Suzanne Morphew case: Timeline of events in the death of the Colorado mother
In the more than five years since the disappearance of Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew, there have been several developments in the case, including the arrest of her husband, the subsequent dismissal of charges against Barry Morphew in her death, and his arrest for the second time in her murder.
Now that investigators have arrested Barry Morphew again, nearly two years after they identified Suzanne Morphew's remains, there are still unanswered questions.
May 6, 2020: Suzanne Morphew sent her husband Barry Morphew a text that indicated she wanted to end the relationship, according to court documents. The text read, "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." The text was found in Barry's cache indicating it had been deleted.
May 9, 2020: On that morning, according to court documents, 59 communications were exchanged between Suzanne and the man who was apparently her boyfriend.
May 10, 2020: Suzanne Morphew was last seen alive. She left behind two daughters, teenagers at the time, and her husband Barry Morphew. Her bicycle was found down a steep ravine off Chaffee County Road 225 from Highway 50. Deputies documented that the bicycle did not look like it had been involved in a crash and no blood was recovered from the scene.
May 14, 2020: The reward offered was doubled to $200,000 in the search for Suzanne Morphew.
May 22, 2020: Investigators with the FBI, CBI and Chaffee County Sheriff's Office sifted through the dirt at one of Barry Morphew's job sites near Salida.
June 10, 2020: Nearly two dozen members of law enforcement conducted a community canvas in Chaffee County in a search for Suzanne Morphew.
Sept. 24, 2020: Suzanne Morphew's brother, Andrew Moorman, organized a five-day search of the mountainous area where she was last seen.
Sept. 25, 2020: A candlelight vigil was planned for Suzanne Morphew at Riverside Park in Salida.
Oct. 7, 2020: Barry Morphew speaks with CBS News Colorado and shares photos and love letters after Suzanne's disappearance. He also shared a theory that he believed she had been abducted.
May 5, 2021: Barry Morphew was arrested on charges of murder after deliberation, tampering with physical evidence and attempting to influence a public servant.
December 2021: The judge assigned to preside over the case removed himself after defense attorneys raised questions about a conflict of interest.
February 2022: The murder trial was moved from Chaffee County to Fremont County. Officials stated the reason at the time was, "Because of the size of the community and the pervasive negative pretrial publicity since Suzanne Morphew's disappearance, the Court finds that a fair trial cannot take place in Chaffee County. This is a high-profile case in a relatively small county with a small jury pool. The media saturation is high."
March 1, 2022: Barry's lawyers asked for a dismissal after they received an internal affairs document surrounding the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's Agent In Charge Joe Cahill. In a court filing, the prosecution claimed the defense was taking "bits and pieces out of context." In the internal affairs document, Cahill stated, "The arrest of the suspect now as the worst decision that could have been made." He went on, "The arrest of the suspect in this investigation was premature," and called it "hasty."
April 19, 2022: A judge dismissed the case against Barry Morphew. The 11th Judicial District Attorney filed the motion to "dismiss without prejudice," which means that charges could be filed against Barry Morphew at a later date.
July 21, 2022: Barry Morphew pleaded guilty to forgery for filling out and turning in Suzanne Morphew's 2020 ballot. Morphew used her ballot to submit a fraudulent vote for President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Morphew pleaded guilty to forgery of a government-issued document and was sentenced to 32 hours of community service as well as a 1-year deferred sentence. A judge also ordered him to pay $1,000 in fines and court costs.
Sept. 22, 2023: Remains were located during the course of a search in the area of Moffat in Saguache County on an investigation not related to the Morphew disappearance.
Sept. 27, 2023: The CBI said that the remains found were positively identified as those of Suzanne Morphew.
April 29, 2024: Suzanne Morphew's death was declared a homicide nearly four years after her disappearance.
Sept. 10, 2024: A disciplinary board recommended 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley be disbarred because of improper statements made to the media, which contributed to a ruling to change the venue.
Sept. 25, 2024: Barry Morphew's $15 million lawsuit against the 11th Judicial District Attorney's Office, the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, the FBI, and the CBI was dismissed by a judge.
June 20, 2025: Barry Morphew was arrested in Arizona two days after a he was indicted on first-degree murder charges in the case of his wife's death. This was the second time Barry Morphew has been arrested and charged in Suzanne Morphew's death.
The public is asked to continue to report any information about this case by calling (719) 312-7530.
