Remains of missing Colorado mother Suzanne Morphew found in Moffat more than 3 years after last seen

Remains of missing Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew found more than 3 years after she was last seen. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation positively identified the remains as those of Morphew.

Morphew was last seen on Mother’s Day three years ago, May 10, 2020. His disappearance made national headlines and the investigation was featured on television news. CBS News show “48 Hours.”

Suzanne Morphew left behind two teenage daughters and a husband, Barry Morphew, who was not only the main suspect in her disappearance, but also accused of his murder.

According to the CBI, the remains were located during a search on September 22 and those remains were positively identified as those of Morphew of Chaffee County by the El Paso County Coroner on Wednesday.

Investigators were searching the Moffat area of ​​Saguache County as part of an investigation unrelated to Morphew’s disappearance when the remains were discovered.

“While this case has attracted worldwide attention, it has deeply impacted our community and the Sheriff’s Office,” Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said in a statement. “We have never stopped our investigation and will continue to follow all leads to obtain justice for Suzanne.”

No arrests have been made since the remains were found.

“While locating Suzanne’s remains is a critical part of this investigation and for her family, we are left with many more questions than answers, and it would be a disservice to hold a press conference at this time “there,” Spezze said in a statement.

The public is asked to continue to report any information about this case by calling (719) 312-7530.

Earlier this year, Barry Morphew filed a lawsuit, seeking $15 million, claiming he was wrongly accused of his wife’s disappearance and was presumed dead at the time. The lawsuit includes Chaffee County, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office and several investigators named in the case, including those working for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.

Suzanne disappeared after leaving her home for a bike ride on Mother’s Day 2020 and what happened next remains a mystery. His bike was found in a steep ravine near Chaffee County Road 225 off Highway 50. Deputies said the bike did not appear to have been involved in an accident and there was no blood at the scene. After she disappeared, Barry Morphew told CBS News Colorado that he believed she had been kidnapped.

During the investigation into her disappearance, friends told detectives that Suzanne and Barry had argued over finances and that Suzanne may have had a boyfriend.

Investigators recovered documents from Suzanne’s iCloud account as evidence. One of these documents was a list compiled by Suzanne on May 8, 2020 entitled “grievances”. It included notes such as “alliance”, which Barry allegedly took and melted down at some point. She also noticed women on Facebook, which Barry said was good for business, as well as an incident in Mexico where Barry tried to take her phone and look at it.

On the morning of May 6, 2020, Suzanne sent Barry a firm text message stating that she wanted to end the relationship. The text was found in Barry’s cache, indicating that it had been deleted. He was like, “I’m done, I don’t care what you do and haven’t for years. We just need to figure this out civilly.”

Barry’s reaction involved threats of suicide: “When I’m dead, which won’t be long, we’ll take care of you guys” and “I’m going to see my savior.”

On the morning of May 9, 2020, one day before Suzanne was reported missing, 59 communications were exchanged between Suzanne and the man who was apparently her boyfriend.

Barry Morphew was arrested on May 5, 2021, for murder after deliberation, tampering with physical evidence, and attempting to influence a public official.

The case was fraught with complications. In December 2021, the the judge responsible for presiding over the case has resigned from his position after defense attorneys raised questions about a conflict of interest. They had questions about Judge Patrick Murphy because of his relationship with a lawyer handling the case of Barry Morphew’s alleged girlfriend, who could have been called as a witness at trial.

In February 2022, the murder trial moved from Chaffee County in Fremont County. At the time, officials said: “Due to the size of the community and the pervasive negative pre-trial publicity since the disappearance of Suzanne Morphew, the Court finds that a fair trial cannot occur in the Chaffee County. This is a high profile case in a relatively small county setting with a small jury. Media saturation is high.

In March 2022, Barry’s lawyers requested dismissal after receiving an internal affairs document regarding Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent-in-Charge Joe Cahill. In a court filing on March 1, the prosecution claims the defense is taking “material out of context.” In the internal affairs document, Cahill said “arresting the suspect now was the worst decision that could have been made.” He added that “the arrest of the suspect in this investigation was premature” and called it “hasty.”

There were also several hearings regarding the evidence and testimony that was going to be allowed in court with several motions filed.

A judge dismissed case against Barry Morphew in April 2022. At the time, 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley filed a motion for “dismissal without prejudice,” meaning prosecutors could file charges against Barry Morphew at a later date.