The remains of Colorado mom, Suzanne Morphew, who went missing in 2020 has been found following charges againt her husband being dropped. Details explored.
Suzanne Morphew had been missing for three and a half years since May 10, 2020. At the time of her disappearance, she was going on a bike ride on Mother’s Day from her home in Chaffee County.
On September, 27, 2023, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation confirmed the remains of missing mother, Suzanne, have been found.
Investigators have revealed they found her body in Moffat, Saguache County, while they were probing a completely separate case.
Morphew’s husband, Barry Morphew, had been charged with murder and other crimes in her presumed death, but prosecutors dropped their case against him last year just as he was about to go on trial.
Aside from Barry’s arrest, no other arrests have been made since the remains were located.
Here’s everything we know about the late Suzanne Morphew and what actually happened to her.
Who is Suzanne Morphew?
Suzanne Morphew was a 49-year-old mother who lived in Chaffee County.
Suzanne attended Alexandria-Monroe High School in Alexandria, Indiana.
She was married to Barry Morphew, her high school sweetheart who was two grades ahead of her.
The couple, who began dating after Barry graduated high school, tied the knot in 1994.
Barry started a landscaping business and Suzanne was a schoolteacher before leaving the job to raise their two kids.
Suzanne Morphew was a proud mother before she died. She had two kids – all daughters. The names of her baby girls are Mallory Morphew and Macy Morphew.
On Monday Day (on May 10, 2020), Suzanne was reported missing after she went on a on a bike ride. Sadly, she has been confirmed dead with her remains being discovered in September 27, 2023, more than three since her disappearance.
What happened to Suzanne Morphew?
Suzanne Morphew was reported missing on May 10, 2020 – with her bike gone from the garage.
Her bike was found later that day, discarded down a ravine.
Five days later, on May 15, her bike helmet was discovered on the side of a highway less than half a mile from where her bike was found, a short distance from the family’s home.
No clothing, blood, or evidence of a struggle was found near the bike or helmet.
Her sunglasses and hydration backpack had been found inside her car, leading investigators to speculate that perhaps Suzanne never really went for a bike ride on the morning she vanished, and instead staged a scene.
In May 2021, a year after Suzanne disappeared, her husband Barry was arrested and faced charges including first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with his wife’s disappearance – despite police not having found a body.
He has always maintained his innocence. When asked whether he has anything to do with his wife’s disappearance, Barry Morphew told ABC News: “Absolutely not.”
“They’ve got tunnel vision and they looked at one person and they’ve got too much pride to say they’re wrong and look somewhere else,” he added. “I don’t have anything to worry about. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Last year (April 2022), prosecutors dropped all charges against Morphew, just days before he was set to stand trial, after a judge sanctioned the district attorney’s office for discovery violations.
Also, text messages obtained by prosecutors and shared with ABC News appear to show a strained marriage, with Suzanne Morphew referring to her husband as “Jekyl and Hyde” and telling him “I’m done” just before she was reported missing. In another text message, Suzanne Morphew confided in a friend, writing: “Macy and I had a very tough talk yesterday … She’s weary of the tension here. She knows how he is toward me and almost begged me to divorce him … He’s still pulling Mal in.”
Barry Morphew denied their marriage was in trouble.
“We had a wonderful life, a wonderful marriage,” he told ABC News. “She was just so loving and giving, and such a good mother.”
Barry Morphew filed a $15 million federal civil rights civil lawsuit against prosecutors, the sheriff and several investigators, claiming that his life has been ruined by false accusations. His defense attorneys, Jane Fisher-Byrialsen and Iris Eytan, said they “know he’s innocent.”
Suzanne Morphew had also been having an affair with another man named Jeff Libler for about two years, according to authorities.
The had been dating for two years before she vanished on Mother’s Day 2020. He is also her schoolmate with Barry two grades ahead of his wife and Libler at the Alexandria-Monroe High School in Alexandria, Indiana.
Her husband once found her sunbathing in the yard. She was sending pictures of herself to Libler via LinkedIn, which the couple had been using to communicate behind her husband’s back. A photo was shown in court that depicted her laying on her front in a bikini and smiling at her $1.3million home which she sent to Libler.
Barry Morphew said he “didn’t believe it” at first when he found out. “My heart was broken,” he tearfully told ABC News.
Has Suzanne Morphew been found?
Investigators have revealed they found her body 50 miles from her bike, in Moffat, Saguache County, while they were probing a completely separate case.
No arrests have been made since the remains were located on September 22, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation confirmed on Wednesday. Her identity was confirmed on September 27.