DENVER — The husband of a southern Colorado woman who has been missing for nearly a year has been arrested on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, according to court documents.
Online court records show Barry Morphew was arrested Wednesday but do not list details of the allegations, including the victim. The arrest came ahead of an afternoon news conference in which authorities said they would provide a “major announcement” in the investigation into Suzanne Morphew’s disappearance.
The district attorney’s office declined to discuss the case, and it’s unclear if Barry Morphew has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said a few days after the May 10, 2020, disappearance in the Salida area that investigators had found an item possibly belonging to the 49-year-old woman, but several searches that included waterways did not turn up a body.
A week after his wife went missing, Barry Morphew posted a video on Facebook pleading for her safe return.
“No questions asked, however much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back,” he said.
Andy Moorman, Suzanne Morphew’s brother, announced in mid-September he was recruiting volunteers to conduct an independent search.
“I need to find her, need to bring her home, give her a proper burial and closure for my family,” he told KMGH-TV before the Sept. 24 search began. “And that’s my point. I’m not about finding somebody guilty or trying to inflict punishment on anyone. That’s not my job. That’s the law enforcement’s job.”
