Colorado mother Suzanne Morphew was tranquilized and killed, an autopsy report released Monday revealed.
The 49-year-old mother of two disappeared from her home in Salida, Colorado, on Mother’s Day almost four years ago.
Last year, his skeletal remains were discovered in a remote field outside Moffat, a small town 50 miles south of his home.
Police have now confirmed that the cause of his death was “homicide by undetermined means in the context of poisoning by butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine.”
All three drugs are powerful tranquilizers; Azaperone is commonly used in veterinary medications, while medetomidine is used as a surgical anesthetic.
Police have released Suzanne Morphew’s autopsy report after her skeletal remains were discovered 50 miles from her home last year.
The 49-year-old mother of two disappeared from her home in Salida, Colorado, on Mother’s Day almost four years ago.
Suzanne Morphew’s remains were found in the fall. Cadaver dogs appear at the scene where Chaffee County Sheriff’s deputies, the FBI and the CBI were searching in Colorado.
In a statement, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Chief Chris Schaefer said, “The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and our law enforcement partners understand and appreciate the public interest surrounding this case.”
Barry Morphew was initially arrested and charged with the murder of his wife Suzanne even though there was no body, but the charges were later dropped.
“The investigative team assembled to work on this case continues to pursue the evidence and only the evidence as we seek justice for Suzanne’s death.”
The CBI said Suzanne’s family were informed of the findings, including her husband Barry, 56, who was arrested and charged with her murder in 2021 before the prosecution dramatically collapsed the following year.
That case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can still charge Morphew with murder again if they uncover new evidence.
The autopsy report is now in the hands of Chaffee County authorities, and the findings echo a theory advanced by prosecutors in arguments presented at the pretrial hearing: that Morphew had used animal tranquilizers to knock out his wife. before killing her in a fit of jealousy.
The mother of two’s disappearance made headlines in May 2020 when Suzanne was reported missing when her daughters Mallory and Macy were unable to contact her to wish her a happy Mother’s Day.
His family continued to make a series of emotional appeals for his return, and Morphew was seen sobbing on camera as he begged his wife to come home.
But as DailyMail.com revealed, police were suspicious from the start and the CBI and local cops were seen searching the couple’s luxurious $1.5 million Salida home in the days after they disappeared.
In May 2021, Morphew was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and police said he killed his wife after learning she had been having an affair.
During the preliminary hearing, the court heard how Morphew’s happy marriage was a sham, with Suzanne enjoying a two-year affair with Jeff Libler, a married father of six, while Morphew signed up for extramarital dating website Ashley Madison.
Following Barry Morphew’s arrest for Suzanne’s murder in 2021, evidence revealed that both spouses had had extramarital affairs and were on a path toward separation.
Mallory and Macy Morphew flank their father as they enter the courthouse following his arrest for the murder of their mother. The charges were eventually dropped and his daughters maintain their belief in his innocence.
Suzanne’s adventure included overnight trips to Florida and New Orleans and she regularly sent racy photos to the married father, including her final photo which showed her posing in a bikini the day before she was reported missing.
Prosecutors say that while Morphew was desperate to save his marriage, Suzanne was equally determined to leave – a motive, they claim, for the murder.
Police said Morphew was seen with multiple cuts and scratches on his arms and hands in the days after Suzanne disappeared, while an empty tranquilizer dart was found in the laundry room.
In 2021, DailyMail.com revealed how Morphew had left a hotel room in Broomfield, Colorado, reeking of chlorine on the day Suzanne was reported missing.
Since leaving prison, Morphew has landed a girlfriend, Shoshona Darke, 53, and was exclusively photographed with the mother-of-one by DailyMail.com in October 2022.
According to Morphew’s arrest affidavit, police were first informed about his new love in December 2020, but were unable to capture them together, so they mounted a camera on a telegraph pole outside his home.
DailyMail.com witnessed Morphew visit the property on consecutive nights, staying until the next morning, but was unable to verify the identity of the occupant or his relationship to Morphew.
Police were later able to obtain security footage from the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs taken on Valentine’s Day that showed the couple checking in together.
Darke has refused to speak about his relationship with Morphew, despite being repeatedly approached by DailyMail.com, and has kept a low profile during his time in jail.
She also denied having a relationship with him when confronted by police, but later admitted meeting him in October 2020.