Barry Morphew has broken his silence following the discovery of his wife Suzanne’s remains – over three years after she vanished without a trace.
Suzanna Morphew, 49, went missing on Mother’s Day 2020 after she reportedly set off on a bike ride in southern Colorado.
Mr Morphew was previously charged with her murder in May 2021, but prosecutors later dropped the charges against him one day before his trial was due to start.
On Wednesday, Colorado officials confirmed that the mother-of-two’s remains had finally been found near the small town of Moffat in Coloradoy.
Agents from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation found human remains on Friday while conducting a search for a different case. The remains were then positively identified on Wednesday.
Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a press release that no arrests have since been made but the investigation is still ongoing.
Mr Morphew’s attorney released a statement after the “heartbreaking” news broke.
"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,” the attorney said.
“They had faith that their wife and mom would walk back into their lives again. The news is heartbreaking.”
However, the statement went on to claim that neither he nor the couple’s adult daughters Mallory and Macy had been informed about the discovery prior to the official announcement.
“Neither the DA nor the authorities notified Mallory and Macy Morphew about the recovery of their mom,” the statement said.
The remains of Suzanne Morphew were found on Friday— (Denver7 - The Denver Channel)
Charges against Mr Morphew were dropped in April 2022 after prosecutors’ case fell apart when they were barred from presenting crucial evidence at trial – after a judge found the state had held back substantial evidence that could have helped Mr Morphew’s case of innocence.
This included DNA evidence which linked her disappearance to sexual assault cases in other states and which in turn suggested a different person might have been involved.
The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning that prosecutors can still file charges again against Mr Morphew in future.
“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,” Mr Morphew’s statement continued.
“The Morphews would appreciate their privacy during this deeply emotional and personal time.”
Mr Morphew’s lawyers filed a $15n lawsuit on 18 April 2022 against District Attorney Linda Stanley and six other prosecutors that they believed pursued “a political agenda of locking up Mr Morphew in response to a media frenzy that prosecutors themselves helped create”.
