Autopsy: Suzanne Morphew died by homicide
DENVER (KDVR) — After Suzanne Morphew went missing in 2020 and her remains were found in September 2023, an autopsy found Morphew died by “undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication.”
According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Morphew’s death has been ruled a homicide.
According to the Mayo Clinic, butorphanol can be used as a nasal or an injection and is used to relieve pain severe enough to require opioid treatment. Science Direct, a peer-reviewed journal said Azaperone is a tranquilizer often used in veterinary care and medetomidine is used in anesthesia.
“These drugs are marketed as a compounded injectable chemical immobilizer for wildlife providing pharmacologically reversible analgesia, sedation and immobilization,” reads the autopsy report.
Suzanne Morphew’s autopsy finds animal tranquilizer, other drugs in system
The full autopsy report obtained by FOX31 on Monday said that Morphew’s skeletal remains and part of her clothing were submitted for examination. The coroner found no indication of trauma to her body at the time of death.
The autopsy also said that a weathered bullet was found along with her remains and is in the custody of CBI.
However, it is important to note that clinical history found that Morphew was receiving maintenance rituzan chemotherapy after the complete remission of recurrent follicular lymphoma.
“The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and our law enforcement partners understand and appreciate the public interest surrounding this case,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer. “The investigative team assembled to work this case continues to follow the evidence and only the evidence as we seek justice for Suzanne’s death.”
CBI said that the autopsy results were shared with the Morphew family as soon as the coroner received them.
What has happened since Morphew’s disappearance in 2020
Morphew’s case captured the nation’s attention after she went on a bike ride in Chaffee County on Mother’s Day in 2020 and never returned home. Five days later, a personal item of Morphew’s was found, but it would be three more years before her remains were discovered.
Nearly a year after Morphew’s disappearance, her husband Barry Morphew was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Barry Morphew maintains innocence
In a two-page letter issued by his attorneys, Barry Morphew maintained his innocence on Monday.
“For the past four years the Morphews have agonized over Suzanne’s disappearance,” the attorneys’ letter states. “This included not only the pain of the loss of their wife and mother but also the false accusations and prosecution of Barry Morphew.”
The letter went on to say the family hopes authorities would “remove their blinders” and find Suzanne and her killer. The letter also gave a statement of facts from Barry’s perspective.
According to the letter, Barry left the house at about 5 a.m. and drove 160 miles north. The autopsy report confirmed that Suzanne had drunk some of her coffee and put on her mountain bike riding clothes “when she was abducted, allegedly drugged, and buried 50 miles south of their home.”
The letter underlined “north” and “south” to emphasize the distance. The Morphew family also alleged that they have not been told by authorities if DNA has been found on Suzanne’s bike clothes, or if the clothes have been tested for DNA. Similarly, the letter alleges authorities will not provide information on the bullet collected with Suzanne’s remains.
The letter also notes that authorities offered the victims the option to retrieve Suzanne’s remains, but “want to ensure the suspect is apprehended” before the family takes what could be important evidence.
“The family is quite skeptical about the integrity of this investigation as the very same investigators that concealed the unknown male DNA continue to be involved in this investigation and were present at the autopsy,” the letter stated. “The family asks for privacy and implores the authorities to look at the case with fresh eyes, follow all leads, conduct all forensic testing and solve Suzanne’s murder.”
Catch up with the case
Timeline: What we know about the disappearance of Suzanne Morphew
130 pages of arrest documents released in Barry Morphew case
Court releases evidence in Morphew investigation from preliminary hearing
Nexstar’s FOX21 spoke to Barry over the phone in 2020 and asked what he would like to tell the people who thought he did it. Barry responded with the following:
“Absolutely not,” he answered. “I love my wife. I would never hurt my wife. She is the light of my and my daughter’s lives. This whole thing is killing us and that is why I want our privacy.”
In 2022, the district attorney for the 11th Judicial District ultimately dismissed the murder charge against Barry without prejudice. In documents released in 2022, before the case was dismissed, one of the CBI agents who had been working on the case told an internal affairs investigator that Barry Morphew had been arrested prematurely and it was “the worst decision that could be made.”
Nearly a year after the charges were dismissed, his attorneys filed a complaint against the district attorney and prosecutors involved in the case.
The allegations of misconduct range from unethical practices and continued pattern of discovery violations to failure to respond to security concerns for court personnel and violations of the Victims Rights Act.
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The years-long investigation came to a head on September 27, 2023, when Morphew’s remains were found and positively identified. Her remains were found in Saguache County during an unrelated search of the area.
FOX31 is reaching out to investigators for comments on the results.
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