Suzanne Morphew’s sister says she feels ‘quiet relief and peace’ after her remains were found – as she asks the public to draw attention to missing woman Edna Quintana ‘whose search was the catalyst’
The sister of Suzanne Morphew, whose remains were found last month after being missing for more than three years, says she has found calm relief after her sister’s discovery.
Morphew, 49, disappeared in Colorado while cycling on Mother’s Day. Her marriage to Barry Morphew, with whom she shared two daughters, was on the verge of collapse when she disappeared.
After Morphew’s remains were found on September 22, scattered in a shallow grave in a remote field near Moffat in Saguache County, 50 minutes from her home in Salida, her sister, Melinda Balzer, spoke out.
“My heart continues to feel quiet relief and peace with the sure knowledge that my beautiful sister, Suzanne Morphew, has recently been found.”
“I am grateful for the closure I have been praying for since May 2020,” she continued.
In a statement made last week, Balzer thanked the law enforcement teams who positively identified her sister and reflected on the ordeal her family has now endured.
Suzanne Morphew disappeared without a trace on May 10, 2020, after leaving her home for a Mother’s Day bike ride. Her bicycle was found that same day, and now her remains have finally been found, more than three years later, in Moffat, Saguache County, as investigators investigated a completely different case.
Morphew’s sister, Melinda Balzer, released a statement saying she has found peace following the discovery of her sister’s remains, and asks others to keep Edna Quintana – the other missing woman – in their thoughts
“This is a journey no family ever thinks they will make, but many do. I have found that no one in this broken world is exempt from evil. However, I choose to focus on the next path of this ever-changing journey toward finding the truth about what happened to Suzanne on that fateful day of Mother’s Day weekend, May 9, 2020.
“We are now closer than ever to the truth,” she said.
Morphew’s remains were found during a police investigation into missing woman Edna Quintana, 55, who disappeared in early May. Quintana has not yet been found and is suffering from known medical complications.
Quintana is part of a fifth-generation family hailing from Saguache, Colorado. After her disappearance, her loved ones said she was hanging out with a bad crowd.
In her most recent statement, Balzer said her thoughts are on Quintana and her loved ones.
“Today I choose to turn my thoughts and heart to the family of Edna Quintana whose search was the catalyst for my miracle; Susanne is found.
“I ask the same loving social media community that kept Suzanne alive to now turn their hearts of concern to Edna Quintana’s family (in) their time of need. They now wait in fear and uncertainty for the discovery of their beloved Edna.
“Please take a few minutes every day and do what you can to keep Edna’s story alive,” she wrote.
In a statement last week, Balzer (left) thanked the law enforcement teams who positively identified her sister and reflected on the ordeal her family has now endured
Morphew’s remains were found as investigators searched for 55-year-old Enda Quintana, who has been missing since early May
Quintana is part of a fifth-generation family hailing from Saguache, Colorado. After her disappearance, her loved ones said she was hanging out with a bad crowd
Following the arrest of Barry Morphew (left) for Suzanne’s murder in 2021, evidence showed that both spouses had had extramarital affairs and were pursuing a path to divorce.
While it is still unclear what exactly happened to her, the discovery of Suzanne Morphew’s remains concludes a search that began on May 10, 2020 – the last time she was seen.
Morphew took a bike ride from the home she shared with her husband and their two daughters.
Her bicycle was found the day she went missing, discarded in a ravine near her mountain home.
A year after his disappearance, Barry was arrested and charged with murder, despite there being no body at the time.
Both spouses have had extramarital affairs and were trying to figure out how to end their marriage. She texted her husband days before her disappearance that she was “done” with their relationship.
During a 2021 preliminary hearing, law enforcement officials presented Suzanne’s text messages with her lover — Jeff Libler — to the court, in which she told him she had a nice night and was looking at houses for sale.
The day before Mother’s Day, Barry had returned to the couple’s home and saw his wife sunbathing in the garden. She sent photos of herself to Libler via LinkedIn, which the couple used to communicate behind her husband’s back.
The court was then shown a photo of Suzanne that she had sent to her lover Jeff Libler that day, showing her lying on her stomach in a bikini and smiling at her $1.3 million home.
Barry would later tell investigators that his wife looked “drunk” in that photo, which officials said was Suzanne’s last proof of life.
The next day, Libler wished Suzanne a happy Mother’s Day and said he knew it would be a difficult day for her because she missed her own mother. Suzanne never replied.
His last known text message to Suzanne was sent on May 11, 2020, expressing good wishes for her cancer treatment. That message also went unanswered.
Suzanne and her husband Barry had two daughters together: Mallory and Macy
Mallory and Macy Morphew flank their father as they walk into court following his arrest for their mother’s murder. The charges were eventually dropped and his daughters continue to believe in his innocence
Suzanne had survived two battles with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, decades apart.
After arguments over evidence and procedures, charges against Barry were dropped without prejudice a year later – meaning he could be charged again if new evidence came to light.
No arrests have been made since Morphew’s remains were located.
Barry Morphew has since said he is ‘relieved’ that his wife’s remains have been found and believes he will now be cleared of suspicion of involvement in her death.
At the time of his arrest, Melinda Balzer said her sister’s husband was “very controlling in the relationship.”
“He had a great tendency to overpower and intimidate people to get what they wanted.”
‘The Friday before Mother’s Day, my sister had texted me that morning. It took a very long time. It was very powerful. It was very revealing. She had been ready to share some things close to her chest. She said she was scared,” Balzer said.
At the time, she begged Barry to “do the right thing” and “tell the truth.”
The couple’s daughters, Mallory and Macy, both came out to defend their father after his arrest.