A Colorado man has been arrested for the second time in the death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, whose remains were discovered in September 2023 — more than three years after she was reported missing.
Barry Morphew, 57, was taken into custody on Friday, two days after a Colorado grand jury returned an indictment charging him with first-degree murder.
The victim was reported missing on Mother’s Day 2020 by a neighbor in Salida, Colo.
Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP
Barry Morphew leaves a Fremont County court building in Canon City, Colo., with his daughters, Macy, left, and Mallory, after charges against him in the presumed death of his wife were dismissed Tuesday, April 19, 2022. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP, File)
Barry Morphew was arrested a year later and charged with murder and related crimes. He pleaded not guilty and was set to go on trial, but the charges were dropped in 2022 due to prosecutorial issues with evidence. A judge, however, dismissed the case without prejudice — meaning prosecutors could file charges again in the future.
On Sept. 22, 2023, human remains were discovered in a shallow, clandestine grave in Saguache County, about 45 miles south of the Morphew residence. The remains were later confirmed to be those of Suzanne.
Her cause of death was determined to be “homicide by undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine intoxication.” The combination of the three drugs, known as BAM, is intended to be used “for sedating animals for medical treatment or movement,” according to the indictment.
Investigators said Morphew filled several BAM prescriptions in Indiana before the family moved to Colorado in 2018. He allegedly told investigators he used the prescription to tranquilize deer.
However, records later showed that no other private citizens or businesses in the area had obtained BAM between 2017 and 2020.
“Ultimately, the prescription records show that when Suzanne Morphew disappeared, only one private citizen living in that entire area of the state had access to BAM: Barry Morphew,” the indictment said.
Morphew, who shares two daughters with the victim, was arrested in Arizona and is expected to be extradited to Colorado to stand trial.
With News Wire Services
