What Happened to Suzanne Morphew? Dateline NBC Is Covering Her Mysterious Case

Whenever Dateline NBC covers the case of an abduction or murder, it ends up getting national attention — and that seems to be what’s happening with the disappearance of Suzanne Morphew. She went on a bike ride on the morning of Mother’s Day 2020 and never returned home. It was a beautiful day in Southern Colorado, which means that the weather was clear and it should’ve been a safe trip out and back.

As of now, Suzanne is sadly presumed to be dead. The story of the missing mother of two is especially heartbreaking since her body was never found, and her children haven’t received proper closure. What exactly happened to Suzanne?

Suzanne's husband of 26 years, Barry Morphew, stands trial in April 2022. He’s been charged with murder, yet he still continues to maintain his innocence. When the family moved to Colorado, they likely considered it to be the start of a new life chapter. One of their college-aged daughters had started attending Gunnison College, and they wanted their family to stay as tight-knit as ever.

Suzanne and Barry were high school sweethearts who shared a lot in common, from their faith to their mutual love of the great outdoors. However, their marriage unfortunately took a dark turn. Accusations of infidelity was discovered through text messages, as well as evidence of a tranquilizer dart, a secret spy pen, and a chipmunk-related alibi.

The reason Barry feels he has a legitimate alibi is that his cell phone appeared to be pinging in several different locations on Mother’s Day 2020 since he was allegedly hunting chipmunks in the mountains. Is his alibi strong enough to hold up in court? The judge and jury will have to make that decision in April.

Investigators discovered a plastic cap for a syringe that was likely used to load a tranquilizer dart in the couple's home dryer, as well. According to Barry, he’s clueless about how the cap got there, despite the fact that he does have experience using a tranquilizer dart gun shooter.

Interestingly enough, the cap had Suzanne's DNA on it. The other intriguing piece of evidence found by investigators happens to be a spy pen which is typically used to record private conversations. Intimate discussions between Suzanne and her alleged secret lover were captured on that pen.

From an investigative standpoint, it looks like Barry might have been retaliating in anger about Suzanne‘s alleged affair. Even though Barry has been arrested for first-degree murder under the suspicion that he is indeed guilty, nothing has been proven just yet. One thing we do know for sure is that Suzanne deserves justice.

Dateline NBC's Echoes in the Canyon episode about Suzanne Morphew premieres on Feb. 25, 2022, on NBC at 11 p.m. EST.