The remains of missing mother Suzanne Morphew have been found – three and a half years after she disappeared after going for a bike ride on Mother’s Day.
Mother of two Morphew, 49, of Colorado, was reported missing from her home in Chaffee County on May 10, 2020. Investigators announced they found her body in Moffat, Saguache County, while investigating a completely different case.
There have been no arrests since the remains were discovered on Sept. 22, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation confirmed Wednesday. Her identity was confirmed on September 27th.
Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said, “While this case has garnered worldwide attention, it has deeply touched our community and the Sheriff’s Office.”
“We have never stopped our investigation and will continue to pursue all leads to seek justice for Suzanne.”
“While finding Suzanne’s remains is a critical part of this investigation and 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.”
Suzanne Morphew disappeared without a trace on May 10, 2020, after leaving home for a Mother’s Day bike ride. Her body was eventually found more than three years later in Moffat, Saguache County, while investigators were investigating a completely different case
Suzanne and her husband Barry had two daughters together. She disappeared on Mother’s Day in 2020
In May 2021, a year after Suzanne’s disappearance, her husband Barry Morphew was arrested and charged with murder – even though police had not found a body.
Last year, prosecutors dropped all charges against Morphew after a judge sanctioned prosecutors for disclosure violations.
After Barry was charged with murder and the case against him progressed, authorities revealed intimate details about their married life.
Suzanne was having an affair with someone she met in high school, Jeff Libler, while Barry was enrolled in online affair sites.
While the case was still active, it was revealed that Suzanne, Barry and Libler appeared together in the local newspaper in 1985.
Barry Morphew with his daughters Mallory (right) and Macy (left)
Both men attended the same high school as Suzanne, with Barry being two grades ahead of his wife and Libler at Alexandria-Monroe High School in Alexandria, Indiana.
At a preliminary hearing in 2021, police officers showed the court Suzanne’s text message exchanges with her lover, in which she told him she had a nice night and was looking at houses for sale.
When her husband came home from work that day, he found Suzanne sunbathing in the garden. She sent pictures of herself to Libler via LinkedIn, through which the couple communicated behind her husband’s back.
The court was then shown a photo of Suzanne that she had sent to Libler that day, in which she was lying on her stomach in a bikini and smiling at her $1.3 million home.
Barry later told investigators that his wife looked “drunk” in the photo. Officials said it was Suzanne’s last evidence of life.
The next day, Libler wished Suzanne a happy Mother’s Day and said he knew it would be a hard day for her because she missed her mother. Suzanne never responded.
His last known text message to Suzanne was sent on May 11, 2020, wishing her well with her cancer treatment. This message also remained unanswered.
Suzanne had survived two bouts with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, decades apart.
Barry Morphew with his two daughters on April 19, 2022, after murder charges against him were dropped
Morphew was charged with his wife’s murder in 2021 – the charges were later dropped
The 2021 hearing also heard that Suzanne had texted her husband just days earlier, apparently signaling to him that she wanted to end their troubled marriage, which was marked by allegations of infidelity and abuse.
“I’m done,” Suzanne wrote to Barry on May 6. “I don’t give a damn what you’re up to, and I haven’t for years.” “We just have to sort this out civilly.”
It turned out that Suzanne suspected her husband of being unfaithful to her and even bought a spy pen to spy on him.
Barry insisted to his wife that he wasn’t cheating on her, writing in a text message: “I promise you you are wrong with all the crazy thoughts about me. “Why would I want another, only a fool would by an angel like you differ.’
Police said the couple’s marriage was turbulent and it is suspected he may have killed her out of jealousy or to stop her from filing for divorce.
But last year, Assistant District Attorney Linda Stanley suddenly dropped the charges without prejudice.