Disappearance of Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew is officially a cold case

SALIDA, Colo. (KKTV) - Thursday marks more than three years since Suzanne Morphew, a Colorado mother, disappeared.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation tells 11 News they are working on adding the Morphew case to their database of cold cases. A spokesperson with the CBI explained the case remains under investigation and is actively being worked, but state statute defines a cold case as any case that remains unsolved three years from the date of occurrence.

The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office is reporting May 10, 2020, Suzanne went missing while she was reportedly out for a bike ride in the Salida area. The date marked Mother’s Day that year. Search efforts were underway some time before authorities announced they believed she had been killed. At one point, her husband Barry was facing charges tied to her disappearance, but those charges have since been dismissed.

“The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and its partners have spent thousands of hours in the effort to locate the mother of two who went missing on May 10, 2020,” the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office posted in May of 2021.

It is important to note the old tip line of 719-312-7530 is no longer the original “FBI” tip line that was set up. KKTV 11 News called the tip line on Wednesday and we were forwarded to the desk of an investigator with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). CBI officials said they were unsure of when this change occurred, but the number is still the best point of contact regarding the case. Anyone with information on her location can still call the Tip Line at 719-312-7530.

Barry Morphew has since filed a lawsuit against prosecutors and investigators tied to the case.

A spokesperson for the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said they could not offer comment on pending or active litigation for ongoing investigations.

A representative for CBI said they also could not comment, as the case is still under investigation. They did note, however, that per Colorado state statute, CBI considers a case to be cold after three years have passed from the date the person was last seen.

TIMELINE OF THE CASE:

- May 10, 2020: Suzanne Morphew reported missing.

- May 11, 2020: Search crews are called to the area she was believed to be in near her Chaffee County home.

- May 15, 2020: Items belonging to Suzanne were found.

- May 17, 2020: Barry, the husband of Suzanne, shares a video with the public asking for help with finding her. It can be viewed at the bottom of this article.

- May 19, 2020: Authorities search the Morphew home.

- May 22, 2020: A separate residential property is searched, where a concrete foundation had just been poured

- May 5, 2021: Barry Morphew is arrested

-April 18, 2022 Murder charges dismissed

-May 2, 2023: 11 News confirms Barry filed a lawsuit against prosecutors and investigators

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