Chaffee County Sheriff's Office
- Suzanne Morphew, 49, went missing on Mother's Day last year when she went biking and never returned.
- One year later, her husband Barry Morphew, 53, was arrested and charged with her murder.
- Morphew previously posted an emotional plea on Facebook, begging for her return.
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One year after a Colorado mother-of-two went missing on Mother's Day weekend, her husband was arrested and charged with her murder.
Her husband Barry Morphew, 53, was detained by the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, almost one year after Susan Morphew, 49, vanished. A press release posted on Facebook by the sheriff's office said that Barry Morphew had been charged with first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and attempting to influence a public servant, in connection to Suzanne Morphew's murder.
A timeline of Suzanne Morphew's disappearance compiled by Denver Fox affiliate KDVR noted that she was last seen going for a bike ride near Maysville, Colorado, and was never seen again.
In a Facebook video posted a week after her disappearance last year, Barry Morphew made an emotional plea for his wife's return, offering a $200,000 cash reward for any information on her disappearance.
"Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there that can hear this, that has you, please, we'll do whatever it takes to bring you back. We love you. We miss you. The girls need you. No questions asked," he said in the video.
"However much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back. Honey, I love you. I want you back so bad," he added.
According to The Washington Post, District Attorney Linda Stanley said that the affidavit containing evidence pointing to Barry Morphew's guilt is sealed for now.
Stanley told CNN that Morphew's body had not been found.
"Our belief is that Suzanne is not alive at this time," Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said at a news conference on Wednesday.
"Today is not the day for celebration, nor does it mark the end of this investigation. Rather it's a next step in this very difficult yet very important journey as we seek justice for Suzanne and her family," Spezze said.
From May to November 2020, the local sheriff's office and Morphew's family carried out detailed sweeps of the area. This included a search effort last September organized by her brother, Andy Moorman, who enlisted the help of a group of volunteers to comb the mountains for her body for six days.
Moorman told Fox 21 News in August last year that he suspected foul play and was unsure why his brother-in-law did not take a polygraph test.
The search-and-rescue attempt to find Suzanne Morphew at one point involved a private dive team that scoured the waters near Salida - three hours from where she was last seen - using sonar in an attempt to recover her remains. These searches proved fruitless.
The sheriff's office also revealed they'd looked into 1,400 tips over the last year. Authorities executed 135 search warrants across Colorado, and interviewed more than 400 people regarding Suzanne Morphew's disappearance.
According to the authorities, Barry Morphew is being held without bond at the Chaffee County Detention Facility. He is due to appear in court to face these charges at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday.
