Who was James Montoya? Suzanne Morphew’s body was found in Colorado dumping ground where aspiring Marine was discovered dead in July
SALIDA, COLORADO: The remains of missing Suzanne Morphew were found in a Colorado body dumping ground known as 'The Boneyard', where James Montoya, a 26-year-old aspiring Marine, was found dead earlier this year.
Montoya mysteriously disappeared on April 2, just a day before he was scheduled to meet with military recruiters, his mother Carmen Montoya told The Daily Mail.
The mother further revealed that he had taken an Uber that evening to a club in Lakewood, where he met and later left with two men.
But when he failed to return home the next morning, his live-in girlfriend reported him missing. “They probably were going to hang out, or maybe they were going to give him a ride home,” Carmen said.
When James Montoya was found dead?
After three months-long extensive search, Montoya’s body was finally discovered in July in the foothills west of Saguache Peak off County Road 46AA, Colorado radio station KRDO reported.
Investigators allegedly found Montoya’s body while pursuing a separate search for Edna Quintana, a 55-year-old woman with known health issues who was last seen in the vicinity on May 3.
Carmen claimed that she believes she knows the individuals who may have been involved in her son's disappearance but did not want to discuss specifics as the investigation remains open.
She claimed that after her child's remains were found, she personally visited the isolated dumping ground.
“It's just so crazy that it's all happening in that same area,” said the 56-year-old mother said, adding, “They're calling it The Boneyard because so many people are being located there, and it's such a secluded area.”
'To see where my son was, indeed, there's no cars around. You can be in that one area for hours and not see anyone,” she continued.
How Suzanne Morphew’s body was found?
Investigators discovered Suzanne Morphew’s body in the dumping ground on Friday, September 22, 2023, while investigating Quintana’s case near the town of Moffat, about three hours south of Denver and just 45 minutes south of the Morphews' home in Maysville.
Morphew vanished without a trace while riding a bike in Salida, Colorado, and was reported missing on May 10, 2020.
Her bike was found the day she went missing, discarded in a ravine near her mountain home. After an initial investigation, officers found her bike helmet on the side of a highway less than half a mile from where her bike was found.
In May 2021, a year after Susan disappeared, her husband Barry Morphew was arrested and charged with her murder. Barry testified in court that he was employed in Broomfield, a Denver suburb some 150 miles from the family home, at the time his wife vanished.
After disagreements regarding the evidence and procedures, Barry's charges were dismissed without prejudice, which meant that they might be brought up again if new evidence was discovered.
Barry has now filed a $15 million federal civil rights complaint against over 20 prosecutors and law enforcement agents for "irreparably" damaging his "name and reputation" with a "conspiracy to violate his state and federal constitutional rights".