.
• While divorce alone might have been enough motive for murder, I do also lean to it being more too it than a straight-up divorce (dispute over SMs inheritance money, a financial house of cards ready to cave in, or possibly some secrets that BM was worried about coming to light, etc.)
• In terms of whether it was a "hastily planned" murder or accidental "went too far" struggle and cover up, I'm leaning toward "hastily planned", but not entirely convinced. Here's a few things that LE knows that I wish we knew as well:
  • The actual timing and details of when SMs convo with her bestie was interrupted (our best indication of when SM was likely murdered)
  • When BM started the wheels in motion re: the Mother's Day Alibi (if he spoke to JP about it prior to SM being killed, that points to planning)
  • The circumstances around the girls camping trip (if orchestrated by BM, could indicate planning on his part)
  • The details of the "mechanical thing' (if it was done prior to the murder, could also indicate planning)
• Other reasons I lean toward some level of planning on BMs part (though I think it was hastily planned):
  • MGs statement that BM was acting weird on Saturday am (I believe she was killed Sat night)
  • How well the body was hidden (I don't think hiding a body is the first thought someone would have if an accident and, given how well it was hidden seems to indicate some level of planning, especially given how much of a hot mess the rest of the cover up seems to be)

Still hopeful that we'll see justice in this case. All MOO.

 

[Hair of the Dog]

Maybe something like he didn't really sell his Indiana business for a million dollars?

IMO whatever amount he got in cash for the sale of the business went into the purchase of the PP house. I wonder if the sale of the business included some kind of seller financing that involved monthly income and maybe employee benefits for the M's for a specified period.

 

[Hoosierfan72]

Money is pretty close to the top of my list.

I do think this was planned tho or certainly given a great deal of thought. This thought is only based on the fact that this is an awful lot for BM to come up with in such a short time. Some of BM's comments/actions are nonsense, but some of this is pretty well thought out, IMO.

To our knowledge there is no crime scene, several possible indications of one tho. I would think the 'how to' would have had some thought involved, whoever the culprit.

Where is she at? Even tho its fairly remote and plenty of remote options to disappear, I would think its not that easy to disappear someone without a trace. IMO, there would have had to be some thoughts about this.

A weekend without the kids, if this plays any part of it.

A special holiday weekend, I know it seems like he doesn't care, but it does fit some alibi's. There would have not been a good excuse to leave a job or his employees at a job site.

BM may be pretty smart or smarter than he appears, or maybe all this could be done on a whim, who knows.

Just my thoughts and IMO only.

The DW went to high school with BM and can say with relative certainty he doesn't fall into a "high IQ" or "highly intelligent" category. He was an average student and extremely good athlete. He may have average-to-above-average business sense (she can't speak to that directly), but there is zero chance, IMO, that BM is one of these "I'm always the smartest guy in the room" sorts..... and I think the very few times we've actually heard from him in this case seems to back that up. MOO

 

[Madeleine74]

ETA...I just don't think COVID alone would have kept her away. Besides the wedding, I think she would have loved an opportunity for a trip home.

Agree, although we did learn she had her last maintenance chemo appointment scheduled for May 11, and with the wedding the day or 2 before that, it seems like maybe she wasn't planning on attending that wedding.

 

[Madeleine74]

Still hopeful that we'll see justice in this case. All MOO.

SBM for space

Patience, grasshopper, patience. Set expectations for at least another year for an arrest, and if it turns out to be less time than that it will be a nice surprise. Following a missing person case can be a long, hard, slog with much time waiting. Anyone thinking there will be a quick arrest and trial are likely in for a tough time. IMO

 

[Fireflize]

I keep looking at the satellite view of the Puma Path property and wonder why one would go to elaborate extremes to move remains and hide them or other evidence miles away, under concrete or in an excavation, all the while taking the chance of discovery...when there are hundreds of square miles of land, right behind the property, complete with off road trails. Most discovered hasty burial sites are shallow and not camouflaged very well. If you had ample time and resources and knew the landscape well, you could find a very out of the way spot, well off the trails and take the time to conceal the site. If the search teams were looking for a body on the ground, they very well could have completely missed a well hidden burial site. Leave the cell phone at the house and use a vehicle without a GPS to move the remains to the burial spot. It's just too darn handy. If the remains are well wrapped in plastic, there is no scent trail for the ground scent dogs to detect.

I agree with you. The Puma Path home has hundreds of acres of undeveloped mountain wilderness adjacent, that BM would likely have been familar with.

I could imagine that he viewed free access to the forest land as a strong buying point to the Puma Path property.

He probably explored it like a twelve year old boy, looking for antlers. All he would really need is a deep crevice.

If he used that area to dispose of Suzanne, the bike narrative looks like an attempt to point LE in the opposite direction.
Moo

 

[DetectiveFoyleWannabe]

He was a low level minor league player for a short period of time. If you can’t field, and your bat is worse, you don’t exactly have much of a future.

There are many thousands of players in the minor league systems of MLB, and he never had a chance.

He had the kind of stats you wish you could forever delete from the internet.

There’s bad, then there’s Barry bad.

Yeah and even if he played in the highest level of the minor leagues he would have made barely above poverty wages. They do not get paid well. Unless high draft picks who get a big signing bonus and go throught he minors as a training step. That's not the case here. MOO, I don't think BM has the kind of money he projects and I think he is highly leveraged. And I also think much of the money he does have came from SM's side of the family. The parallels with the Dulos case are uncanny.

 

[Tate123]

sbbm
I thought of Barry this morning when I read about a woman who was murdered, and found with her thumb severed. It is believed that her killer used her thumb to access her phone and send messages than she was ill and not coming to work.

My gosh... that's a new level of evil.

 

[Madeleine74]

My gosh... that's a new level of evil.

I'm not sure it would work, as many biometric readers are looking for blood flow underneath. It was the case when I worked for a biometric fingerprint tech company in 2000 - 2001, and these were dedicated fingerprint readers or integrated into keyboards, as smart phones didn't yet exist at that time. Maybe someone can make it work, but consistently, I don't know. Article that explains it

 

[OldCop]

I keep looking at the satellite view of the Puma Path property and wonder why one would go to elaborate extremes to move remains and hide them or other evidence miles away, under concrete or in an excavation, all the while taking the chance of discovery...when there are hundreds of square miles of land, right behind the property, complete with off road trails. Most discovered hasty burial sites are shallow and not camouflaged very well. If you had ample time and resources and knew the landscape well, you could find a very out of the way spot, well off the trails and take the time to conceal the site. If the search teams were looking for a body on the ground, they very well could have completely missed a well hidden burial site. Leave the cell phone at the house and use a vehicle without a GPS to move the remains to the burial spot. It's just too darn handy. If the remains are well wrapped in plastic, there is no scent trail for the ground scent dogs to detect.

Could be anything from a wheelbarrow to a lawn tractor with trailer. Not sure if they owned a ATV or not. If the tan Jeep in the Zillow garage pictures belongs to the actor, there is a lot of money tied up in off road accessories, which makes me wonder if offroading was a hobby.

Link: 19057 Puma Path, Salida, CO 81201 | Zillow

I also do that, @Trackergd. I stare at the map of the area.
I agree with your thoughts on getting rid of the body.

As regards the investigation and searches, here’s the thing. SM’s bike was found less than a quarter of a mile from her home. Her helmet, not much further away, in a spot that makes no sense unless she was abducted and it was thrown out of the getaway vehicle OR it was BM trying to put together a convoluted and poorly thought out scenario.
To fit his mountain lion theory, the lion would have attacked SM on her bike, then dragged her up to and across HWY 50, continuing uphill. At some point, SM’s helmet fell off as she was being dragged. The ml managed to do this without leaving a bit of evidence. This scenario makes no sense and LE knew it.
Secondly, BM’s 200 miles searches over all the trails in the area make no sense to me either. If SM fell off her bike and “got in the water”, did she then pick herself up and go on a hike? Or did the ml drag her for 200 miles?
If she was abducted, did the guy grab her and take her on a hike in broad daylight? If the abductor threw her in his car, he wouldn’t be driving up biking or hiking trails, he would likely drive her miles from the area, pull off on a back road somewhere where, history tells us, she was raped and murdered. This brings us back to the helmet. Were SM’s prints on it? If she threw it out of the abductor’s car window, they would be on it. If the abductor threw it out, because of where it was located, ( north and west of the Hwy 50 and 225 intersection), he would have had to stop his car, again in broad daylight, got out, walked around to the passenger side, wiped off his prints, threw it up into the brush. Why would he do this? If an abductor was kidnapping SM, why would he bother to stop and throw her helmet away in full sight on a busy road. Again, makes no sense.
On the other hand, if BM was laying a false trail, he could have discarded the helmet this way in the dark of night to draw attention away from himself.
All of the early LE searches took place in reasonable proximity to where the bike was found. The immediate area of the bike, nearby Fooses Pond, the rivers, the reservoir, and the Morphew home. We know that DOC dogs were out that first night. I think it is reasonable to believe that they were on the Morphew property as well as the surrounding area. If no scent trail of SM was found either at her property or the bike location, that would immediately raise the suspicion of LE.
2 questions for you, @Trackergd:
1) If a canine is trying to track a lost or missing person from their home, how can the scent dogs discern recent trails when it is likely the person’s scent would be all around the area? I imagine with physical/tangible tracking, the condition of the prints and the surrounding ground and foliage can give you an idea of how recent the tracks were?
2) If SM had fallen off her bike after going down a steep embankment and had sustained some type of head injury which caused her to wander off in a confused state, can you estimate as to how far she may have wandered? And would she have likely been found by searchers in that area in the following hours or days?

Still trying to cover all options.......

 

[darring21]

Yeah and even if he played in the highest level of the minor leagues he would have made barely above poverty wages. They do not get paid well. Unless high draft picks who get a big signing bonus and go throught he minors as a training step. That's not the case here. MOO, I don't think BM has the kind of money he projects and I think he is highly leveraged. And I also think much of the money he does have came from SM's side of the family. The parallels with the Dulos case are uncanny.

Except we know they owned around $2.5 million in the two homes with no mortgages. He sold his business for around $1 million. They may have owned additional rental property. They lived in Indiana for 20+? years and Suzanne worked for a year or two. It seems reasonable to believe that his business did generate decent income over the years. If they have been continually propped up by her family, I think we would have heard about it.

 

[OldCop]

I have once again rewatched the TD video with BM. I picked up on something that I don’t think we talked too much about before because we were so intently analyzing BM’s statements.
Near the beginning of the video before TD runs into BM, he is walking around the area of the bridge over the Arkansas River. He points out a recently dug up area and says that you can see that LE has been searching here or words to that effect. Did someone tell him that LE dug up that area or did he just make an assumption?
I brought up the google map of the area. Which I have included below. I have noted the approximate area where the bike and helmet were found and the bridge over the river.
What if BM parked here and dragged the bike along the north side of the river to place it where it could be seen and found from the upper road, as opposed to throwing it down from there. The area by the bridge would be a more hidden site to park while he planted the bike, presumably under cover of darkness. It would also fit his “she got in the river” theory. He then may have used the Bobcat to disrupt the area where he had parked. He would figure that LE would spot the bike and approach from the upper road. He could then complain about all the evidence that LE destroyed as they approached from above and parked their vehicles along the upper road. Was LE immediately suspicious of this area by the bridge that night after the bike was found? Did the SARS team discover the trail to/from the bridge? A random abductor would not have left SM in his vehicle while he dragged her bike along the river. He would have left the area immediately.
MOO
Sorry for the long posts today. Trying to rehash things while we wait for any new info.

 

[Teche]

Please let there be an arrest soon.

 

[scapa]

Except we know they owned around $2.5 million in the two homes with no mortgages. He sold his business for around $1 million. They may have owned additional rental property. They lived in Indiana for 20+? years and Suzanne worked for a year or two. It seems reasonable to believe that his business did generate decent income over the years. If they have been continually propped up by her family, I think we would have heard about it.

Do we know the bolded for a fact? I've read both that BM sold his IN-based business for "around 1 million" and I've also read that the biz sale and the price he got for it is not an established fact, backed up by MSM or other accepted documentation, but a SM-fuelled supposition as yet unconfirmed.

Just to be clear, I'm not disputing your arguments about biz income or acumen, but wondering if we know these details for sure now.

 

[FlyerFan28]

What if the Morphews were in financial trouble but only BM knew?

Perhaps their finances were already stressed by the move from IN to CO and the dfficulty of getting established as a new small business in CO. Then came corona virus and personal stress and financial stress on steroids.

Perhaps in their Christianity, the husband dominated and mostly they had been comfortable with that arrangement and the marriage was more positive than many marriages, lasting 20plus years, two fine daughters, nice homes, and material success. So there was stress from finances (including college costs), the virus, a major midlife relocation, and SM's continuing health problems and attendant fragility, physical limitions, and care. BM by nature is not that empathetic and when things worked for the couple SM's empathy carried most of their mutual load and this worked, the strong man and the woman who loved and catered to him and mothered the girls. But BM was lacking in care giving skills.

Perhaps there was a melt down about revelations to SM about their finances and all the situations cascaded into a head. What happened was over in an instant. SM suddenly moved towards BM and then she was on the floor with her neck bent at a right angle. No true blame or attack, rather momentary and unclear event turned horrendous.

BM got very stupid and has been trapped in that stupid loop ever since. He should have called 911. The can-do BM devised a cover up that turned multi-faceted, Byzantine, and obvious. BM has contined to double down and cascade to near ludicrous but he hid or disposed of the body so never to be found. He is also angry at SM for initiating the death event and is certain that SM would not blame him for what occurred. But BM is on legal and public fly paper and still wants to protect his daughters, which to his nature is largely material. BM is just plain angry and ever desperate. Wonder how much BM has leveled with his daughters?

I am not saying that this scenario is the most likely but is a scenario that has not been discussed.

This scenario seems very plausible.
I'll add she could likely have been going through menopause or post menopause from chemo and no longer interested in sex as a result. This strains a great number of marriages. I am a living example as a breast cancer survivor. Perhaps he felt rejected that way and it escalated.

 

[MrsWatson]

I think the whole thing was precipitated by Suzanne surviving the recent bout of cancer. I think BM was already a widow in his mind and already had plans for how that was going to work financially. I think he was very disappointed she survived. Suzanne, I think, may have had an epiphany and decided she wanted a different path in life that did not include BM. And I remain convinced there is funny money here, a financial house of cards, things that we have no idea about. All of this swirling around BM's head, including having a sick spouse and the resentment that can cause, changes in Suzanne. And we know he has a temper.

It all comes back to the money. Widow, BM comes out okay financially. Divorce, not so much.

IMO

 

[K9Enzo]

Respectfully, do we have any indication that SM was thought not to survive her second bout of cancer? IMO

 

[Hoosierfan72]

I also do that, @Trackergd. I stare at the map of the area.
I agree with your thoughts on getting rid of the body.

As regards the investigation and searches, here’s the thing. SM’s bike was found less than a quarter of a mile from her home. Her helmet, not much further away, in a spot that makes no sense unless she was abducted and it was thrown out of the getaway vehicle OR it was BM trying to put together a convoluted and poorly thought out scenario.
To fit his mountain lion theory, the lion would have attacked SM on her bike, then dragged her up to and across HWY 50, continuing uphill. At some point, SM’s helmet fell off as she was being dragged. The ml managed to do this without leaving a bit of evidence. This scenario makes no sense and LE knew it.
Secondly, BM’s 200 miles searches over all the trails in the area make no sense to me either. If SM fell off her bike and “got in the water”, did she then pick herself up and go on a hike? Or did the ml drag her for 200 miles?
If she was abducted, did the guy grab her and take her on a hike in broad daylight? If the abductor threw her in his car, he wouldn’t be driving up biking or hiking trails, he would likely drive her miles from the area, pull off on a back road somewhere where, history tells us, she was raped and murdered. This brings us back to the helmet. Were SM’s prints on it? If she threw it out of the abductor’s car window, they would be on it. If the abductor threw it out, because of where it was located, ( north and west of the Hwy 50 and 225 intersection), he would have had to stop his car, again in broad daylight, got out, walked around to the passenger side, wiped off his prints, threw it up into the brush. Why would he do this? If an abductor was kidnapping SM, why would he bother to stop and throw her helmet away in full sight on a busy road. Again, makes no sense.
On the other hand, if BM was laying a false trail, he could have discarded the helmet this way in the dark of night to draw attention away from himself.
All of the early LE searches took place in reasonable proximity to where the bike was found. The immediate area of the bike, nearby Fooses Pond, the rivers, the reservoir, and the Morphew home. We know that DOC dogs were out that first night. I think it is reasonable to believe that they were on the Morphew property as well as the surrounding area. If no scent trail of SM was found either at her property or the bike location, that would immediately raise the suspicion of LE.
2 questions for you, @Trackergd:
1) If a canine is trying to track a lost or missing person from their home, how can the scent dogs discern recent trails when it is likely the person’s scent would be all around the area? I imagine with physical/tangible tracking, the condition of the prints and the surrounding ground and foliage can give you an idea of how recent the tracks were?
2) If SM had fallen off her bike after going down a steep embankment and had sustained some type of head injury which caused her to wander off in a confused state, can you estimate as to how far she may have wandered? And would she have likely been found by searchers in that area in the following hours or days?

Still trying to cover all options.......

I agree that the helmet is a bit of a puzzle - considering both the location and the delay between initial searches and when it was found. I still believe it's possible BM discarded the helmet on Monday evening (throwing it out of a moving vehicle at night) once he realized the ML story wasn't accepted and he pivoted to an abduction scenario. While it would be somewhat risky, if done under the cover of darkness, I think it's at least plausible.

Outside of that, I can't come up with a good reason for it. MOO.

 

[Blue Amethyst]

Except we know they owned around $2.5 million in the two homes with no mortgages. He sold his business for around $1 million. They may have owned additional rental property. They lived in Indiana for 20+? years and Suzanne worked for a year or two. It seems reasonable to believe that his business did generate decent income over the years. If they have been continually propped up by her family, I think we would have heard about it.

JMO. I agree they could have paid off a mortgage after twenty some years as the house had probably been bought for a lot less than what the selling price was.

With SM's inheritance and the money from the business they could have purchased the PP place. Sorry for asking but how do we know how much he sold his business for?

Wouldn’t that be an awful lot of equipment to sell for that much money? Anybody with any ideas?

 

[rainbowshummingbird]

Respectfully, do we have any indication that SM was thought not to survive her second bout of cancer? IMO

I’m not sure if Suzanne had Hodgkin or non Hodgkin lymphoma, but lymphoma is one of the most treatable cancers. It seems as though survival should have been expected.