A relative of missing Colorado woman Suzanne Morphew says Suzanne’s family members have very little information to go on, as investigators concluded a three-day search of a residential property not far from Suzanne’s Maysville home on Sunday without finding any evidence connected to the case.
“Investigators searched several locations on the property; however, they were unable to make any connection to Suzanne Morphew’s case at this time. Details about the search are not available, as this is part of the active investigation,” the Chaffee County Sheriff’s office said in a news release on Sunday, two weeks after Suzanne’s neighbor reported her missing.
The relative said that some of Suzanne’s family members, including at least one of Suzanne’s siblings and Barry Morphew’s mother — who Suzanne is reportedly close to — traveled to the area after Suzanne was reported missing. Suzanne’s own mother died of cancer years ago, and her father is believed to be living in Michigan. The relative did not know where Suzanne’s two daughters were staying, as police have taken possession of the Morphew’s home as part of the ongoing investigation.
“I think they are being protected,” the source said.
The relative said they have never seen or heard about any specific issues in the Morphew’s marriage, and that the couple seemed happy. But they did indicate that Barry could be somewhat controlling.
“He’s been in charge of what happens for a long time,” they said.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a source who was acquainted with the Morphew family when they lived in Indiana said they believed Suzanne was somewhat reluctant about the family’s planned move to Colorado two years ago. But the relative who spoke to CrimeOnline this weekend said Suzanne seemed positive about the move, as she was looking forward to being closer to her college-aged daughter who is in school in Colorado.
“I think it was sort of a step toward retirement,” the family member said. Suzanne mention to the relative she was happy that another family member, Barry’s newphew Trevor Noel, lived in the state.
Early in the investigation, Trevor Noel identified himself as the family spokesperson, but has stopped responding to media inquiries. A Facebook page he launched to collect and share information about the search for Suzanne has not been updated in over a week. He also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a volunteer search effort. The crowdfunding campaign has raised over $30,000 dollars, and Barry Morphew’s mother was listed as the beneficiary in recent days.
Suzanne’s relative said they did not know Trevor Noel, and was not sure why Barry Morphew’s mother was the recipient of the GoFundMe donatons, though they did note that the fundraiser may be supplementing travel and housing costs for relatives who traveled to central Colorado.
“I have a feeling someone told him not to talk,” the relative said about Trevor Noel’s recent silence. During the first week of the investigation, Noel told local media outlets that police had recovered Suzanne Morphew’s bike, and Suzanne’s relative believes police did not want that information leaked.
The source said that Suzanne’s family has received very little specific information about the investigation. Of the relatives who are in central Colorado, “if they are told not to say anything, they don’t,” the relative said.
“We are as much in the dark as anyone else, because they don’t want information getting out there that might hurt the case. It’s hard to wait and watch and wonder what’s happening,” they said, adding that the situation was “surreal” for Suzanne’s family members.
The relative said they have doubts about whether Suzanne actually went for a bike ride on May 10, as her neighbor reportedly told police. The source said they believed Suzanne’s daughters asked the neighbor to check and see if their mother’s bike was at the home.
The relative said they found it credible that Barry Morphew may have working on a landscaping job the day Suzanne was reported missing, noting that Barry is known to be ambitious in his work and eager to take on projects.
“Barry always seemed to be a good guy and a supportive husband,” the relative said. “I’d be surprised if anything happened. But sometimes we don’t know people as well as we think we do.”
The Chaffee County Sheriff’s office said on Sunday that investigators would not be doing a physical search for Suzanne Morphew on Monday, but investigators are still asking for tips.
“Someone has that key piece of information in this case that will help us locate Suzanne, and I’m asking our community members to continue to use the tip line to provide any information, no matter how inconsequential the tip may seem,” Sheriff Spezze said in Sunday’s news release.
Anyone with information is urged to call the dedicated tip line at (719) 312-7530.
