Barry Morphew Re-Arrested for Murder in Wife Suzanne Morphew’s 2020 Disappearance
Barry Morphew, the husband of Suzanne Morphew—the Colorado woman who went missing on Mother’s Day 2020—has been arrested again, three years after the initial charges against him were dropped. A Colorado grand jury indicted Morphew on first-degree murder, and he was arrested Friday in Arizona, with his bond set at $3 million. Prosecutors say newly uncovered forensic evidence, including a powerful animal tranquilizer found in Suzanne’s bones, has strengthened their case. Suzanne’s remains were discovered in September 2023, over three years after she vanished, buried in a shallow grave near Moffat, about 40 miles from the couple’s home in Salida.
An autopsy determined her cause of death as “homicide by unspecified means,” with the tranquilizer cocktail—BAM—implicated. Barry Morphew had previously obtained and filled BAM prescriptions in Indiana before the family moved to Colorado, and authorities say he was the only private citizen in the region with legal access to it. A tranquilizer gun and accessories were also found in the Morphew home.
Barry Morphew was originally charged in 2021, but the case was dismissed in 2022 after repeated prosecution missteps and a judge’s decision to exclude key witnesses. Morphew’s legal team claimed evidence was withheld, including DNA found in Suzanne’s SUV that did not match Barry. He later filed a $15 million lawsuit against authorities for alleged violations of his civil rights.
Suzanne’s disappearance drew national attention. Her bike and helmet were found not far from the family’s home, with investigators suspecting they were deliberately planted to suggest an accident. Though Morphew appeared in a video shortly after her disappearance pleading for her return, prosecutors have long believed she intended to leave the marriage and allege that Barry’s behavior was inconsistent and deceptive in the days surrounding her disappearance.
Barry Morphew has continued to maintain his innocence. His attorney criticized the renewed charges, accusing prosecutors of trying to make the evidence fit a predetermined theory. A new trial is pending, and prosecutors are seeking to return Morphew to Colorado to face the charges.
