Suzanne Morphew death: Colorado DA set to prosecute Barry Morphew says investigators "never stopped fighting for justice for Suzanne"
A booking photo of Barry Morphew was taken on June 20, 2025, in Arizona.
Maricopa County
"I look forward to having our team present this case in court," Anne Kelly, the district attorney in Colorado's 12th Judicial District.
Suzanne Morphew was 49 when she went missing on Mother's Day in 2020 in Chaffee County. Her remains were found in Saugauche County three years later. In between those dates, her husband Barry Morphew was arrested and tried on a murder charge but his case was dismissed because of prosecutorial issues with evidence.
A 2024 autopsy report said Suzanne Morphew died of "unspecified means" but ruled it a homicide. While there was no indication of trauma in her remains, a drug cocktail used to tranquilize wildlife was found in one of her bones, the report said.
A tranquilizer gun and accessories were found in the Morphews' home, according to investigators. The couple were parents to two sisters.
Kelly said in a news conference Friday evening that Barry Morphew will be tried in Alamosa County. She referred to the death as a cold case and answered a question about why it has taken this long for a new case against Barry Morphew to take shape.
"We as prosecutors in Colorado and law enforcement in Colorado, we are very dedicated to making sure that we don't forget the victims of cold case homicides, but we also understand that it is so important to make sure that we have done everything we can to bring a case to court, and we are proud of the work that we've done," Kelly said. "Every victim of homicide, murder in Colorado deserves that kind of attention, deserves that kind of work from law enforcement, and I would say that having the opportunity to work on these cases and to bring justice for these victims has been very important to me."
Suzanne Morphew
Suzanne Morphew/Facebook
Kelly said Suzanne "has been in the hearts and minds of the people of Chaffee County" since her disappearance.
"Law enforcement, the Chaffee County community and Colorado as a whole has never stopped fighting for justice for Suzanne," Kelly said.
Barry Morphew has maintained his innocence since his wife disappeared, and his attorney David Beller blasted the new indictment.
"Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence," Beller said in a statement. "Barry maintains his innocence. The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either."
Iris Eytan, who was Morphew's attorney in 2021 but no longer represents him, said prosecutors "fumbled" the original case.
"Not only is he is a loving father, but he was a loving husband," Eytan told The Associated Press on Friday.
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