Remains of Suzanne Morphew Were Found Days Ago, 30 Minutes From Home

The skeletal remains of Suzanne Morphew actually were recovered last week, reportedly about a half-hour's drive from the home the missing Colorado mother shared with her husband, who was accused in her killing.

Sources tell the Denver Gazette Morphew's remains were actually discovered during an unrelated search approximately 30 to 40 minutes from the Morphew home.

Suzanne's remains were found on Friday. Coroners publicly identified the remains as Morphew's on Wednesday.

Her older sister, Melinda Moorman Balzer, told the Gazette the first person to be notified that the remains had been positively identified was her husband, Barry Morphew, who was charged in her death in 2021.

The charges were dropped in 2022.

Suzanne Morphew vanished more than three years ago while on a Mother's Day bike ride. Morphew, then 49, was reported missing from her home in the Salida area of Colorado on May 10, 2020. Her disappearance was reported by a neighbor, officials said.

Authorities insist Barry Morphew was the last person to see her alive, the sheriff’s office said.

Her bones were found in a remote desert field south of Moffat, Saguache County Coroner Tom Perrin told the Gazette. He said it appeared that the remains were buried in a shallow grave before they ended up scattered. 

Prosecutors have alleged that text messages reveal the Morphews' marriage was unraveling. Morphew referred to her husband as "Jekyll and Hyde" and told him in a text "I'm done" shortly before she was reported missing, ABC News reported.

Morphew had been having an affair with another man. The Denver Gazette identified Morphew's affair partner as Jeff Libler, who she knew from high school.

The Denver paper reported about the affair when documents containing messages between Morphew and Libler were unsealed in court in June.

Investigators weren't aware of the affair until months after Morphew's disappearance.