CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. — The remains of Suzanne Morphew were discovered during a search by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in the area of Moffat in Saguache County, investigators announced Wednesday.
It’s been three years since the 49-year-old wife and mother of two went missing after leaving her Maysville home for a bike ride on Mother's Day 2020 – law enforcement believes she was killed.
Her remains were located on Sept. 22 during a search for an unrelated investigation and they were identified as Morphew's by the El Paso County Coroner on Wednesday. Authorities contacted her family about the discovery of her remains and said there have been no arrests since the remains were located.
“While this case has garnered attention from around the world, it has touched our community and the sheriff’s office deeply,” said Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze. “We have never stopped our investigation and will continue to follow all leads in pursuit of justice for Suzanne.”
The sheriff said after locating Morphew's remains, authorities are "left with many more questions than answers."
Nearly a year after her 2020 disappearance, her husband Barry Morphew faced charges of first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and attempting to influence a public servant, according to court documents.
On April 19, 2022, Fremont County District Judge Ramsey Lama granted a motion filed by prosecutors that asked to dismiss the murder case against Barry Morphew, who is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the May 2020 disappearance and presumed death of his wife.
Here's the timeline of Suzanne Morphew's disappearance from the day she was reported missing to the murder charges being dismissed against her husband.
May 9, 2020
Investigators said Suzanne Morphew took her last selfie picture on the afternoon of May 9, 2020. It’s the last piece of evidence that shows her alive. She sent the picture to a man in Michigan she was having an affair with.
May 10, 2020
Suzanne was reported missing on May 10, 2020. Barry claimed she was asleep when he left early on May 10 for a business trip to Broomfield. Barry said he sent his wife a “Happy Mother’s Day” text, but she didn’t respond.
When Suzanne didn’t return another text and a phone call, Barry said he became concerned and then returned home when a neighbor called to say that Suzanne was missing.
May 11, 2020
More than 100 people were involved in search parties looking for her and the reward for any information on her disappearance rose to $100,000.
The first deputies to arrive at the Morphew home found Suzanne's mountain bike nearby in the woods off the road. Barry arrived home that evening after he said he was on a work trip. He immediately asked if an animal could have killed her.
May 13, 2020
For months, state and federal investigators searched for Suzanne and any clues that might lead to answers. On May 13, 2020 her bike helmet was found near a road just off Route 50. It was undamaged.
May 15, 2020
Suzanne's nephew, Trevor Noel, talked to 9NEWS about his aunt's disappearance. "Every morning, early we've been gathering and creating a game plan and we just sent a bunch of teams out, we have our biggest crew yet today, going out again and we're working all day," said Noel. He said search teams searched towns and remote mountainous areas and looked for any clue they could find. They used drones and scent dogs to search.
Barry offered a $100,000 reward for her safe return and a family friend matched that offer to bring the reward to $200,000.
>>Watch video: RAW: Suzanne Morphew's husband Barry Morphew posts video message begging for her return
May 22, 2020
On May 22 of that year, the FBI searched through a construction site in Salida that Barry had been working on.
September 2020
In September 2020, Suzanne’s brother Andy Moormon couldn’t stand by and watch any longer. He organized a team of dozens of volunteers from around the country to search for Suzanne. Each search turned up few results.
May 5, 2021
It wasn’t until May 2021, nearly a year after Suzanne went missing, that Barry was arrested. Chaffee County District Attorney Linda Stanley charged Barry with murder in the disappearance of his missing wife. She didn’t reveal what evidence she had, but promised the public there was enough to convict him.
After a year of preliminary hearings and pre-trial court appearances, Barry's trial was set to start April 2022. Prosecutors dropped the charges against him and said they didn't have a case without the testimony of the expert witnesses the judge ruled to exclude from the trial.
>>Watch video: Investigators announce major update in Suzanne Morphew case.
May 14, 2021
Barry was charged for submitting a ballot for Suzanne in the November presidential election. He was charged with forgery of a public record and election mail ballot offense.
Back in October 2020, the Chaffee County Clerk reported to the sheriff's office that she had received a mail-in ballot for Suzanne, a person she knew was missing since May 2020, an arrest affidavit from CCSO for Barry's arrest says.
In April, Barry was interviewed by FBI agents about the ballot and asked why he submitted it. He replied, "Just because I wanted Trump to win," the affidavit says. He further stated, according to the affidavit that "I just thought give him [Trump] another vote."
August 9, 2021
Preliminary hearings in Barry's trial began in August 2021. Prosecutors announced a big development in the case. Chaffee County Sheriff Commander Alex Walker discovered evidence that Suzanne had a two-year long affair before she disappeared.
According to Walker, Suzanne "met up" at least six times with her boyfriend in Louisiana, Texas, Indiana and Florida. Walker testified that when the boyfriend met with the FBI in November, six months after Suzanne disappeared, he was told that he was not a target of the investigation.
Walker also testified that Suzanne suspected that Barry was having an affair but, in fact, there is no evidence that he was.
The preliminary hearing, which is held to determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial, is the public’s first look at some of the evidence in the case.
Read the people's exhibits from the preliminary hearing:
November 8, 2021
A judge released hundreds of pages of documents in the case against Barry.
The 454 pages of motions, filings and court orders were made public, including the prosecution’s over 500-person witness list. On that list are the Morphews' two adult daughters and also people who were close to the couple including siblings, neighbors and family friends.
January 28, 2022
The judge on the case released some of the evidence in the murder case – including pictures of Barry's hands with scratch marks that prosecutors said may have been from Suzanne trying to defend herself. The defense said the scratches came from tree branches while he was looking for his wife.
Prosecutors also said they believed Barry used a tranquilizer dart and they found a needle sheath in the dryer at the Morphews' home. Investigators said it fits a needle that's used to inject serum in a dart. Barry said he did not know how it got there.
Also released were text messages between Suzanne and Barry and between Suzanne and the man she was accused of having an affair with.
>>Watch video: New evidence released in Barry Morphew murder case in Chaffee County.
>>Watch video: Photos, texts made public in Barry Morphew case.
February 25, 2022
A new Dateline episode profiled the Suzanne Morphew case previewing the upcoming trial of her husband.
>>Watch video: Dateline NBC profiles disappearance of Suzanne Morphew.
April 19, 2022
Barry's trial was set to begin on April 28, but Fremont County District Judge Ramsey Lama granted a motion filed by prosecutors that asked to dismiss the murder case against Barry.
District Attorney Linda Stanley filed the motion that asked Lama to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning charges could be filed again at a later date.
"They absolutely dismissed this case at this point because they knew they were going to lose this trial," said Barry's defense attorney Iris Eytan. "And Mr. Morphew was going to be acquitted and exonerated."
October 31, 2022
The district attorney who filed murder charges against Barry in connection with his missing wife in Chaffee County now faces an investigation.
9NEWS learned that the Colorado Supreme Court's Attorney Regulation Counsel (ARC) is investigating 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley and has started interviewing potential witnesses, including Barry’s attorney.
In the months leading up to the scheduled trial, Stanley and her team of prosecutors were admonished by the judge in the case for missing court-imposed deadlines and being late to hearings. Stanley was reprimanded for appearing on a podcast talking about the active case.
Barry's defense attorneys alleged Stanley withheld evidence from them and committed prosecutorial misconduct on several occasions.
May 2023
Barry filed a civil rights lawsuit in May of this year against Chaffee County, prosecutors, CBI employees and FBI employees asking for $15 million in damages.
"As result of the Defendants’ conduct Barry was charged, arrested, and prosecuted, and his property seized, for a crime he did not commit," the lawsuit says. "As result of the Defendants’ conduct Barry spent five months in jail, approximately six more months wearing a GPS ankle monitor with severe restrictions on his movement, and almost a year defending against the criminal charges. To this date, Barry’s property remains in the CCSD’s possession."
The lawsuit alleges Barry's name and reputation have been "irreparably tarnished in Colorado and all around the country."
The lawsuit also says Barry suffered "loss of familial association with his two daughters," and "great economic losses" including "the loss of his home, business, savings and much more."
Previously, a series of complaints filed against 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley prompted an office in the Colorado Supreme Court to look into allegations of misconduct.
May 13, 2023
After three years since Suzanne disappeared, friends gathered in Salida to celebrate her life and demand justice in her case.
One of Suzanne's friends said they don't want the case to go cold. People released butterflies and lit candles in her honor.
September 27, 2023
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced that it had found Suzanne's remains in the area of Moffat in Saguache County on Sept. 22.
Barry's attorney, Iris Eytan, released a statement after it was announced Suzanne's remains were found:
"Barry is with his daughters and they are all struggling with immense shock and grief after learning today that their mother and wife whom they deeply love was found deceased. They had faith that their wife and mom would walk back into their lives again. The news is heartbreaking.
Neither the DA nor the authorities notified Mallory and Macy Morphew about the recovery of their mom.
From what we know, Barry is as innocent as he was from Day 1. DA Stanley and law enforcement got it wrong. We hope the authorities will quickly admit their wrongful persecution of Barry, an innocent man, to treat the Morphews like the victims they are, and charge the person(s) responsible for Suzanne’s killing."
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: The disappearance of Suzanne Morphew