West
Unsolved Mother's Day disappearance of Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew returns to spotlight 4 years later
Four years after Colorado mother of two Suzanne Morphew disappeared from a Mother’s Day bike ride in 2020, her case remains a mystery, even after her remains were located in October 2023.
The most recent development in her case came on April 29, when the Colorado Bureau of Investigation released Morphew’s autopsy results, saying she died by homicide “in the setting of” drug intoxication.
Iris Eytan, an attorney representing Suzanne’s husband and the father of her two daughters, Barry Morphew, said in an April 29 statement that for “the past four years, the Morphews have agonized over Suzanne’s disappearance.
“This included not only the pain of the loss of their wife and mother but also the false accusations and prosecution of Barry Morphew,” she said. “The Morphews have prayed the authorities would remove their blinders and not only find Suzanne, but find the suspect responsible for her disappearance and murder. However, the Morphews are left with more questions than answers and a lack of justice for Suzanne, the family and the community.”
COLORADO MOM SUZANNE MORPHEW’S AUTOPSY RESULTS REVEAL CAUSE, MANNER OF DEATH
Suzanne Morphew (Chaffee County Sheriff)
On Sunday afternoon, Suzanne’s loved ones will be gathering at Poncha Town Hall in Poncha Springs, Colorado, to remember the 49-year-old mother.
Colorado authorities located Suzanne’s remains in the area of Moffat, Colorado, in Saguache County, about 45 miles south of her home in Maysville, Colorado, where the 49-year-old mother was reported missing on May 10, 2020.
The Chaffee County Medical Examiner determined her homicide occurred “by undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication,” the same sedatives Barry previously told investigators he used to shoot deer in his yard with a tranquilizer gun, according to The Denver Gazette.
SUZANNE MORPHEW’S REMAINS FOUND IN ‘SHALLOW GRAVE,’ HUSBAND’S ATTORNEY SAYS
Authorities announced last week that Morphew’s remains were located in the area of Moffat, Colorado, in Saguache County, about 45 miles south of her home in Maysville, Colorado, where she was reported missing May 10, 2020. (Colorado Bureau of Investigation)
Over the last four years, the case has been embroiled in disputes between prosecutors and Barry Morphew’s defense team.
Barry was initially accused of killing his wife when he was charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in 2021 in her disappearance and presumed death.
SUZANNE MORPHEW’S HUSBAND, DAUGHTERS ‘STRUGGLING WITH IMMENSE SHOCK AND GRIEF’ AFTER REMAINS FOUND
A year later, prosecutors dropped charges against the father of two, saying they wanted more time to find his wife’s body. A judge also accused 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley of procedural violations just before Barry was to stand trial. No other arrests have been made in Suzanne’s murder.
If Morphew was wearing clothing at the time of her death, it may still be intact. Her clothing may contain evidence “such as gunshot residue” or blood indicating signs of a struggle, Baden said. (Fox News)
Barry’s legal team filed a $15 million lawsuit against prosecutors and investigators in 2023, accusing them of violating his constitutional rights.
Anne Kelly, the 12th Judicial District Attorney, will determine whether any more charges can be brought forward in the case since Suzanne’s remains were found in Saguache County, which her office oversees, according to The Denver Gazette.
MISSING SUZANNE MORPHEW: NEWLY RELEASED DOCS REVEAL AFFAIRS, TROUBLED MARRIAGE BEFORE DISAPPEARANCE
Barry maintains his innocence in his wife’s death, and Eytan said Suzanne’s autopsy results confirm “that she put on her mountain bike clothes and was either getting ready for, or was already on her morning bike ride, when she was abducted, allegedly drugged and buried 50 miles south of their home.”
Barry and Suzanne Morphew (Courtesy of Suzanne Morphew’s Family)
Morphew’s remains were not “found anywhere in the vicinity of her home, the town nearby or the county she lived in,” Eytan previously explained in an October 2023 statement.
Investigators never found any traces of blood near the Morphew home in Maysville or in their family vehicles. Investigators did, however, find a partial DNA profile on Suzanne Morphew’s glovebox, which matched profiles developed in sexual assault cases out of Chicago and Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, CBI agent Joseph Cahill said during a hearing in 2021, according to The Denver Post. Investigators also found “unknown male DNA … where her bike was parked, on her bike grips, handlebars and bike seat,” Eytan said.
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But “the authorities will not tell the Morphew family whether Suzanne’s bike clothes, collected seven months ago with her remains, have been tested for DNA,” the attorney continued.
This undated photo shows Barry and Suzanne Morphew. (AP )
“DNA left on her clothing by the murderer could bring justice for Suzanne, her family and the community. The authorities will also not provide the Morphews any information regarding whether they have performed any testing on the bullet that was collected with Suzanne’s remains,” Eytan said.
“The authorities offered the victims, Barry, Mallory and Macy, the option to retrieve Suzanne’s remains, but they want to ensure the suspect is apprehended before they take what could be an important piece of evidence in the suspect’s prosecution.”
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Text messages from Suzanne and Barry unsealed in June 2023 suggest they were both having affairs just before her disappearance.
Four days before her disappearance, Suzanne sent Barry a text saying she was “done.”
“I could care less what you’re up to and have been for years,” she wrote, adding they needed to figure things out “civilly.”
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to contact (719) 312-7530.
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LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Real roads come with real consequences. This summer, the Nevada Department of Public Safety and FOX5 want everyone to Arrive Alive, and that starts with smart choices behind the wheel. Safe driving habits are the best way to prevent crashes. With more teens and first-time drivers hitting the road, the Nevada Department of Public Safety is advising everyone to slow down, stay focused, and look out for each other.
- Stay distraction-free. Distraction plays a role in nearly 6 out of 10 crashes involving teens. The biggest distraction is often other teens in the car, followed by phones and in-car screens. Put the phone away, keep your eyes up, and save the playlist changes for later. Passengers can help too; keep the driver focused, not stressed.
- Don’t speed. Nearly 30% of fatal teen crashes involve speeding, and driving too fast cuts down your reaction time, increases stopping distance, and makes any crash more serious. Stick to the speed limit, slow down when roads or weather change, and leave plenty of space between you and the car ahead.
- Never drive impaired. Impaired driving is still a major problem in Nevada, making up 51% of traffic deaths from 2018 to 2022. If you’ve been drinking or using drugs, don’t drive. Call a trusted adult, use a designated driver, or take a rideshare.
- Buckle up! Every trip. Every seat. Seatbelts greatly reduce the risk of serious injury or death. Everyone in the vehicle, front seat and back, needs to wear one. Put it on every time. It takes seconds and can save your life.
We’re in the middle of the 100 deadliest days of summer please share the road, as even one traffic death is too many. Arrive Alive. That’s the plan. Learn more at ZeroFatalitiesNV.com
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
SALEM, Ore. (KATU) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld state laws in Idaho and West Virginia that bar transgender girls and women from competing on girls’ and women’s school sports teams.
The decision could influence future policy debates in Oregon, but does not immediately change the state’s rules.
Oregon continues to allow students to participate in school sports, physical education, and other school activities in accordance with their gender identity.
The Oregon School Activities Association, which oversees high school sports statewide, said it is reviewing the ruling with legal counsel.
“The Oregon School Activities Association is reviewing today’s Supreme Court ruling with our legal counsel. The association will work with the Oregon Department of Education on the ruling’s impacts on state law and OSAA policy in order to provide updated guidance to member schools as needed. The OSAA remains committed to ensuring interscholastic activities remain a safe and welcoming environment for all student-athletes,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
While Tuesday’s ruling leaves Oregon’s current policy in place, political scientists say it could reshape the legal landscape surrounding future proposals.
“This particular decision, coupled with a federal push, may end up altering the landscape of opportunities in states that affirm trans athletic participation,” said Allison Gash, chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Oregon.
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Gash said the Supreme Court’s decision itself does not require Oregon to change its policies.
Instead, she said the more immediate question is how the Trump administration chooses to respond.
“Where we could see some required movement on the part of Oregon or where it may impact Oregon directly is how the federal government determines what it wants to do in light of today’s ruling,” said Gash.
According to Gash, the administration has argued that schools should separate sports teams based on biological sex under its interpretation of Title IX.
“One of the several efforts that the federal government is taking to ensure that all states bar trans female athletes in particular from participating in women’s sports is to tie the provision of federal funding to essentially a ban,” she said.
She added that the Supreme Court’s ruling could make the administration “more muscular in those efforts because now the court has essentially upheld that interpretation.”
Oregon leaders respond
House Republicans unsuccessfully pushed legislation during the 2025 legislative session that would have required school sports teams to be separated based on biological sex, but the bill failed in the Democratic-controlled House.
The bill was sponsored by then state representative Christine Drazan, the 2026 Republican candidate for Governor.
In a news release Tuesday, Drazan welcomed the ruling, calling it “a victory for fairness, for common sense, and for progress.”
“Girls and young women across Oregon are still competing on an unfair and unsafe playing field. I have always supported women’s right to compete, and as Governor, I will do everything in my power to make sure that women’s sports are protected and girls across our state get their shot to compete and win,” said Drazan.
KATU asked Governor Tina Kotek whether she supports legislative or executive action to maintain Oregon’s current policy following the ruling.
The governor’s office had not responded by publication.
Meanwhile, Oregon Senate Democrats said in a news release that the decision does not change students’ rights in Oregon, and they vowed to continue to protect the policy in effect today.
“Nobody wins when states deny children the right to play sports. Sports have the power to unify, but today’s SCOTUS decision will lead to dangerous gender harassment of athletic girls. States banning access to sports are feeding the same regime that is trying to divide and control,” said State Senator Courtney Neron-Misslin.
She continued, “Oregonians must keep our eye on the ball. We must stay focused on addressing actual problems, protecting rights, addressing affordability, and investing in education. Today’s decision erodes LGBTQ+ rights and the rights of women across our country. Here in Oregon, we will continue to stand up to injustices and defend our most vulnerable from Trump-style attacks.”
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