The family of Suzanne Morphew has finally seen movement in the case of the missing Colorado mother who disappeared one year ago. Her husband, Barry Morphew, has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in the presumed death of Suzanne, authorities announced on Wednesday.
Though Suzanne Morphew’s body has not been found, the affidavit that was the basis for Morphew’s arrest detailed reasons why investigators believe he is responsible for his wife’s disappearance and presumed death. While that affidavit remains under seal, Morphew also exercised his right to remain silent, immediately asking for representation following his arrest. Chaffe County Sheriff, John Spezze, said, “Today is not the day for celebration nor does it mark the end of this investigation. Rather it’s the next step in this very difficult yet very important journey as we seek justice for Suzanne and her family.”
Suzanne Morphew, 49, has been missing for over a year, disappearing on May 10, 2020, Mother’s Day. She was reported missing when a neighbor called 911 to report that Morphew had gone for a bike ride and never returned. In a Facebook video that arched many eyebrows on the internet, Barry Morphew pled with the public for any information leading to her safe return, offering a $200,000 reward. “Now questions asked, however much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back,” Morphew said in the video.
When searches by law enforcement of the area where Suzanne went bike-riding turned up nothing, her brother, Andy Moorman, announced in mid-September that he was recruiting and organizing volunteers for his own search efforts. “I need to find her, need to bring her home, give her a proper burial and closure for my family,” he told KMGH-TV. “And that’s my point, I’m not about finding somebody guilty or trying to inflict punishment on anyone. That’s law enforcement’s job.”
Morphew’s arrest is the result of a sprawling effort by law enforcement to find answers in his wife’s disappearance. More than 135 searches have been conducted in the state of Colorado, and investigators interviewed an excess of 400 people across several states. Suzanne was described by Spezze as “a rare find” and someone who was much beloved by those who knew her. She had two daughters at the time of her disappearance.
What is the right way to find a missing person? When it comes to professional investigators like those in law enforcement or in private practice, the answer may change depending on who you ask. It’s crucial to report a person missing with law enforcement so that information about their disappearance can be distributed regionally or even nationally, increasing the chances that they might be recovered. However, missing person cases also require the independence and personal attention of a private investigator to increase the chances of a missing person to be found. It can leave the families of missing persons wondering—what is the right way to find a missing person?
It is difficult to answer this question, because despite patterns among missing person cases in the United States, every single missing person case is different and will require different disciplines and methodologies depending on the circumstances of the disappearance. Families can find themselves split or unsure of who to trust to find answers in their loved one’s disappearance. The complicated truth is that this may not be a question of law enforcement or private intelligence. Missing person cases can have dozens of variables that require multi-pronged approach, and singular strategies can easily miss important details that could be lost forever.
When a loved one goes missing, the first step is calling the police and filing a missing person report. This ensures that an official file on the missing person has been started with investigating authorities. If the missing person is picked up by law enforcement, or their remains are discovered, the police are able to trace them back to the family and finally deliver closure in their case. Police and law enforcement have access to the nation’s best resources in intelligence operations and have the support of their colleagues in uniform as well as an administrative support staff. However, law enforcement may not have received comprehensive training required in a missing person search, or they do not have the adequate amount of man-power to meet the demands of their casework. As such, important leads can go unnoticed, or in the worst-case scenario, a search for the missing person never gets past the intake interview. That’s because missing person cases require swift, personalized attention that law enforcement is systemically not designed to give.
Private investigators are the second prong in the approach towards missing person investigators. The right way to find a missing person requires swift action, verified resources, and personalized attention. While private investigators may not have access to as many resources as law enforcement, they still have access to verified databases and other resources that allow them to develop leads in the missing person cases. With the help of those databases and their years of experience in investigations. Unlike law enforcement, private investigators are allowed to leave the jurisdiction where an investigation began in order to follow clues where they may lead. When an investigation would take law enforcement out of their jurisdiction, they may not be able to investigate. That means more leads and relevant witnesses are lost. Private investigators can follow up on leads as soon as they receive them, and increase the chances of the missing person being found. The case load of a private investigator is also a fraction of what police detectives typically carry, which means they are able to give the missing person case the level of attention that it deserves.
Utilizing the police and private investigators to search for your missing loved one is one of the best ways to cover all your bases. It’s the investigative equivalent to getting a second opinion and making sure that no one investigator will get tunnel vision with regards to the investigation. The right way to find a missing person is to have a multi-pronged approach in order to ensure that no valuable evidence or witness testimony will be lost in the process.
If your family is unsure of the right way to find a missing person, call Lauth Investigations International today at 317-951-1100 or visit us online at www.lauthmissinstg.wpengine.com.
According to stunning new allegations by prosecutors, Paul Flores killed Kristen Smart following attempts to sexually assault her in her dorm room on the night she went missing. This week, investigators, family members, and true crime fans are all feeling some semblance of progress in the case of missing Cal Poly student, Kristen Smart after Paul Flores, a long-time person of interest in the case was arrested in connection with her disappearance. Smart disappeared in 1996 after she left a party with her friends and never arrived back at her student dormitory. Since her disappearance, investigators have been looking Flores, who was reportedly the last person to see Smart before she went missing.
The public’s fascination with the Kristen Smart’s case goes back to 1996 when she first went missing. The Cal Poly student was on her way to a party the night she went missing, May 24, 1996. She was supposed to speak to her parents on the phone before she left her dorm room for the party, but her parents never heard from her. Kristen ended up at an off-campus party where she became heavily intoxicated and passed out on the lawn of a neighboring house. Kristen was leaving the party with friends when Paul Flores came up on them and offered to walk Kristen back to her dorm. Kristen was never heard from again, and Paul Flores has always been identified as the last person to see her alive.
The theory that Paul Flores killed Kristen Smart came from the presumed timeline of Kristen’s last movements the night she disappeared. Since Flores was the last person to be seen with her, it stands to reason he would have information about her disappearance. However, over the years, Paul Flores has proven to be a tough nut to crack. Despite the fact that Flores remained ingrained in discourse around the case for the next 20 years, he was never formally charged by law enforcement, and invoked his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination when deposed in a wrongful death suit in 2005 levied by Kristen’s parents. Despite numerous searches by law enforcement, friends, and family, her remains have never been found.
Authorities investigating the disappearance of Kristen Smart have credited a true-crime podcast in part for the progress that has been made in the case. Your Own Backyard, a true-crime podcast that takes a deep dive into Kristen Smart’s disappearance, was launched in 2019 by Chris Lambert, a veteran podcaster who was humble when describing his investigative efforts to the San Luis Obispo Tribune, “The podcast was one part of the whole formula. Even with what I found, I can’t go arrest somebody. I needed [the sheriff’s office] to do their job. I was willing to do what I could to assist in that. You can get varying levels of agreement about what I did directly led to an arrest. My personal opinion was that I was one piece of the formula.” Following the release of the podcast, law enforcement was able to develop leads. Paul Flores and his father, Ruben, was also arrested as an accessory after the fact and is believed to have helped Flores dispose of Kristen’s remains. In a press conference following their arrest, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said to the media, “In 2019, we interviewed several witnesses that had not been previously interviewed and some of that information came to light through the podcast that many of you are familiar with.”
Paul Flores and his father, Ruben were arraigned on Thursday morning. The DA’s office is reportedly requesting a higher bail amount for Ruben Flores set at $250,000. Paul Flores remains in jail, held on zero bail for felony murder.
For the last month, people living on both sides of the Atlantic ocean have been gripped by the story of missing former flight attendant, Sarm Heslop. Sarm Heslop was first reported missing on March 7, 2021 by her boyfriend, Ryan Bane when she vanished while on his yacht in the United States’ Virgin Islands. The investigation has spanned over the Islands and now involves international cooperation between FBI agents and U.K. investigators.
At the time of her disappearance, Sarm Heslop was living her dream of working as a chef in the Virgin Islands. She moved to the Virgin Islands from Southampton, England and had found work on Ryan Bane’s charter yacht while he conducted island tours for tourists on the boat. Sarm was dating Bane after meeting him on Tinder, and found working together to be a way to spend more time together. Despite reports that they were very happy at the time of her disappearance, Ryan Bane waited nine hours to call the Coast Guard after Heslop disappeared from his boat. They’d gone to dinner the night of March 7 on the island of St. John and returned to the yacht. Bane claims that he awoke around 2 in the morning to realize that Sarm was not on the boat. He called 911 to report her missing. He was then instructed to call the Coast Guard, but did not do so until almost noon that same day. Valuable time was obviously lost in the investigation, and to further exacerbate the frustration, Bane refused to let police search his boat. Because of his lack of cooperation, authorities were not able to say with certainty that Sarm Heslop reboarded the yacht when they returned from the mainland.
A month has gone by and there still have been no answers in Sarm Heslop’s disappearance. Her friends and family have taken to the internet and social media in order to spread awareness about her case. People following the case have done so by following the hashtag #FindSarm on major social media platforms. The family also generated a website about her case findsarm.com. Her family has released a statement about the case: “We are shocked and distraught that Sarm is missing. We would like assurance that the authorities in the Virgin Islands are doing everything possible to find her and that the investigation into our beautiful and cherished daughter’s disappearance includes a comprehensive fingertip search of the boat.”
Authorities have not officially named Bane a suspect in Sarm’s disappearance. According to his high-profile defense attorney, David Cattie, who represented Ghislaine Maxwell, Bane has “invoked his right to silence.” Bane is currently residing in the Virgin Islands.
Have you seen Victor Johnson? The missing Indianapolis man is Black, 6’3” with a medium build and tattoos. At 40 years old, Victor has only ever called Indianapolis home. A familiar face on the eastside, Victor’s friends and family are now missing him following a mysterious disappearance. Victor Johnson was last seen by his family near 10th Street and Oakland Avenue on March 31st.
Adults have the right to go missing, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need help. If a person over 18 goes missing, investigating authorities might be less inclined to prioritize it without evidence that the person went missing under malicious circumstances. After all, adults have the right to go off the grid without calling their families, but Victor’s family has reason to believe that Victor may be experiencing some level of distress. Victor’s stepfather, Crosby Swinney, told FOX59 that Victor had been struggling with hallucinations as the result of withdrawal from alcohol, and had been experiencing seizures. Swinney was the last person to see Victor on March 31st when he dropped him off at his girlfriend’s house. la
News of Victor Johnson’s disappearance has rippled throughout the eastside, leading to more than one witness coming out of the woodwork to speak to local media. A woman identified herself to FOX59 over the phone as Victor’s girlfriend, but refused to give her name. She claimed that male stranger had possession of Victor’s cell phone, because when she called it, he answered and claimed to have found the phone, but would not give his name, nor has he turned up to return the phone.
Authorities have not ruled out foul play in Victor’s disappearance. Meanwhile, his family continues their own search efforts in the streets of Indianapolis.
Anyone with information on Victor’s whereabouts should call Detective James Burton at IMPD’s Misisng Persons Branch (317-327-6160)
