Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #23

[Lilypad13]

It IS a great place for bird watching. I only know the word because Husband decided to plant one in our yard (but with no creek). We're in one of those neighborhoods where people have dry creek landscaping - so we have that. But he wants birds, so...we have ash trees and if I'd permit it, he'd have cottonwood (like in Utah and some parts of CO).

The Morphews definitely live in one. The river was running at higher than average/but moderate flow on the day Suzanne was reported missing. Snow melt had started.

How long did this perpetrator have? If there was an actual bike ride, then only from around 10 am to 5:45 pm.

If there was no bike ride, then...since May 8 (since she was apparently seen on the 7th in town). Pretty sure his truck movements can be tracked - perhaps by more than one method. New methods arise every once in a while.

The river would have been loud-ish. Whoever did this may have known that, and it's possible (as some here have conjectured) that there were noises, perhaps a couple of loud noises - but no one would have heard except, perhaps that one neighbor. But doubtful anything in the house could be heard (or in the driveway - or even where the bike was apparently found). Only a super loud piercing noise (treble, like a scream) might have cut through. A single shot from a rifle could be confused for the crack of rocks in the spring run-off. It would probably cut through, but it's not going to sound like a human scream.

So no one heard either, as far as we know. Neighbor has talked a little, hasn't mentioned any noises. (The other neighbor is the one who heard noises near the construction site - I think).

As in Barbara Thomas's case, there was an opportunity for a crime that looked as if someone completely vanished. I think there's a chance that in both cases, someone took advantage of a situation. In Barbara's case, sound might have carried a great distance - but there was no one within miles. In Suzanne's case, her voice might have barely been audible from .1 mile away - due to distance and river.

I've always been surprised at the way creeks in Colorado push rocks and they make grinding, cracking sounds - it's lovely, really, but also makes a person aware how strong smallish rocks can be. My imagination starts to work overtime.

That type of landscaping sounds very pretty and very natural. When I first saw the M’s house I thought the landscaping seemed unusual for a landscaper. There were so many rocks and not many plants or bushes. But then I learned on here about “hardscaping.” It’s all very different from where I live in the world of flowers, azalea bushes, crepe myrtles and magnolia trees. But I live in a large subdivision where everyone landscapes their yards to block out the neighbors yards. There is mostly green grass (that has to be watered and most people have built in sprinkler systems) and not many rocks and boulders in this southern climate. If a gun went off or someone screamed in my next door neighbors houses we would probably hear it although the air conditioning units by the houses can be noisy. I’ve heard fighting before but not to the level of calling the police.

What you wrote about the noise of the creek and rocks shifting was interesting to think about. Because if a loud argument was happening in the M’s home and/or a gun went off it would probably not be heard by a neighbor a mile away. But YES what if the neighbor that they called to check on Suzanne did hear something unusual late the previous night? Maybe she brushed it off as sounds from the creek but after Suzanne was missing she pulled an LE officer aside and said she thought she should tell them she heard something unusual? And that could be another reason LE turned their investigation towards the house? Just speculating and MOO on another possibility to think about...

 

[Lilypad13]

I'm counting on you guys to take good notes from the PE broadcast this evening!

Oh I’ll be watching for sure! I wonder what this new information is? Does anyone already know what this is about?

 

[Ontario Mom]

Oh I’ll be watching for sure! I wonder what this new information is? Does anyone already know what this is about?

I don't follow on social media but many do, so I'm guessing yes, someone knows
I'll be watching for sure.

 

[Poedelini]

Oh I’ll be watching for sure! I wonder what this new information is? Does anyone already know what this is about?

I don't think so. In the description it says; Join this special broadcast with the Profiling Evil team and learn what they’ve uncovered in the Suzanne Morphew missing persons case. This is the first time this will be discussed.

Im super curious.

 

[Ontario Mom]

I have been struggling with that question---is she near Denver, or closer to home?

I am leaning towards her being eventually found closer to home. Two reasons.

One, if she is ever found just outside Denver, everyone would KNOW who put her there, instantly.

Two, I try to imagine having my husband's dead body in my Explorer. [not really,lol]

But would I want to drive for 2 and a half hours with a dead body in my truck?

And wouldn't he want to do the disposal in darkness? So what time would he have to drive to get there at a suitable time to hide a body? He wouldn't want to park at the hotel or at a family members home with the body still in the vehicle...

So it feels to me that the best option would be to get up at 3 or 4 am and dispose of the body closer to home. Safer overall, and it could still work that a random stalker did the crime. JMO

I would agree about being closer to home, since anywhere near Denver would be too obvious.
Then again, Gannon's case still being fresh on my mind, yes there are pieces of human trash that do drive for long distances with a deceased person in their vehicle.

jmo

 

[Lilypad13]

I have been struggling with that question---is she near Denver, or closer to home?

I am leaning towards her being eventually found closer to home. Two reasons.

One, if she is ever found just outside Denver, everyone would KNOW who put her there, instantly.

Two, I try to imagine having my husband's dead body in my Explorer. [not really,lol]

But would I want to drive for 2 and a half hours with a dead body in my truck?

And wouldn't he want to do the disposal in darkness? So what time would he have to drive to get there at a suitable time to hide a body? He wouldn't want to park at the hotel or at a family members home with the body still in the vehicle...

So it feels to me that the best option would be to get up at 3 or 4 am and dispose of the body closer to home. Safer overall, and it could still work that a random stalker did the crime. JMO

All very good points! Especially if they found her near Denver it would point to BM. But what if he staged the bike/abduction scenario and really thought LE would run with that? He might have thought LE would search the area near the home very well and scent dogs might be able to find her. So the only other option if he knew he had to have an alibi and wanted to distance himself would be somewhere along the way or near his Denver job site. He would probably know his cell phone could be tracked but maybe didn’t think about the truck. He could literally pull off somewhere along the way and leave his phone in the truck or go to the job site, leave phone, go and come back within a few hours and his phone hasn’t moved because he is working. As for driving with your wife’s dead body in the truck...well I am guessing once you have crossed the line of murder then transporting a body isn’t as big of a moral issue for ya at that point. Especially if it saves your *advertiser censored**! And driving and hiding a body in the early morning hours of daylight on Mother’s Day Sunday would definitely be risky but if he left Maysville before dawn it would still be very early when he got to Denver with light traffic and not many if any people at the park. And if he disposed of her body along the way there is an even better chance of not being seen. IMO But she could be near the home and just hidden very well. Who knows?! Well SOMEONE knows...

 

[Fireflize]

I have been struggling with that question---is she near Denver, or closer to home?

I am leaning towards her being eventually found closer to home. Two reasons.

One, if she is ever found just outside Denver, everyone would KNOW who put her there, instantly.

Two, I try to imagine having my husband's dead body in my Explorer. [not really,lol]

But would I want to drive for 2 and a half hours with a dead body in my truck?

And wouldn't he want to do the disposal in darkness? So what time would he have to drive to get there at a suitable time to hide a body? He wouldn't want to park at the hotel or at a family members home with the body still in the vehicle...

So it feels to me that the best option would be to get up at 3 or 4 am and dispose of the body closer to home. Safer overall, and it could still work that a random stalker did the crime. JMO

You make sense. Why hide a body near your alibi place? It would be stupid. But it is possible he wasn't thinking it through at the time. If he had access to an alternative older vehicle at the worksite, that may have been his focus.

But I can agree close to home is a better option for him. And if you think you are smart enough to stage an abduction that LE will buy, then you'd take her in the direction of the personal item that was found on hiway 50.

If he had access to a vehicle that couldn't be tracked, be might think that he could get away with it. He could have used an ATV.

I have to wonder if he was foolish enough to think that LE would never suspect him.
Moo of course.

 

[Poedelini]

You make sense. Why hide a body near your alibi place? It would be stupid. But it is possible he wasn't thinking it through at the time. If he had access to an alternative older vehicle at the worksite, that may have been his focus.

But I can agree close to home is a better option for him. And if you think you are smart enough to stage an abduction that LE will buy, then you'd take her in the direction of the personal item that was found on hiway 50.

If he had access to a vehicle that couldn't be tracked, be might think that he could get away with it. He could have used an ATV.

I have to wonder if he was foolish enough to think that LE would never suspect him.
Moo of course.

He clearly did by watching him being upset about LE handling the bike. It is kind of amazing what kind of thought process murderers have.
No worries. LE is on their way. Jmo

 

[Fireflize]

All very good points! Especially if they found her near Denver it would point to BM. But what if he staged the bike/abduction scenario and really thought LE would run with that? He might have thought LE would search the area near the home very well and scent dogs might be able to find her. So the only other option if he knew he had to have an alibi and wanted to distance himself would be somewhere along the way or near his Denver job site. He would probably know his cell phone could be tracked but maybe didn’t think about the truck. He could literally pull off somewhere along the way and leave his phone in the truck or go to the job site, leave phone, go and come back within a few hours and his phone hasn’t moved because he is working. As for driving with your wife’s dead body in the truck...well I am guessing once you have crossed the line of murder then transporting a body isn’t as big of a moral issue for ya at that point. Especially if it saves your *advertiser censored**! And driving and hiding a body in the early morning hours of daylight on Mother’s Day Sunday would definitely be risky but if he left Maysville before dawn it would still be very early when he got to Denver with light traffic and not many if any people at the park. And if he disposed of her body along the way there is an even better chance of not being seen. IMO But she could be near the home and just hidden very well. Who knows?! Well SOMEONE knows...

BBM
Agree.
Maybe he didn't think about the truck being tracked. Maybe it had a gps that he turned off, thinking that would prevent tracking. He should have known better, but what if? Moo

 

[Charlot123]

I've thought about this too. I'm not sure I'd be crying. I'm pretty tough and have been through family emergencies that involved a missing person. I can't really describe my state well, I was confused and upset and wanted help and answers. I actually was really quiet and grim.

However, the main goal was to get the people who were supposed to be helping (police, mental health team, friends) to HELP. I was angry at no one, I felt helpless and even ashamed (I didn't disappear anyone, but someone, they had run away and disappeared on my watch). Main point: I wanted HELP.

LE asked me a bunch of questions. Was he on drugs? How did I know for sure? What drugs were in the house? And of course, a bunch of stuff about what he was wearing and where I last saw him. Whether he had every done LSD (no...no drugs!) Was he armed? Did we have a gun. Were there other weapons in the house. Was he suicidal (yes). Etc.

I don't remember sleeping at all that day or night or the next day either. I can't imagine being anything but exhausted, especially when successive waves of LE and others ask the same questions. I remember wanting sleep and a shower, but realizing that was less important than finding my family member.

Imagine love was gone and he did not cry. He’d still be scared, what if the perpetrator goes after him, or his daughters, right?

 

[Charlot123]

I have been struggling with that question---is she near Denver, or closer to home?

I am leaning towards her being eventually found closer to home. Two reasons.

One, if she is ever found just outside Denver, everyone would KNOW who put her there, instantly.

Two, I try to imagine having my husband's dead body in my Explorer. [not really,lol]

But would I want to drive for 2 and a half hours with a dead body in my truck?

And wouldn't he want to do the disposal in darkness? So what time would he have to drive to get there at a suitable time to hide a body? He wouldn't want to park at the hotel or at a family members home with the body still in the vehicle...

So it feels to me that the best option would be to get up at 3 or 4 am and dispose of the body closer to home. Safer overall, and it could still work that a random stalker did the crime. JMO

Probably not in Denver, as GPS tracking would show some stops. And I’d think, in the other side from the logical places to search. Close to home initially, now, farther - or deeper.

 

[Seattle1]

Imagine love was gone and he did not cry. He’d still be scared, what if the perpetrator goes after him, or his daughters, right?

Problem here is that by BM going with the 'cover all bases' approach to explain SM's disappearance including 1)accident, 2)wildlife attack, and 3)abduction, he left little room for the "threat/warning to me or my family" edition which I think bests fits his reward structure.

In BM's mind, should he be scared for himself and his daughters too or would that be too much?

SM, long time married, the mother of young adults is low risk to a random abduction whereas targeting SM or his children to personally retaliate or warn BM would make more sense to me but this would put too much focus on BM so best not go with that theory. Then again, maybe this explains why BM crafted his 'no questions asked' reward if you return my wife unharmed in exchange for a hefty sum. And look, I'll even eliminate you having to act like a kidnapper and carry out contacting me for a ransom because I'll make the offer upfront so you don't have to.

In BM's mind, now I really have covered every possible scenario.

I wonder if there have been any phony calls to the tipline such as we have your wife and you need to double the reward if you ever want see your wife again!

Anybody thinking BM a regular Joe is sure selling him short!

MOO

 

[Seattle1]

Me too! Wish a reporter could do a PRR for 911 calls from that address. I've also surmised that maybe an attorney came forward who Suzanne had been in recent contact with. Or maybe it's as simple as someone she confided in, like a Pastor or never before mentioned confidant.

Or a member of her family, remaining silent on the sidelines.

 

[Seattle1]

I have been struggling with that question---is she near Denver, or closer to home?I am leaning towards her being eventually found closer to home. Two reasons.One, if she is ever found just outside Denver, everyone would KNOW who put her there, instantly.

^^sbm

I'm curious if BM participated (called out) to fight any larger wildfires since 2018? An area where he would be familiar with access, yet unpopular to others for several years during natural rehabilitation.

 

[Warwick7]

Just thinking about the first evening when SM was reported missing. We’ve talked about the early disconnect between BM and LE. But why?
I think right from the git go BM’s attitude did not make sense to LE. If your wife was missing and you got home to find LE all over the scene trying to find her, would your first reaction be to get angry at LE? Yet, BM admits he was angry that first night. I am including here a screenshot of that part of the transcription from the TD interview with BM.
LE’s first priority is preservation of life, secondly would be preservation of evidence. Because it was reported that she did not return from a bike ride, the initial assumption would naturally be accident or injury. Once that bike was found, searchers would spread out to see if they could locate her.
So BM arrives home from Denver and he is mad at LE for searching for his wife. What’s the old saying? A good defense is the best offense.
To paraphrase Shakespeare: “Barry, I think thou doth protest too much.”
MOO

Yes...doth protest too much...
Luv that!

 

[10ofRods]

That must have been a very difficult thing to go through. I imagine sometimes it was exasperating to have to answer the same questions over and over, but that is not the same thing as being angry at the folks who are there trying to help.

It made sense at the time. They eventually found him, because several people called in a man whose behavior was bizarre/threatening. He had gone up where there were some trails used by many runners and some bicyclists. Because LE already had a BOLO for a missing man, they figured out pretty quickly who he might be (he refused to give his name, had no id, was taken into custody and transported to an ER). I had already contacted the ER, so they put two and two together and called me.

I was glad I had answered all those questions for all those people. Original police, ER, his doctors, more police, and then more police at the ER. Never felt angry at anyone, fear was the main feeling. I was very glad I knew what he was wearing.

 

[Warwick7]

Yes. The search warrant is a tool. Not evidence. But the facts providing the probable cause used to secure it includes actual evidence.

Criminal defense attorneys will try to downplay the significance but I don’t take that bait. I’ve followed too many of these high profile cases to be misled.

ETA: If search warrants were so easy to secure, the Daybell property would’ve been excavated long before it was in the Vallow Daybell case.

Let’s be real- it’s not that easy to get a warrant to actually excavate property in a high profile case. Or any case.

Also, no attorney “handles” a murder case. They either prosecute them or defend them.

BAM!!
BAM!!
BAM!!

 

[Sillybilly]

Please continue discussion at Thread #24.

This thread is now closed.