Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew’s remains are FOUND three-and-a-half years after she vanished on bike ride, with husband Barry later cleared of killing her
The remains of missing mother Suzanne Morphew have been found – three and a half years after she disappeared following a bike ride on Mother’s Day.
Morphew, 49, a mother of two from Colorado, was reported missing from her Chaffee County home on May 10, 2020. Investigators revealed they found her body in Moffat, Saguache County, while investigating a completely separate case.
No arrests have been made since the remains were located, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation confirmed today.
Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said, “While this case has attracted attention from around the world, it has deeply affected our community and the sheriff’s office.
“We have never stopped our investigation and will continue to follow all leads in pursuit of justice for Suzanne.
“While locating Suzanne’s remains is a critical part of this investigation, and for 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 disappeared without a trace on May 10, 2020 after leaving her home for a Mother’s Day bike ride. Her body was found more than three years later, researchers announced today. They found her remains in Moffat, Saguache County, while 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 disappeared, her husband Barry Morphew was arrested and charged with murder – despite police finding no body.
Last year, prosecutors dropped all charges against Morphew after a judge sanctioned the district attorney’s office for violating discovery obligations.
After Barry was accused of murder and the case against him progressed, authorities revealed intimate details about their married life.
Suzanne had had an affair with someone she met in high school, Jeff Libler, while Barry was signed up to online affair websites.
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 two grades ahead of his wife and Libler attending Alexandria-Monroe High School in Alexandria, Indiana.
During a 2021 preliminary hearing, law enforcement officials presented Suzanne’s text messages with her lover to the court, 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 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 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 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 had survived two battles 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 revealed that Suzanne had texted her husband several days earlier and apparently communicated to him her intention to end their rocky marriage, which was marked by allegations of infidelity and abuse.
“I’m done with it,” Suzanne wrote to Barry on May 6. “I don’t care what you’re up to, and I have for years. We just need to resolve this in a civil manner.”
It is revealed that Suzanne suspected her husband of being unfaithful to her and even bought a spy pen to snoop on him.
Barry insisted to his wife that he wasn’t cheating on her, writing in one text: ‘I promise you’re wrong about all the crazy thoughts about me.
Why would I want another one? Only a fool would stray from an angel like you.”
Police said the couple had a tumultuous marriage, with suggestions he may have killed her out of jealousy or to deter her from filing for divorce.
But last year, the charges were suddenly dropped without prejudice by Assistant District Attorney Linda Stanley.