Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew was tranquilized and murdered, an autopsy report released Monday revealed.
The 49-year-old mother of two disappeared from her home in Salida, Colorado, on Mother’s Day almost four years ago.
Last year, his skeletal remains were discovered in a remote field outside Moffat, a small town 50 miles south of his home.
Police have now confirmed that the cause of his death was “homicide by undetermined means in the context of butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine intoxication”.
All three drugs are powerful tranquilizers, with azaperone commonly used in veterinary drugs, while medetomidine is used as a surgical anesthetic.
Police have released Suzanne Morphew’s autopsy report after her skeletal remains were discovered last year 50 miles from her home.
The 49-year-old mother of two disappeared from her home in Salida, Colorado, on Mother’s Day almost four years ago.
The remains of Suzanne Morphew were found in the fall. Cadaver dogs are photographed at the scene where Chaffee County Sheriff’s agents, the FBI and the CBI were searching in Colorado.
In a statement, Colorado Bureau of Investigation boss Chris Schaefer said: “The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and our law enforcement partners understand and appreciate the public interest surrounding this case.
Barry Morphew was initially arrested and charged with the murder of his wife Suzanne when there was no body, but the charges were later dropped.
“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.”
The CBI said Suzanne’s family had been informed of the findings, including her husband Barry, 56, who was arrested and charged with her murder in 2021 before the prosecution dramatically collapsed the following year .
That case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can still charge Morphew with murder again if they uncover new evidence.
The autopsy report is now in the hands of Chaffee County authorities, and the findings echo a theory advanced by the prosecution in arguments made during the preliminary hearing – that Morphew used an animal tranquilizer to knock out his wife before killing her in a jealous rage.
The mother-of-two’s disappearance made headlines in May 2020, with Suzanne reported missing when her daughters Mallory and Macy were unable to reach her to wish her a Happy Mother’s Day.
His family then made a series of emotional appeals for his return, with Morphew seen sobbing on camera as he begged his wife to come home.
But as DailyMail.com revealed, police were suspicious from the start with the CBI and local cops seen searching the couple’s luxurious $1.5 million Salida home in the days following his disappearance.
In May 2021, Morphew was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, with cops saying he killed his wife after learning she had an affair.
During the preliminary hearing, the court heard how Morphew’s happy marriage was a sham, with Suzanne enjoying a two-year affair with married father-of-six Jeff Libler while Morphew was listed on the Ashley Madison extramarital dating site.
Following Barry Morphew’s arrest for Suzanne’s murder in 2021, evidence revealed that the pair had been having extramarital affairs and were continuing their path towards separation.
Mallory and Macy Morphew flank their father as they appear in court following his arrest for their mother’s murder. The charges against him were eventually dropped and his daughters continue to believe in his innocence.
Suzanne’s affair included overnight trips to Florida and New Orleans and she regularly sent the married father racy photos – including his final photo which showed her in a bikini top the day before he disappeared.
Prosecutors say that while Morphew was desperate to save his marriage, Suzanne was also determined to leave – a motive, they say, for the murder.
Police said Morphew was seen with multiple cuts and scratches on his arms and hands in the days after Suzanne’s disappearance, while an empty tranquilizer dart was found in the laundry room.
In 2021, DailyMail.com revealed how Morphew left a hotel room in Broomfield, Colorado, stinking of chlorine on the day Suzanne was reported missing.
Since his release from prison, Morphew has acquired a girlfriend – Shoshona Darke, 53 – and was photographed exclusively by DailyMail.com with the mother-of-one in October 2022.
According to Morphew’s arrest affidavit, cops were first informed of his new squeeze in December 2020, but couldn’t catch them together, so they mounted a camera on a telegraph pole at the outside of his house.
DailyMail.com saw Morphew visiting the property on several consecutive nights – until the following morning – but was unable to verify the identity of the occupant or his relationship to Morphew.
Police were later able to obtain security footage from the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs taken on Valentine’s Day, showing the two men checking in together.
Darke refused to speak about her relationship with Morphew, despite being approached several times by DailyMail.com, and kept a low profile during her time in prison.
She also denied having a relationship with him when confronted by cops, but later admitted to meeting him in October 2020.
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