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Almost a year after a Colorado woman went missing on Mother’s Day weekend, her husband has been charged with her first-degree murder and appeared in court.
Barry Morphew, 51, was arrested by Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office deputies near his home in Poncha Spring on Wednesday and appeared at Chaffee County Court on Thursday.
He is charged with first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and attempting to influence a public servant.
He appeared in a prison jumpsuit, while his two daughters, Mallory and Macy, were also present in court. The Daily Mail reported that the couple’s daughters mouthed ‘I love you’ and made heart signs with their hands,” during the hearing.
Suzanne Morphew, 49, went missing on May 10 last year and she was last seen going for a bike ride near Maysville, Colorado.
Soon after her disappearance, police started an extensive search operation with drones and scent-tracking dogs.
Four days later, on May 14, Mr Morphew put up a reward of $100,000 for her safe return, and a family friend matched the amount.
Then on May 17 , he put out an emotional appeal on Facebook asking for any information on his wife’s disappearance. In the video, he says: “If anyone is out there that can hear this, that has you, please, we’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back. We love you. We miss you. The girls need you.” He added: “No questions asked, however much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back.”
A GoFundMe page was also set up to help with the search efforts.
Morphew’s body has still not been found but prosecutors believe that she is dead. Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze told the media on Wednesday: “Our belief is that Suzanne is not alive at this time.” He added: “Today is not the day for celebration, nor does it mark the end of this investigation. Rather it’s the next step in this very difficult yet very important journey as we seek justice for Suzanne and her family.”
Mr Morphew started a landscaping company called BLM Enterprises in 2004 and was listed as an agent with BLM Landscaping in Indiana, as per local reports.
Suzanne Morphew’s friends told the media that she had “just overcome cancer and was ready to start her life again when she disappeared.” The Denver Channel quoted her friend Deetta Wilson saying: “She was not here long enough to make many friends. But she has made a lot since she disappeared. They had a few friends and stuff — their church friends. Other than that, they didn’t have much outside of that.
Suzanne Morphew was from the Alexandria area in Indiana.
The Sheriff’s Office said that it looked into 1,400 tips over the past year. It said that it executed at least 135 search warrants across Colorado and interviewed more than 400 people regarding the disappearance.
Chaffee County District Attorney Linda Stanley told the media: “I wouldn’t bring charges if I wasn’t confident.”
Following the hearing the judge Patrick Murphy ordered that Morphew be held in the Chaffee County Detention Facility without bond. Mr Morphew is allowed contact with his daughters. He is set to return to the courtroom on May 27.
Melinda Moorman, Suzanne Morphew’s sister, told the media in Colorado Springs on Wednesday that “Today, justice is beginning for my sister. It’s been a journey that no one ever imagines that they’ll take.”
She added that “Bitterness destroys people. I pray for him and have sadness for him.” She told the media that she had forgiven her brother-in-law early on.
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