Remains of ex-Indiana resident found in Colorado
Suzanne Morphew went missing in May of 2020
The remains of a missing Colorado woman with ties to Indiana were identified Wednesday more than three years after her disappearance, according to a news release by the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.
Agents with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation last week found human remains while searching the area of Moffat in Saguache County, a community of roughly 100 people, about 180 miles south of Denver.
The remains were positively identified Wednesday as belonging to Suzanne Morphew, 49, by the El Paso County Coroner, a news release stated.
Morphew and her husband — Barry Morphew — moved to Colorado from their hometown of Alexandria, Indiana near Muncie two years before she vanished during a bike ride on Mother’s Day in May 2020, writes the Denver Gazette. Her case drew national attention from figures such as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Nancy Grace, and her disappearance was featured on shows like “Profiling Evil.”
In 2021, authorities arrested Barry Morphew in connection to his wife’s death. He faced charges including first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.
The case against Barry Morphew was dismissed in April 2022 after a judge granted a motion by prosecutors noting they hadn’t yet found Suzanne Morphew’s body. Prosecutors said they wouldn’t be able to search for her remains ahead of the trial date due to inclement weather and 5 feet of snow covering the search area, according to Denver NBC affiliate 9News.
Last week, investigators were searching the Moffat area on an investigation not related to the Morphew disappearance where her remains were discovered, a news release stated. Authorities are withholding the specific location where her remains were found at this time.
No new arrests have been made as of Wednesday night in connection to her death.
“While this case has garnered attention from around the world, it has touched our community and the sheriff ’s office deeply,” Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said in a news release. “We have never stopped our investigation and will continue to follow all leads in pursuit of justice for Suzanne.”