Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #35

[EggSalad]

Been thinking.....

Suzanne may have been contemplating leaving but surely she didn't expect death...

What if....

What if Suzanne doesn't go for a morning bike ride because she expects to go on one with her husband later in the day. He's at work, she freely dives into her social media conversation about the wedding.

We don't know what her last message was....

But what we might know is that BM was returning from the Salida job during the 11 o'clock hour.... and her social media conversation ended at noon-thirty, presumably when BM returned home. We've all been wondering what led to the friend's immediate panic. I think it's not that the conversation ended but what her last message may have been.

What if...

What if the last text was: going for a bike ride (with my husband), call the police if I don't return.

Not a stretch. If she had marriage trouble, if she'd confided even generally with her friend, she may indeed have felt some trepidation going off with him. (Common pattern in relationships where there's imbalance-- a fight, the make up with the promise, if Suzanne voiced displeasure, the husband may have tried to appease her with the promise of more time together, hence biking and hiking, but that didn't necessary lift her reticence.) Going on a ride with him might feel like more of the same, when she was finally ready to say no more -- so she wouldn't be 100% scared, just apprehensive. Don't get me wrong, I don't think she went for a bike ride, on Saturday either, but I do think it's possible she thought she'd be going on one.

If she messaged her friend about a bike ride, and then went radio silent, you bet that friend would worry. Then to learn she disappeared (reportedly) on a bike ride a full day later??? Freak out!

That last text may well tell the whole story.

JMO

IMO, Barry didn’t bike. Biking was one of the few escapes SM had from her marriage. And it was probably why she rode so much.

it might even be why Barry used that to stage the accident because it was one of the only times she could logically be away from his control.

 

[lonetraveler]

BBM:

I think it's entirely possible that SM may have had it in mind to leave/divorce BM.

I do disagree with you about the motive for her murder, however.

I'm wholeheartedly convinced that this is about assets.

The motive here is primarily a financial one.

Greed. I can see evidence of it all over the place in this case, and it was evident from the outset.

"For the love of money is the root of all evil."

JMO.

I totally agree with your thoughts here. It was all about greed and HER money. IMO, he has always thought that his money was his money and her money was his money. He wanted to buy that lot and she refused to. He wasn't about to let her (finally) make a decision not to spend her inheritance. Enraged, he killed her, disposed of her, gave his ridiculous story and immediately bought the property.

 

[Puzzles8]

BBM:

I think LE has shown nothing short of sheer genius in both their disclosure of having recovered a personal item, and in their refusal to identify specifically what it is they recovered.

I've said this before, but the reason this is such a brilliant move is that it really puts the perp in a state of disequilibrium.

What if the perp planted more than one item that he intended for LE to find?

What if LE is publicly stating that they've recovered "an item" but have in fact recovered more than one?

What if LE recovered something that the perp did NOT mean to leave behind, i.e., he dropped something inadvertently?

There's no way for the perp to know the answers to any of those questions.
Unless he goes out to check the location(s) where he planted items, he can't verify whether or not LE recovered what he intended them to find.

Obviously, he can't risk going back to the spot where he planted evidence, because LE may have surveillance on that area and/or on him.

It has to be driving him absolutely batty not knowing what LE has in hand.
He has no idea whether it's something he meant for them to discover, or if it's a neon flashing bread crumb he unintentionally left behind for LE.

The perp is now "completely in the dark here," as BM would say.

And I guarantee you he's extremely unhappy about that.

It really is genius on the part of LE to handle it this way.

JMO.

Totally agree with you here.

When I log on and try to catch up, I start with the most recent post and work my way back. These are exactly my feelings!

I'm doing my best to catch up tonight!

 

[MsBetsy]

Here is what I think happened. This is all MOO (does that mean my opinion only?)

I think that Barry and Suzanne were separating. At the request of Suzanne and Barry didn’t want to . I think they were going to tell the girls after they got back from their camping trip. To me, this also explains the move to the condo that Andy told us about (almost like Barry was going to do it anyway per Suzanne’s request and felt guilty and did it now)

I believe the motive in this case was pure jealousy/rage (not money, not inheritances, not another woman) and that it was in no way pre-planned or even pre-thought. I do not see Barry in the same light as I see Chris watts or Scott Peterson.

I think on Saturday , Barry saw her on her phone and was like “give me your phone-let me see who you’re texting” or -he stole it and read/found something he didn’t like in there, I could elaborate on what I think he found , but you probably get it. I think he threw/slammed her phone and broke it (to me, this could explain the potential logins from his phone to her fb or whatever/creating the friend suggestions) I think a fight occurred and he killed her.

I do think that Friday night was relevant somehow. I’m not sure how yet, but I have some ideas that I’m working through.

Great post, and welcome to Websleuths!

I do think that this may have been a crime of passion, stemming from jealousy and rage that eventually escalated to violence.

Although by many accounts they seemed to be a happy couple, BM has been described as controlling, possibly verbally abusive, and aggressive in at least one incident. There has been speculation by AM that Suzanne might not have been happy recently and had asked for a divorce.

Since they were young when they married, she probably didn't have many serious relationships before she met BM. If there was verbal and emotional abuse she may not have recognized the signs.

Barry may have been happy as long as his wife admired him and "listened" to his advice, such as telling her not to take medication for depression. Maybe when she went through cancer a second time she didn't feel like being "browbeaten" again. Maybe she felt suffocated in her marriage and had confided to a friend.

In one of BM's interviews with Lauren, he suggested that someone Suzanne had recently gotten close to may have been responsible for her disappearance. I wonder if he discovered she had been communicating with this person, and accused her of having an affair.

He may have been jealous of anyone who took her attention away from him. Maybe the idea of Suzanne going to a wedding without him was enough to cause him to lose his temper.

Either way, it probably wouldn't take much for him to lose control if he realized his marriage was coming to an end and Suzanne was becoming more independent. The most dangerous time for a woman in an abusive relationship is when she is about to leave.

IMO

 

[lonetraveler]

Or invite him to stay at the condo with them.

If he has nothing to hide then he should be offering.

If Barry was innocent, you would think that offering him a place to stay would be the least thing he could do since he had been his brother-in-law for decades and her brother is going there to help search for Barry's wife. Just saying.....

 

[LietKynes]

Amazing isn't it that if true, the very items he listed on his handwritten note that he gave the convenience store clerk can be crossed off the list.

Yes, I think LE know the who and possibly the how...just not the why yet.
And most of all, they don't have the where.
And BM wonders why LE aren't telling him anything.
Oh, he knows why.
Imo.


Speculation : It makes my blood boil to think of this lady out there in the elements, and someone knows her location but is keeping quiet.
How cruel !

 

[lonetraveler]

Oh, you know…Broomfield, Denver.

Fire training, landscaping job.

Abductor, mountain lion.

Close enough.

Let's not go getting all nit-picky here...give the guy a break, already!

JMO.

I think he totally deserves a break. Not the kind he wants, but the kind he deserves.

 

[Knox]

ITA. He may have already slipped up on the TD video when he referred to said item as an "article".

When I see the word article, my mind automatically goes to "clothing".

 

[EggSalad]

It's amazing to me that a fireman, friend of Barry's was there supposedly watching the discovery of Suzanne's bicycle and was reporting to him, a friend of Barry's was there and disappeared from the search group and then right after the 'personal item' was found.
IMO, he has a 'friend' who, hopefully, will come forward soon,

Yup. He had two people in Mayesville Sunday evening when everything happened and they were already helping BM build his story against LE messing up the bike evidence. And he had three more in Broomsfield building and alibi and who know what else.

I’m very suspicious of all of this.

 

[Knox]

Oh, you know…Broomfield, Denver.

Fire training, landscaping job.

Abductor, mountain lion.

Close enough.

Let's not go getting all nit-picky here...give the guy a break, already!

JMO.

In his own words ... "I was confused and I just found out my wife was missing, and I was a little bit not in my right mind when they were asking me these questions, but I did the best I could and I answered everything. I never once declined any interview".

 

[MsBetsy]

Or invite him to stay at the condo with them.

If he has nothing to hide then he should be offering.

I have a feeling AM doesn't want to be any where near his brother-in-law at this point. He basically said he hopes he doesn't take part in the search.

Same goes for Barry. He's probably furious that AM called him out and publicly accused him.

It may actually be better if they avoid one another.

 

[lonetraveler]

And if someone did plant the bike helmet, maybe he forgot to undo the strap further raising LE's suspicions?

I close my strap when I'm done riding so the helmet can hang on the handlebars, ready for the next ride. They are also closed when I'm wearing the helmet. Those are the only 2 times the strap is fastened.

Speculation only. Just sayin'.

Great observation.

 

[MsBetsy]

<modsnip> I'm pretty sure I did see a post here early on where someone "speculated" that Suzanne may have left a note or said something to the neighbor about calling 911 if she didn't return from her bike ride or something like that.

It was when we had a big discussion as to why the neighbor called 911 and not "the husband." Imo

 

[lonetraveler]

Stay safe! More heavy rain where I am in SC and then Sally is history for us!

Yes, I'm on NC coast and tornado warnings going on as well as torrential rain. Be safe.

 

[GordianKnot]

In his own words ... "I was confused and I just found out my wife was missing, and I was a little bit not in my right mind when they were asking me these questions, but I did the best I could and I answered everything. I never once declined any interview".

BBM:

This line has always, always struck a wrong chord with me.

Did the best you could to do what, exactly?

Tell the truth? Come up with a good story?

"I did the best I could" is something you say when you know you've completely blown something.

I wonder what BM blew in his interview with LE.

JMO.

 

[citygirl]

Yes, I think LE know the who and possibly the how...just not the why yet.
And most of all, they don't have the where.
And BM wonders why LE aren't telling him anything.
Oh, he knows why.
Imo.


Speculation : It makes my blood boil to think of this lady out there in the elements, and someone knows her location but is keeping quiet.
How cruel !

BBM.
So agree with you. However, at the risk of going all Yada Yada, I'd like to think her soul is at peace.
It's up to we mortals to find her body and give her a resting place.
For the sake of her family and loved ones.
Especially her daughters.
MOO.

 

[DizzyB]

BBM:

This line has always, always struck a wrong chord with me.

Did the best you could to do what, exactly?

Tell the truth? Come up with a good story?

"I did the best I could" is something you say when you know you've completely blown something.

I wonder what BM blew in his interview with LE.

JMO.

Is Barry playing the dumb card? I’m just too upset to answer questions, Officers. Can you blame me? I’m half out of my mind with worry, and I just drove 3 hours, and I’ve got a bunch of legal transactions to handle and a bum bobcat that needs a mechanical thing. I can’t believe that this happened to ME!
I saw this elsewhere, and the absurdity of his story made me have to copy and paste- “Let’s Go Repair the Crooked Brick Wall from 2019 on Mothers Day Plan”

 

[MsBetsy]

In his own words ... "I was confused and I just found out my wife was missing, and I was a little bit not in my right mind when they were asking me these questions, but I did the best I could and I answered everything. I never once declined any interview".

Funny how after all the things AM accused him of, he places so much importance on the fact that he never once declined an interview. Just because he answered their questions doesn't mean he's been truthful or cooperative. Imo

 

[Knox]

Coming up @6:00 pm PST-

 

[lonetraveler]

When I see the word article, my mind automatically goes to "clothing".

Exactly, any other thing would be item.