Colorado officials released an autopsy report on Monday stating that Suzanne Morphew — who vanished in 2020 — died as a result of a homicide.
The report, provided to Crime Online, stated that Morphew, 52, died of “undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication.” Chaffee County coroners indicated that dental records were used to positively identify Morphew, and that the toxicology report was completed using her femoral trabecular bone.
The report also stated that Morphew was undergoing chemotherapy while in remission for recurrent follicular lymphoma. However, the medical examiner that the drugs found in her system “are marketed as a compounded injectable chemical immobilizer for wildlife providing pharmacologically reversible analgesia, sedation, and immobilization.”
READ: Suzanne Morphew’s Autopsy Completed Months After Skeletal Remains Found in Desert
Morphew disappeared on Mother’s Day 2020, after heading out for a bike ride in Chaffee County, according to her husband, Barry Morphew. She never returned home.
Morphew’s bicycle was discovered down a steep ravine at Chaffee County Road 225. Investigators said the bike appeared undamaged with no signs of blood. After her disappearance, Barry Morphew claimed Suzanne had likely been abducted.
Friends, however, told investigators that the pair had been arguing about finances, and Suzanne may have possibly had a boyfriend. On the day before her disappearance, Suzanne Morphew had “59 communications” exchanges with a man who was allegedly her boyfriend.
Barry Morphew was arrested and charged with his wife’s murder, but the case was dismissed without prejudice in 2022, meaning it can be reopened if evidence warrants.
In September 2023, Suzanne Morphew’s skeletal remains were found scattered in a remote area in Saguache County. Reports indicated that she may have been buried in a shallow grave.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said the remains were found during an unrelated search. The remains were discovered about 30 to 40 minutes from the Morphews’ home in Chaffee County.
It is unclear whether criminal charges will be refiled in light of the latest autopsy report.
This story is developing…
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[Featured image: Suzanne Morphew/Facebook]
