48 Hours on ID: Details of evidence in Suzanne Morphew's murder case explored

The disturbing disappearance of Suzanne Morphew four years ago led the authorities to a challenging investigation as her remains were eventually discovered in September 2023. The 49-year-old Colorado resident was out on a bike ride on Mother's Day when she was last seen.

The autopsy report released by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation claimed that Morphew died due to "homicide by undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication"—a mix of chemicals that is found commonly in animal tranquilizers.

Episode 19 of season 18 of 48 Hours re-airs on May 8, 2024, at 11 pm EST on Investigation Discovery and showcases the details of the murder case. The official synopsis reads:

"Colorado mother of two Suzanne Morphew vanished on Mother's Day 2020. Then, bizarre clues emerged - a chipmunk-chasing alibi from her husband, a spy pen and an affair. Peter Van Sant reports."

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What did Suzanne Morphew's autopsy report reveal?

According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Suzanne Morphew was last seen on May 10, 2020. While the search for Morphew went on, her husband was charged with first-degree murder but they were dropped before his trial due to a “dismissed without prejudice" motion. Barry Morphew, subsequently, filed a $15 million lawsuit for wrongful arrest.

In a turn of events, skeletal remains were found in the Moffat area on September 22, 2023, and were identified to belong to Suzanne through dental records, as per Denver7 News. There were no injuries or trauma detected in Suzanne Morphew's body.

The bones including her thigh bones, skull, several vertebrae, and ribs were sent in for forensic tests in three separate paper bags. The toxicology report yielded reports of her femur bone marrow containing butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine—a cocktail of chemicals that are used in animal tranquilizers, as per Denver Gazette.

The autopsy report from the El Paso County Coroner's Office stated that the chemicals were used as an "injectable chemical immobilizer" used in wildlife to anesthetize large-sized animals. The chemical kit is reportedly available in retail stores as "BAM."

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What evidence had been collected in Suzanne Morphew's murder case previously?

The authorities from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation had previously collected a spy pen from the master bedroom, cellphone pings from Barry Morphew's cellphone in random locations around their Maysville home, and a vertical crack along the door frame inside the house, which indicated a struggle.

There had been a discrepancy in the time frames that Barry provided as his truck's computer showed that he had backed the vehicle around 9:30 pm local time. He had told the investigators that he was in bed by 8 pm local time. There were scratch marks on Barry's upper arm, which suggested a possible altercation between the couple.

As Suzanne allegedly went out with her bike on May 10, Barry was out running errands when he was spotted making multiple stops around Broomfield, Colorado, to discard trash. He explained that he had done so to avoid paying for dumping waste at a landfill.

The key evidence in the case before the discovery of remains was a clear plastic needle cap found in the dryer. Barry Morphew had admitted to being an avid hunter and an experienced shooter of tranquilizer dart guns. However, the investigators failed to find a functional gun or chemicals inside the household.

The only misleading piece of evidence in the case was the DNA sample collected from Suzanne Morphew's Range Rover. As reported by CBS News, the sample resulted in a partial match to an unidentified suspect with three unsolved s*xual assault cases around Chicago, Tempe, and Phoenix.

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Catch the 48 Hours episode on Investigation Discovery on May 8, 2024.