Where is Suzanne Morphew's body? Colorado dad-of-two Barry Morphew, 52, charged with murder of missing wife
SALIDA, COLORADO: Barry Morphew, the husband of a missing Colorado woman, was reportedly pictured with a mystery woman just two months before he was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife Suzanne Morphew.
Exclusive pictures obtained by DailyMail from late February show the father-of-two dining with a young redhead woman at a Mexican restaurant in Salida, Colorado, before dropping her off at a nearby hotel. Two days later, they were seen having an animated conversation outside Salida Comfort Inn in his distinctive white truck. Barry, 52, is being held in the Chaffee County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, evidence tampering and trying to sway a public official.
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Where is Suzanne Morphew's body?
Suzanne's body is yet to be discovered, but a sheriff said that "our belief is that Suzanne is not alive at this time," the Daily Mail reported. Suzanne, 49, disappeared without a trace on May 10 last year after reportedly leaving the home she shared with Barry near Salida on a solo bike ride. "I want you back so much," Barry said in a tearful video begging for his wife's safe return a few days later.
Barry, a landscaping supervisor, has spent the last year denying any involvement in Suzanne's disappearance while attempting to gain guardianship of her in order to sell some of their shared assets. Suzanne was last seen on Mother's Day in a $1.5M family home that was sold in March. Barry was arrested by the police on three different charges on Wednesday, May 5. He will appear in court for the first time on Thursday morning, May 6. Despite the fact that Suzanne's body is yet to be discovered, he has been arrested.
Barry had sought to persuade the media, officials and Suzanne's family that he had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance on several occasions. Reportedly, he has also proposed several theories about her whereabouts, including that she was struck by an animal while riding her bike, that she was involved in a car accident or that she was kidnapped by an unknown assailant. He also offered a $100,000 reward for her safe return. Barry allegedly spent the night before Suzanne disappeared at a budget hotel in Denver and left the room reeking of chlorine.
Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze and District Attorney Linda Stanley held a press conference on May 5 evening to defend their investigation against criticism that it took nearly a year for investigators to make an arrest. They maintained that their case was solid. Suzanne's cause of death was not revealed, although the pair suggested that they were aware of an 'incident' that led to her death. During the investigation, Barry's arrest affidavit remains sealed and he has retained legal counsel ahead of his court appearance.
"Today, justice is beginning for my sister. It's been a journey that no one ever imagines that they'll take," Suzanne's sister, Melinda Moorman, told FOX 21 adding that the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office informed the family of Barry's arrest earlier that day. "I want the world to know that my sister was the darling of our family. She was the rose among thorns. That's what I used to call her." In a letter to Suzanne's daughters, she said she really loves her brother-in-law and wanted to tell them, "I'm here for you," and added: "I love your dad even though he's done a terrible thing."