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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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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — After weeks of long days on the fire line, firefighters battling Utah’s Iron and Cherry fires received some four-legged support.
Golden Healers, a Utah nonprofit that provides therapy and service dogs, visited the wildfire base camp at the invitation of the incident management team, giving firefighters a chance to step away from the demands of the job, if only for a few minutes.
The certified therapy dogs spent time with crews in dining areas, gathering spaces and rest areas, where firefighters petted the dogs, took photos and talked about the pets waiting for them back home.
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“Our firefighters face tremendous physical and emotional demands every day,” said Mike Carlson, founder and CEO of Golden Healers. “Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes with a therapy dog to help someone relax, smile and reset before heading back to work. It was an honor to support these incredible men and women.”
The visit came as hundreds of firefighters continue working to contain the Iron and Cherry fires, which have burned tens of thousands of acres in central Utah.
Golden Healers brought several certified therapy dogs, including Golden Retrievers, doodles, poodles and a corgi. Each dog has completed specialized therapy training designed to help them remain calm in busy, high-stress environments.
Volunteers said the response from firefighters was immediate.
Crews who had spent hours battling wildfire conditions gathered around the dogs, laughing, sharing stories and enjoying a brief reminder of home before returning to their assignments.
One of the most memorable moments came when an entire firefighting crew surrounded one therapy dog, taking turns petting it while talking about their own dogs and families.
For a few minutes, conversations shifted away from fire behavior and operational briefings to life beyond the fire camp.
“Watching these firefighters light up the moment a dog walked over reminded us why therapy dogs are so important,” Carlson said. “These are people who dedicate their lives to protecting our communities, often while spending weeks away from their own families. If we can give them even a few minutes of comfort and emotional support, then we’ve accomplished something meaningful.”
Golden Healers hopes to continue visiting wildfire camps and other first responders across Utah. The nonprofit regularly provides therapy dog visits to hospitals, schools, law enforcement agencies, mental health providers and community organizations.
“Our mission has always been to improve lives through the healing power of dogs,” Carlson said. “Whether we’re helping a child with autism, supporting someone struggling with mental health, or bringing comfort to firefighters after a long shift, these dogs have an incredible ability to connect with people exactly when they need it most.”
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After DSA candidates roiled traditional Democrats with wins in New York City last week, Tuesday’s primary in a Denver-centered district tested whether the left wing’s appeal could prevail elsewhere.
It turns out the democratic socialists’ reach extends well beyond New York — and it may well grow before the year is out.
Melat Kiros, backed by the national Democratic Socialists of America and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, upset Rep. Diana DeGette, who has held her reliably blue seat for almost 30 years.
“What we’re seeing right now is the response to voters feeling like the party has not actually been fighting for working people,” Kiros told MS NOW last week.
The result is that Kiros, a critic of the Israeli government and high-ranking Democratic leaders, will likely be a member of Congress come next year. That happened even as DeGette cast the race as a warning, with President Donald Trump’s second term continuing to upend governance from the nation’s capital.
“Now is not the time to gamble and send somebody with no experience to Washington,” DeGette said during a recent candidate forum. “We need a strong, bold, hardened leader who will hold Trump accountable.”
The result was one of several Colorado results Tuesday to test incumbents or prominent statewide officials navigating a turbulent moment in Democratic politics — one in which voters have shown an appetite for untested fighters over familiar faces who’ve served in Washington’s halls of power.
The night’s theme wasn’t clear-cut; the three marquee races diverged on everything from ideology to questions of approach and clout. But each pitted an incumbent whose Congressional ties became fodder for a challenger.
In 2020, Democrats’ ability to woo former Gov. John Hickenlooper into the Senate race was seen as a boon for a party trying to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, one of the last Republicans left representing a blue state in the Senate. That move came after Hickenlooper’s 2020 presidential primary campaign fizzled. Even so, he faced a somewhat-competitive primary that year, taking 58.7% to his challenger’s 41.3%. Hickenlooper went on to win the seat that November by a little over nine points.
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