Did Barry Morphew Kill Suzanne Morphew— Everything we know

Suzanne Morphew was a 49-year-old mother of two who disappeared on May 10, 2020, after going on a supposed bike ride on Mother's Day in Salida, Colorado.

The Beginning

Suzanne and Barry Morphew first met during their high school days in Alexandria, Indiana. They were both from the small town of Alexandria. Barry was a distinguished baseball player and was eventually drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays while Suzanne was a popular girl in school who was liked by many of her peers.

They started dating when they finished high school and were married in 1994 in Indiana. Suzanne started working as an elementary school teacher while Barry started his landscaping business. However, following the birth of their two children, Suzanne stopped working as a teacher to become a housewife, taking care of their two children, Mallory and Macy.

In 2018, the couple relocated to Salida, Colorado. This move was influenced by their daughter Mallory's education. She had gained admission to a college very close to Salida, and they relocated to be close to her. Another assumption was that the couple relocated because of their troubled relationship. The move was symbolic to them, starting over.

Tragedy Unfolds

On May 10, 2020, which was Mother's Day, Mallory sent a message to her mother, Suzanne, wishing her a Happy Mother's Day. The message was left unread, and she never responded, this was unlike her.

Worried, Mallory informed her father, Barry, who had driven 150 miles away to Broomfield, Colorado for a job appointment that she had been unable to reach her mother. Barry called one of their neighbors and begged that they go check on Suzanne, specifically that they check if her mountain bike was at the house. He told them to call the police when they informed him that Suzanne was not at the house and that her bike was also not seen.

When the investigation into Suzanne's disappearance was launched, her bike was discovered very close to the family home. The mountain bike was found on the side of a cliff.

Additionally, her helmet was also found about a mile away from the bike's location, but her sunglasses and hydration pack were found inside her car.

The search for Suzanne was extensive with the FBI, Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and several civilian volunteers conducting a large-scale search effort.

An unsuspecting Piece of Evidence

Several theories were put forward to explain the disappearance of Suzanne Morphew, one of those was that Barry had killed her, hid her body, staged the scene, and then drove to Colorado to get an alibi. The possible motive behind this was found in a "spy" pen in a walk-in closet in the family's master bedroom.

Suzanne had bought the spy pen which is voice-activated in the hopes that it would catch her husband in an affair. In a surprising twist, the spy pen recorded Suzanne's conversation with her secret lover.

Just a day before her mysterious disappearance, Suzanne and her mysterious man had messaged each other a total of 59 times. The marriage had hit rock bottom, with Suzanne threatening to leave him. She had messaged him "I'm done. I could care less what you're up to and have been for years. We just need to figure this out civilly." Prosecutors believed Barry had murdered his wife out of rage.

Investigators searched for months with no success in locating Suzanne's body. Barry was charged in connection with his wife's disappearance on May 5, 2021. However, the case against him was dismissed on April 19, 2022. This happened just days before the trial would begin.

A New Phase

More than a year after the charges against Barry were quashed, on September 22, 2023, a team conducting a search in an unrelated case came across a human remains that was subsequently confirmed to be that of Suzanne Morphew.

An autopsy of the remains found traces of animal tranquilizers in her bones.

Facts that point to Barry's Culpability

Signs of Struggle discovered in the family home: Barry claimed he had no idea what caused the crack in the door frame. Investigators believe this crack resulted from a struggle between the two.

A Weird Cell Phone Record: On May 9, a day before the disappearance, Barry's phone was pinging around the house like he was running around the house. Investigators believe this could be Barry chasing Suzanne around the house.

A piece of needle cap:

This was found in the family's dryer. it is believed this was the cap of the needle used to load the tranquilizer dart. Barry said he had no idea how the cap got into the dryer.

Multiple Refuse Dumps:

On the day Suzanne went missing, investigators discovered that Barry disposed of trash several times in different locations around Broomfield, Colorado, the time he claimed to have been at work.

Multiple Scratch Marks:

This supported the investigator's theory that the couple got into a fight before he loaded the tranquilizer gun and shot her.

The autopsy report was released on April 29, 2024, and Suzanne's death was ruled a homicide.

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