Missing Colorado mother Suzanne Morphew and her husband Barry Morphew were active members of a Baptist church in Indiana, and members of the community there are concerned about Suzanne’s well-being as the investigation into her disappearance enters its third week.
“Suzanne is a sweetheart of a woman; a kind soul,” said Jeremy Parsons, who attended the same church as the Morphews before they moved to Colorado in 2018, and occassionally went to their home for a monthly game night with other members of the church community.
Parsons, who described Suzanne as having “kind eyes,” said that Suzanne is very well-liked, as others who know her have said.
On Sunday, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s office announced that investigators had concluded a three-day search of a residential property without finding any evidence connecting the property to the missing persons case. The Chaffee County fire chief, who is not invovled in the official investigation, told CrimeOnline on Friday that he believes the property is a current or former job site tied to Barry Morphew’s work as a landscaper. Authorities have not said specifically what led them to search the property, but noted in a news release that the property owners were fully cooperative and had no connection to Morphew’s disapperance.
Parsons noted that Barry Morphew was not quite as friendly as Suzanne, describing him as sometimes “standoffish.” Still, Parsons said he never noticed any trouble between the husband and wife.
CrimeOnline has viewed a message that was sent to members of the Morphew’s former church in Indiana, requesting prayers following the news of her disappearance. The message notes that Morphew’s bike was found “crashed,” and mentions that a mountain lion had been seen in the area where the bike was discovered.
“Barry is just beside himself and so are the rest of us because they can’t find her,” the message, sent on May 11, reads in part.
Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said during the first week of the search that investigators believed it was unlikely Morphew was the victim of an animal attack.
In response to widespread rumors about a possible suspect in custody, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s office said in a news release on Friday that authorities had not made any arrests. On Sunday, the sheriff’s office said that investigators would not be doing a physical search for the missing woman on Monday, but encouraged members of the public to continue to share any tips.
The Chaffee County Sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request about when the search is expected to continue. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
Anyone with information is urged to call the dedicated tip line at (719) 312-7530.
