Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #3

[MimosaMornings]

Perhaps there were other businesses registered at her house besides the nonprofit that Suzanne was involved/worked/etc.
JMO

 

[Birmingplumb]

Question: Does L.E. usually normally most of time spend all this manpower searching for lost folk before having family take cheap lie detector tests? Just saying since family co-operating.

 

[oviedo]

Question: Does L.E. usually normally most of time spend all this manpower searching for lost folk before having family take cheap lie detector tests? Just saying since family co-operating.

Yes, IMO - in Barbara Thomas disappearance they searched for days in the desert with dogs.
AZ - AZ - Barbara Thomas, 69, Timeline, Media, Maps, *NO DISCUSSION*
This is her media thread - she has many discussion threads.
JMO

 

[Nerissa]

So, this may be neither here nor there, however, at the least I can assuage my curiousity & settle my boyfriend's suspicions

I & my boyfriend happened to pop up to the buena vista/salida area for a couple days jaunt in the mountains during mother's day weekend
Ended up being our typical 'adventure' & the take-away mantra was: 'at least it was pretty' lol
Drove through Buena Vista back/forth, then back/forth to Salida, - so much for mountain time!

Here's the thing I hope a local will clear up - in Salida, in front of the walmart on Friday, the 8th, there were these piles of stuff....spaced out over many yards & no one around...as if a group of people were walking with their belongings & decided to set them down & go into some business & risk the chance of their stuff being stolen.

There was a suitcase, bags etc - but spaced out in little 'piles' for lack of better word

Saturday the piles had moved a couple miles perhaps to the junction of the road going into salida & the road that goes directly to/through Buena Vista....this time there was a man sitting by one of the piles
Very strange

My boyfriend thinks this may have something to do with the case - even if it's only that SM's personal belonging may have wound up with the 'piles'....
I doubt that it has anything to do with the case

So - for locals: do you know what I'm talking about?! I know it's weird....I'm figuring this could be some local 'character' who is known to traipse about town with his piles of stuff...
Thank you so much if you can clear this up!

 

[Seattle1]

My own curiosity is about how LE (in any case but especially this one) can rule out self-harm or suicide.

They don't know her, and suicidal people often take others by surprise. Sometimes, their mood and activity level improves right before they commit the act, as they are relieved to have finally decided a way out of an intolerable, painful situation (mental pain is real, depression is real).

Does anyone know how LE find themselves expert in such a matter or what kinds of clues they'd take as indicating "not a suicide"? I'm guessing it's totally circumstantial and practical - they didn't find her in the river or the reservoir, which would be obvious places for such an act.

But do they know everything about Suzanne? I don't see how they can. I've worked in a lot of psychiatric settings over the years (as a researcher), and suicides take even the most involved psychiatrists by surprise. People can be talking constantly about suicide and never do it, and someone else never mentions is and then does it. When it happens, everyone, even professionals, wrack their brains for clues. From that, there have been studies and publications about how an improvement in mood, giving things away, increased cheerfulness, reaching out to old friends and having a last conversation with each family member (all while being cheerful or at least not depressed-sounding) have emerged as prior "clues."

Given all that, why would LE be so certain it's not suicide? Just curious about your thoughts.

Personally, I think investigators have evidence to indicate that SM is not missing voluntarily and most likely a victim of foul play. That being said, I also believe the FBI have some of the best psychological profilers in the country, trained to know both what questions to ask those last in contact with the victim as well as analyze their medical history to promptly determine suicide ideation.

(I'm also a huge fan of John E. Douglas that created and managed the FBI's Criminal Profiling Program in the 70's).

 

[clearskies1]

I hope so. Do we know if the family and friends are out there actively searching? Have there been any pictures posted anywhere? In most missing person cases, we see pictures of family/friends actively searching. I rarely get on FB or Twitter so maybe I missed it.

In a MSM interview, nephew said they are doing a private search. To my knowledge there are no public photos/videos of a private search.

 

[K9Enzo]

Question: Does L.E. usually normally most of time spend all this manpower searching for lost folk before having family take cheap lie detector tests? Just saying since family co-operating.

IMO, you don't start with polygraph because you need to find the missing person, who might be in critical condition or a victim of some sort of crime. The clock is ticking...

 

[j_in_c]

The closest confirmation I've seen for SM going mountain biking was reported in bicycling.com which states: She was last seen wearing a mountain bike-specific helmet and wearing a Camelbak.

Also the first time I've seen a Bicycle Magazine report on a missing person.

Suzanne Morphew Missing | Colorado Cyclist Missing Since May 10

Runner's World did an excellent piece on Amy Bechtel's disappearance (while out for a long distance run):
Long Gone Girl | Runner's World

And Outside magazine has done several good write-ups on missing hikers. I think since it can affect a sense of safety in the outdoors, it is definitely of interest to those use groups.
Thanks for sharing the article!

 

[bancam]

My own curiosity is about how LE (in any case but especially this one) can rule out self-harm or suicide.

They don't know her, and suicidal people often take others by surprise. Sometimes, their mood and activity level improves right before they commit the act, as they are relieved to have finally decided a way out of an intolerable, painful situation (mental pain is real, depression is real).

Does anyone know how LE find themselves expert in such a matter or what kinds of clues they'd take as indicating "not a suicide"? I'm guessing it's totally circumstantial and practical - they didn't find her in the river or the reservoir, which would be obvious places for such an act.

But do they know everything about Suzanne? I don't see how they can. I've worked in a lot of psychiatric settings over the years (as a researcher), and suicides take even the most involved psychiatrists by surprise. People can be talking constantly about suicide and never do it, and someone else never mentions is and then does it. When it happens, everyone, even professionals, wrack their brains for clues. From that, there have been studies and publications about how an improvement in mood, giving things away, increased cheerfulness, reaching out to old friends and having a last conversation with each family member (all while being cheerful or at least not depressed-sounding) have emerged as prior "clues."

Given all that, why would LE be so certain it's not suicide? Just curious about your thoughts.

JMO... possibly because of the condition of an item found in the search early on (e.g. the bike)? Maybe there is some specific twist in the evidence collected thus far to strongly indicate this disappearance was not of her own doing. Hence, perhaps, the push by the nephew in the media to get LE to release details of the condition of her bike?

 

[Birmingplumb]

IMO, you don't start with polygraph because you need to find the missing person, who might be in critical condition or a victim of some sort of crime. The clock is ticking...

Don't buy it. Multi-task, sub out - just saying all taxpayer funds- also trying to determine what ".....co-operating but I hope it continues...." means (sheriff)

 

[Ninja Bunny]

Official missing poster lacks descriptive info (height, weight, hair, eye, scars, tats, etc.), discouraging community from joining the search, no strong SAR presence, FBI involved, no warning to the community about a possible psychopath on the loose kidnapping women, want people to hold on to their Ring footage from May 8-12, cagey with their words or just outright tight-lipped...

I think LE knows or has a good idea what happened, they're building a case on someone.

Chaffee Co. Sheriff John Spezze: "As you know, Suzanne Morphew disappeared on...[stops, corrects himself] ...became a missing person on Sunday the 10th..."

I don't think she went on that bike ride, I think she disappeared before Sunday.

 

[eyestowardHeaven]

Would LE ever purposely distance themselves from the family, or at least make it seem as if they have no hand in any interviews or rewards coming from the missing person’s loved ones? Say, in a true kidnapping situation?

I’m assuming there was some sort of crime scene that led to the FBI being called in, and the Sheriff’s statement that this was not a case of self-harm or harm from an animal. Maybe there was a note found, and if a true kidnapping, possibly that would explain the lack of info given out and lack of request for the public’s help.

I realize this goes against crime statistics and what we normally see. But I keep turning around in my head why this case is so different.

JMO

 

[Birmingplumb]

If they started a early required lie detector test system ,wouldn't that make a lot of guilty people expose themselves by refusing? Or confuse L.E. more trying to figure out if person refusing is either " no way how dare u suspect me my rights being violated " type or for real poi?

 

[osu]

I hope so. Do we know if the family and friends are out there actively searching? Have there been any pictures posted anywhere? In most missing person cases, we see pictures of family/friends actively searching. I rarely get on FB or Twitter so maybe I missed it.

I’ve been all over FB, IG and Twitter and I haven’t seen any photos or videos posted of any family or volunteer searches going on.

The family FB page hasn’t been updated since Sunday.

JMO

 

[Tate123]

The IRS has strict regulations regarding family members on a board of directors for a foundation - IIRC, one must have more non-family members than family members on a foundation board. So, if she wanted to include her daughters (who were likely minors when it was created in 2015?), she'd have to have five additional board members (4 family, 5 non-family). EDITED TO ADD - that isd a lot of board members for an inactive foundation.

Also, I wanna say, board members can't even be business partners, but that could just be a recommendation and not a regulation.

And one of the people listed is a family member.

 

[Razz]

I 'm wonder what surrounds the house. Drop offs, woods, water? I would be inclined to search for her near home. It would be easy enough for say, a stalker, to put her where she won't be found without having to transport her somewhere. To confuse those who may come looking for her,
it would be easy enough to place items away from the house in hopes that they'd search there first and spend days searching places where she isn't.

For some reason, this makes sense to my sometimes diabolical mind.

 

[Madeleine74]

Question: Does L.E. usually normally most of time spend all this manpower searching for lost folk before having family take cheap lie detector tests? Just saying since family co-operating.

Cheap lie detector tests? What are those? Polygraphs, when used, are conducted by licensed professionals. LE can't force anyone to take a polygraph test. They can ask one or more people to take them. Polygraph tests are not admissible in court, so they are really a tool LE uses to try to narrow down a possible POI or even just see who would be willing to take one, no hesitation.

LE spends as much time investigating missing persons as they can, with the goal of getting to a resolution. Of course it all depends on the number of cases active in an area, and what staff is available and other factors.

 

[Pak31]

Official missing poster lacks descriptive info (height, weight, hair, eye, scars, tats, etc.), discouraging community from joining the search, no strong SAR presence, FBI involved, want people to hold on to their Ring footage from May 8-12, cagey with their words or just outright tight-lipped...

I think LE knows or has a good idea what happened, they're building a case on someone.

Chaffee Co. Sheriff John Spezze: "As you know, Suzanne Morphew disappeared on...[stops, corrects himself] ...became a missing person on Sunday, the 10th..."

I don't think she went on that bike ride, I think she disappeared before Sunday.

Excellent post. I agree 100%. Everyone is SO focused on the bike ride. The bike ride may have never occurred. That bike could have been placed there intentionally by someone as a way to divert the situation and it’s working. Listen to LE’s words. To how they phrase their statements. Also remember it’s the family who rushed to lean toward the idea she was taken when, as far as we know, there is no proof. LE has told us what they don’t believe happened to her and they won’t say she went missing on Mother’s Day. When WAS the last time someone physically saw her alive? Why was their security camera not on? All of this MOO.

 

[TexLil]

Hoping the expected daily update from the Chaffee County Sheriff's office today will provide more info than yesterday's update. On Sunday there were water searches. On Monday there were no searches. The searching info is very telling IMO. Why search in that specific body of water? Why stop searching? Are there any searches happening today?

MOO

 

[Backstroke10]

Thanks! I wasn’t sure if I was just missing something. Seems very odd to me. MOO

In a MSM interview, nephew said they are doing a private search. To my knowledge there are no public photos/videos of a private search.

I’ve been all over FB, IG and Twitter and I haven’t seen any photos posted of any family or volunteer searches going on.

The family FB page hasn’t been updated since Sunday.

JMO