48 Hours on ID: Can Barry Morphew be charged with Suzanne Morphew's murder again?

The May 2020 disappearance of Suzanne Morphew led to the arrest of her husband and the prime suspect, Barry Morphew, a year later. However, Barry was released before his hearing as his charges were dropped and the district attorney declared the murder case to be dismissed without prejudice.

The story took a turn in 2023 when Suzanne's remains were found in Saguache County, and her femur bone was taken for forensic testing. The autopsy report stated the cause of death to be homicide by unspecified means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication.

While the chemical cocktail indicated the use of an animal tranquilizer, recent evidence pointed to Barry Morphew again, owing to his hobby of hunting. Authorities are yet to confirm if Barry is being considered a suspect again, however, according to AP News, the prosecutors could refile the charges that were dropped.

Episode 19 of season 18 of 48 Hours re-airs on May 8, 2024, at 11 p.m. 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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Why was Barry Morphew suspected initially?

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has been collecting circumstantial evidence to pursue their case in Suzanne Morphew's murder since her disappearance. The prosecutors had found out about Suzanne's affair of two years with a Michigan family man from her cellphone records, per CBS News.

The same report stated that a deleted message from Suzanne, dated May 6, 2020, on Barry's phone proved that Barry was aware of her affair. The text message read:

"I'm done. I could care less what you're up to and have been for years. We just need to figure this out civilly."

Another message sent out to her friend read:

"I would not feel safe alone with him."

The investigator had additionally noticed scratches on Barry's hand, per 9News. The authorities took note of a damaged door frame in their Maysville home, indicating a struggle.

Additionally, Barry Morphew's cellphone pings on May 9 showed him at random locations at his house. He later explained the unusual activity as him hunting down chipmunks.

While Barry told the officers that he had been in bed by 8 p.m. local time on May 9, his truck's camera showed him back up around 9:30 p.m. local time. He had also made multiple trash runs during his visit to Broomfield on May 10. The authorities believed that he was disposing of evidence at random locations.

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Why could Barry Morphew be charged again?

In light of the recent evidence in Suzanne Morphew's murder, the presence of the chemical kit known as BAM in the retail market points to Barry's involvement yet again. Although his involvement in Suzanne's death is unknown, he is a skilled tranquilizer gun shooter and an avid hunter.

The investigators had earlier recovered a plastic needle cap from Morphew's dryer. The cap was believed to belong to a syringe used to load a tranquilizer dart. Barry Morphew had been questioned about his love for hunting and the use of animal tranquilizers when he said, as mentioned in his 129-page arrest affidavit:

"The first thing I thought of when I came here and saw deer in my yard with big horns, I'm like, 'I'm getting them horns...And I'll tell you exactly what I did...I shoot 'em. They go to sleep, I cut their horns off...It's totally illegal…But you're gonna find tranq darts around my property because I've done that."

Barry Morphew maintained his innocence and had earlier filed for a $15 million civil suit against the authorities for wrongful arrest. Meanwhile, the authorities had been looking into veterinarians in the area for any clues.

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