Brother of Suzanne Morphew speaks out about his sister's disappearance
Andy Moorman, brother of Suzanne Morphew who has been missing since Mother's Day, spoke to Fox News about what he believes happened to his sister, and his hope to finally get closure about what had happened to her.
Wednesday marked nine months since Suzanne Morphew vanished from Salida, Colo., as the investigation continues into the beloved mother and wife's disappearance.
Morphew, 49, was reported missing by a neighbor on Mother’s Day ‒ May 10, 2020 ‒ after officials said they were told she left for a bike ride and never returned.
Spokespersons from the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) did not respond to Fox News’ multiple requests for an update on the investigation, and a family member said Tuesday they had been asked by authorities not to speak to the media.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the FBI are among law enforcement partners assisting the CCSO in the investigation. As of Jan. 10, the sheriff’s office’s investigative team had looked into more than 1,300 tips from the public, the department said.
From May 10 to Sep. 29, CCSO and investigators conducted at least 180 interviews; more than 130 searches, which include sealed warrants; and received 1,123 tips, police said.
Morphew’s family and friends are offering a reward of up to $200,000 for anyone who can bring her back safe.
After her May disappearance, search and rescue teams scoured the area and the property around the Morphew home. And the search only intensified, and was extended further, from there.
A relative told local affiliate FOX 21 News that someone recovered Morphew’s bike on the day she was last seen.
Then, Sheriff John Spezze asked on May 17 that Chaffee County residents save any video footage from doorbell cameras, surveillance system or game cameras from the May 8 to May 12 time frame.
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On May 17, her husband, Barry Morphew, posted a video on Facebook pleading for whoever took Suzanne to bring her back.
"Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there and can hear this, that has you, please, we’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back. We love you, we miss you, your girls need you," Barry said in the video. "No questions asked, however much they want – I will do whatever it takes to get you back. Honey, I love you, I want you back so bad."
Searchers began looking for Suzanne Morphew in the area of U.S. Highway 50 and Monarch Pass, where someone reportedly found an item that was believed to belong to the missing mom.
This undated photo shows Barry and Suzanne Morphew. (KNEWZ)
CCSO officials explained on May 20 that it was "not unusual in these types of investigations to start at the home and extend outward."
The sheriff's office said at that time that Morphew’s was a missing person case, but authorities were considering "all possibilities surrounding her disappearance."
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In August, Barry Morphew spoke publicly for the first time since the May 17 video, telling FOX 21 during a 25-minute phone call that he and his wife "have been in love since 1988 and she’s the love of my life."
He added: "And I continue to search for her every day and I will until I find her. I promise and I promised my girls that," according to the report.
Barry Morphew said investigators are trying to blame him for the May 10 disappearance of his wife, Suzanne. (Courtesy of Suzanne Morphew's Family)
According to reports, Barry Morphew was staying at a Denver hotel before his wife disappeared, and was in Broomfield – just under 150 miles away from Salida – around the time that she vanished.
During the call, Barry considered the possibility that Suzanne would have been involved in a tragic roadway accident or was attacked by an animal, or was even stopped by, according to the report, "someone who knows her well."
Barry Morphew told the news station he had stayed silent because past news coverage portrayed him negatively.
"I am afraid of what is out there," he told the station. "People don’t know the truth, so they’re gonna think what they’re gonna think."
Previous FOX 21 reports cite family in describing how Barry Morphew was asked, and declined, to do a polygraph test. But he said such reports were not true.
"I’ve never been asked to do a polygraph," Barry Morphew told FOX 21. "There is nothing that I am hiding. I have given three – 30 hours of testimony to the FBI and the CBI. I’ve answered every question. Every single question."
At the end of September, Morphew’s brother, Andrew Moorman, conducted a private search that spanned several days with the help of local and federal law enforcement, who collected "several pieces of possible evidence," police said.
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"I do feel like this area has been searched over before us, but I still want to walk it again," Moorman told local 9 News during the search. "It’s the least I could do for her. It’s too little too late, but at least it’s something."
Moorman told Denver7 around that time that he believed his sister "was murdered."
"And she was hidden within a three-and-a-half-hour window," he told the news station, around the time of the private search. "So that — I can draw a circle on that and tell you she's within that circle. And that's what I know happened."
Around that time, "human remains trained dogs" alerted or showed interest in three separate properties, though none provided viable evidence, police said.
That same month, Moorman told FOX 31 Denver his sister was "working with domestic abuse meetings," and added: "I’m afraid this is domestic abuse."
Moorman later told Dr. Phil he thought Morphew was "abducted, and in this case, murdered."
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"I don't think she was taken to a second location, I think it happened at home," he said, adding that "based on the behaviors and things that happened," he thought her husband was behind it. "And I pray it's not."
Barry Morphew responded in an interview with CBS Denver, telling the news station Moorman barely checked in on his sister, and sharing heartfelt cards from his wife.
Investigators are asking anyone with information related to the case to call 719-312-7530.
Fox News' Julia Musto and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
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