“Today, justice is beginning for my sister,” Melinda Moorman told Fox. “It’s been a journey that no one ever imagines that they’ll take.”
The husband of Colorado mother Suzanne Morphew, who went missing last Mother's Day, has been arrested and is now facing charges for her murder, nearly one year after she disappeared, according to a published report.
Barry Morphew's charges include murder after deliberation, tampering with physical evidence, and attempting to influence a public servant. The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office confirms that Barry Morphew is in custody at the Chaffee County Detention Facility, according to online court records, CBS Denver reported.
Morphew was taken into custody at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday morning at Poncha Springs where he had been living. He would not speak to investigators, instead invoking his right to an attorney, said Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze during Wednesday's press conference. Suzanne's body has not been found. Authorities were unable to comment on how she was killed. Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley said they have some information regarding how she may have died, but the case is still under investigation.
Investigators with the sheriff's department spent nearly a year piecing together evidence they found investigating more than 1,400 tips and spending more than a thousand hours on the case, while Barry Morphew maintained his innocence. On May 10, Mother's Day, Suzanne, 49, described by family members as someone who had a "passion for life," and "a person who was easy to like who was cherished by her closest friends," disappeared after going on a solo bike ride. More than a dozen investigators aggressively worked on the case daily, as friends and family searched frantically on foot, and posted information online.
"My wife and I have been in love since 1988," Barry, 53, told CBS Denver in a previously reported story. "I continue to search for her every day, and I will find her. I promise, and I promised my girls that."
On May 17, 2020, Barry sent out a video plea for her safe return to him and their two daughters. In the video, he offered a $100,000 reward, and another $100,000 was provided by a family friend, Fox21 reported.
"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,” Barry said. “We love you. We miss you. The girls need you. No questions asked. However much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back. Honey, I love you. I want you back so bad."
During the investigation, Barry declined in-person interview requests, but he did speak with FOX and shared some of his theories on what could have happened to his wife of nearly 30 years, including the possibility of an animal attack, an accident with someone on the road or a run-in with another person, Fox reported.
However, Andy Moorman, Suzanne's brother, told Fox News in a previously reported story by The Sun today, that he would continue searching for his sister. And sent out a plea to his brother-in-law: "You need to find your wife. That should be your only goal is to find your wife, and whatever you're asked to do by the authorities is what you should."
"If you're not guilty, step up to the plate," Andy Moorman said.
Melinda Moorman, Suzanne’s sister, learned about her brother-in-law’s arrest on Wednesday from the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office and said her first reaction was one of relief. Through the tears, she said thanked law enforcement for never giving up.
“Today, justice is beginning for my sister,” Moorman told Fox. “It’s been a journey that no one ever imagines that they’ll take.”
She also told the news station that she still loves her brother-in-law, “though he’s done a terrible thing.”
In May 2020, the sheriff’s office, the FBI, and CBI conducted a three-day search at a residential construction site east of Salida. The property owner told CBS4 that Suzanne’s husband, Barry, laid the dirt at the riverfront property. Suzanne’s body has not been found.
