CO SUZANNE MORPHEW: Missing from Chaffee County, CO - 10 May 2020 - Age 49 *Found Deceased*

A Chaffee County woman is missing after a neighbor said she went out for a bike ride Sunday and never returned, sparking a search involving more than 100 emergency personnel.

The Chaffee County Communications Center received a report on Sunday at 5:46 p.m. regarding a missing woman in the area of County Road 225 and West Highway 50.


Anybody who has information on Morphew’s whereabouts is asked to call the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office at 719-539-2596 or Chaffee County Crime Stoppers at 719-539-2599.


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edited by staff to add media link
 
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Found "items" believed to be personal items of Suzanne
Launched a bigger search using 90 searchers, trained from local and FBI and CBI
Searched over 2.5 miles using grid patterns, found NO other items
Reevaluating where we are, we are still receiving info and constantly re-evaluating
Investigation continues
Thanking for outpouring of assistance. Volunteer searchers still not needed, but the offer is much appreciated

QUESTIONS

*What items were found? I cannot offer any information on any clues or anything we found. It is an open investigation so we cannot disclose that.
*Do you think she's still alive? We are certainly hopeful. As time goes by it gives us concern. She could still be alive.
*How can community help in the search? We're looking for ANY information. Call the tip line. If you have something you think is important or suspicious, call.
*Was she an avid biker? Normal route? She biked quite a bit. We've searched that whole area. Doesn't mean we won't keep searching or expanding. Not ruling anything out.
*Have we recovered the bike? Cannot comment.
*Still looking at animal involvement? Not ruling it out but not found anything to indicate that.
*Number of tips received? Not sure. A lot. Seems to be picking up.
*Husband cooperating? Yes. He is cooperating. Hope he continues to do so.
*What does the investigation look like moving forward? We don't know. Evaluating.
*FBI/CBI involvement? Still a missing persons investigation. They have a lot of resources we don't have locally.
*How much of an impact does a missing person have? Small, tight-knit community. But concern isn't just local it's nation-wide.
*How big has the search area expanded? Started off "semi-small" and it expands as you find things and receive info. We've expanded quite a bit. We don't know where we'll be tomorrow.
*Is suicide being considered? Looking at all aspects. We don't suspect it but haven't ruled anything out.
*Where do we go from here? "We go." Tips. Tips are huge. Big team of investigators. Looking at everything. We just keep going. It's our top priority.
 
The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office said in a release that an item thought to belong to Morphew was found just west of County Road 225 and West U.S. 50 near Maysville. The Sheriff's Office didn't say what the personal item was or where exactly it was found.

Morphew taught at Hamilton Heights Middle School before her familiy moved to Colorado two years ago.


BBM...

I don't understand all the secrecy.
 
I am not even going to pretend to understand this nonprofit thing. I don't know enough about non-profits but it looks strange/odd to me. Looks like it exists and has for awhile but does nothing... And who are the others listed as part of it? I see no bills and no receipts, etc. unless that part is intentionally grayed out as personal info or something?
 
Just some thoughts since so little has been released.

Regarding the neighbor reporting her missing. These houses are spread out. A neighbor wouldn't necessarily notice her "not return" unless they were staring out the window waiting for her. MAYBE she had said that she would stop by to see them after her bike ride, and she never did? Maybe her husband couldn't get in touch with her so he had the neighbor check?

This family seems to be...quite well off. They have money. Makes sense that a large reward would go out, and early. What doesn't make sense is this same husband who put up the money, when asked by a reporter if he'd like to make a public plea, says "at this point it's simply too soon".

Another weird thing is that police launched a large-scale search almost immediately. Who does that for a missing adult in the daylight hours? Did they find something concerning at the home? Or in the area? Was the neighbor's story inconsistent? What made them worry and start an immediate search for an adult?

WAS SHE ACTUALLY SEEN ON SUNDAY? Was she gone well before Sunday?
I have all of these very same thoughts and questions. From the start, this was so strange, the immediate and quick reaction to, as you say, a missing adult. Does this family or one of them hold some importance we do not know about? I have wondered how close the houses were in relation to neighbors. Generally from the start, we have media with pictures at least of outside of the home, etc. and there was none of that.

There is no indication of what she was wearing, no pleas for the public to keep their eyes out for her, nor the nation. As you say, is this even the day she went missing and how do they know? I understand even the family not releasing personal details but where is any basic information, even from LE? Did her daughters call her on Mother's Day, did her family go out for brunch? What was her day like? Did her husband leave that day or a previous day for Denver? If they are wealthy did they have a surveillance system which showed her leaving on bike or showed something else that worries them that she may have been unaware of like a stranger lurking in the bushes? WHERE is the description of her??? Example: Her hair was in a braid when last seen, wearing a blue bike helmet, Nike shoes, white tank top, etc.? They don't even say when she was last seen nor by who. This case is beyond strange, there has to be something hinky here as they are not looking for her as if it as an abduction as far as trying to use the press and pleading as you say. Big reward, really quickly. Agencies/bureaus involved very quickly. WTH?? Frustrating to no end...
 
Found "items" believed to be personal items of Suzanne
Launched a bigger search using 90 searchers, trained from local and FBI and CBI
Searched over 2.5 miles using grid patterns, found NO other items
Reevaluating where we are, we are still receiving info and constantly re-evaluating
Investigation continues
Thanking for outpouring of assistance. Volunteer searchers still not needed, but the offer is much appreciated

QUESTIONS

*What items were found? I cannot offer any information on any clues or anything we found. It is an open investigation so we cannot disclose that.
*Do you think she's still alive? We are certainly hopeful. As time goes by it gives us concern. She could still be alive.
*How can community help in the search? We're looking for ANY information. Call the tip line. If you have something you think is important or suspicious, call.
*Was she an avid biker? Normal route? She biked quite a bit. We've searched that whole area. Doesn't mean we won't keep searching or expanding. Not ruling anything out.
*Have we recovered the bike? Cannot comment.
*Still looking at animal involvement? Not ruling it out but not found anything to indicate that.
*Number of tips received? Not sure. A lot. Seems to be picking up.
*Husband cooperating? Yes. He is cooperating. Hope he continues to do so.
*What does the investigation look like moving forward? We don't know. Evaluating.
*FBI/CBI involvement? Still a missing persons investigation. They have a lot of resources we don't have locally.
*How much of an impact does a missing person have? Small, tight-knit community. But concern isn't just local it's nation-wide.
*How big has the search area expanded? Started off "semi-small" and it expands as you find things and receive info. We've expanded quite a bit. We don't know where we'll be tomorrow.
*Is suicide being considered? Looking at all aspects. We don't suspect it but haven't ruled anything out.
*Where do we go from here? "We go." Tips. Tips are huge. Big team of investigators. Looking at everything. We just keep going. It's our top priority.

Odd, again, they offer nothing. Odd they won't answer about the bike but have to know the nephew has said publicly that it was found. The only thing they told us that we did not know was that she biked fairly often. Odd they would not say if the husband was cooperating, now they say he is but then add "they hope he continues to do so" --is there a question about whether he will continue?

I get not jeopardizing an investigation but not giving some very basic facts I fail to understand, one would think attention would fall away but all they are doing is causing more attention to fall on this wondering why it is being handled so strangely. Never seen anything like this.

Here is a question? Was she biking alone? Do we even know if she was home alone, seriously? How do they even know she was biking, anyone could have staged something like leaving her bike and now some personal belongings. Again as I said in another post, we do not even know when she was last seen nor by whom. They don't seem to want the public keeping an eye out for her, why? Why did a neighbor call LE and not the husband nor daughters? Even if they had the neighbor go to the home, why not call the family member back and report what they found or the little they can determine and have them report her missing?

Odd, ODD, very ODD case.
 
I am not going to accuse anyone because we know nothing but this case keeps reminding me of the Dulos case and I can't put my finger on all of the reasons. Her looks remind me of that case for one but I think another is that it appeared someone wanted it to look like Jennifer disappeared while jogging or something... The age probably. Nice looking family and children. Not sure of all the reasons but it keeps coming to mind when I read about this case. Wealth perhaps? Just talking out loud... Sorry, the case irritates me :(
 
I have all of these very same thoughts and questions. From the start, this was so strange, the immediate and quick reaction to, as you say, a missing adult. Does this family or one of them hold some importance we do not know about? I have wondered how close the houses were in relation to neighbors. Generally from the start, we have media with pictures at least of outside of the home, etc. and there was none of that.

There is no indication of what she was wearing, no pleas for the public to keep their eyes out for her, nor the nation. As you say, is this even the day she went missing and how do they know? I understand even the family not releasing personal details but where is any basic information, even from LE? Did her daughters call her on Mother's Day, did her family go out for brunch? What was her day like? Did her husband leave that day or a previous day for Denver? If they are wealthy did they have a surveillance system which showed her leaving on bike or showed something else that worries them that she may have been unaware of like a stranger lurking in the bushes? WHERE is the description of her??? Example: Her hair was in a braid when last seen, wearing a blue bike helmet, Nike shoes, white tank top, etc.? They don't even say when she was last seen nor by who. This case is beyond strange, there has to be something hinky here as they are not looking for her as if it as an abduction as far as trying to use the press and pleading as you say. Big reward, really quickly. Agencies/bureaus involved very quickly. WTH?? Frustrating to no end...
A lot of these questions could be explained by a very small jurisdiction. They may have never have dealt with a missing person and don't know what to say so they're not saying anything.
 
A lot of these questions could be explained by a very small jurisdiction. They may have never have dealt with a missing person and don't know what to say so they're not saying anything.
That's true, with some of the questions, most definitely and I certainly would never thing badly of a department willing to ask for help. Reading some of the remarks the other night on the sheriff's department page led me to believe though that crime there is not entirely that unusual.
 
I don't understand why they don't tell us where the bike was located. If it was at home, then her personal items being found gives a completely different scenario than if the bike was found near the personal items.
If that bike was at home, it changes everything. And they will still not confirm if it was found or where it was found. This case strikes me almost like they are looking for a body, in her neck of the woods and maybe they know who and why but as in many cases they don't want to charge until they know more or find the body, cause of death, get their facts together, ducks in a row, etc.? I don't know if we even know if the neighbor is a he or she do we? I mean that is pretty generic info. Do we know when the husband left and how long he was going to be in Denver? I fail to understand why the nephew said they found the bike but LE still would not confirm even that much. I will stop as I will just be repeating what I said above. I am holding in a few questions and thoughts only to not cast any suspicion on various people that may not deserve it. Some basic info would shut down some of those thoughts. Oh well.
 
regarding the map posted. Here is the same place viewed from the opposite side. You can see that she didn't necessarily even need to hit 50 to get to 225. Posted only for better clarity of the area.

View attachment 3630
Very true! When I was exploring the location on Google Maps I noticed dozens of trails in the surrounding area.
 
Suzanne Morphew "was last seen wearing a mountain bike-specific helmet and wearing a Camelbak".


View attachment 3635

Quoting myself for reference, I wonder if her helmet or Camelbak was the personal item they found. I didn't know what a Camelbak was until now (well I've seen them but I didn't know what they were called). So for those of you who don't know what a Camelbak is... It's a small backpack, that holds water in the back, and has a long straw attached that allows for hands free hydration.
Screenshot_20200517-100400_Chrome.jpg

 

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