Autopsy: Colorado mother who disappeared in 2020 died by homicide
April 30 (UPI) -- Suzanne Morphew, a Colorado mother who went missing in 2020 and whose remains were found in September, died by homicide, according to an autopsy report.
The report was released Monday by the El Paso County coroner and stated that Morphew's cause of death was homicide "by unspecified means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication."
The document described the drugs as marketed for wildlife, as painkillers, a sedative and an immobilizer.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said it was aware of the autopsy report, and that it had been shared with the Morphew family as soon as the coroner had received it.
The CBI said that it is continuing to investigate the case, while adding that no further information will be shared at this time.
"The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and our law enforcement partners understand and appreciate the public interest surrounding this case," CBI Director Chris Schaefer said in a statement.
Morphew, a 49-year-old mother of two, was reported missing May 10, 2020, which was Mother's Day. She disappeared while riding her bicycle.
Her remains were found late September in the town of Moffat, which is located about 180 miles south of Denver, during a search as part of an unrelated investigation.
In 2021, Morphew's husband, Barry Morphew, was arrested and charged with her murder. However, the case was dismissed the following year as authorities continued to search for his wife's body.
In a statement, Barry Morphew's attorneys said the report has left him and his family with "more questions than answers and a lack of justice for Suzanne."
The attorneys state that the DNA of an unknown man was found in Morphew's car, on the grips of her bike, handlebars and bike seat, but authorities will not inform the her family if the clothes she was wearing when she was abducted and killed has been tested.
"DNA left on her clothing by the murderer could bring justice for Suzanne, her family and the community," the statement said. "The authorities will also not provide the Morphew's any information regarding whether they have performed any testing on the bullet that was collected with Suzanne's remains."
The family has been offered the option to retrieve Morphew's remains but they want to ensure the suspect is apprehended before they collect what could prove to be important evidence, the attorneys said.
"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 of Suzanne Morphew," they said.
