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Authorities in Colorado have revealed the cause of death of Suzanne Morphew, a woman who went missing after going on a bike ride on Mother’s Day four years ago.
The mother of two’s remains were found in September 2023, more than three years after she went missing. Despite this the case has spawned a high-profile court case, a $15m lawsuit, and accusations of extra-marital affairs and murder.
Her cause of death, revealed in and autopsy report by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and obtained by US outlets on Monday, was ruled to be homicide.
According to the CBI, the agencies investigating Morphew’s case have determined her death to be “Homicide by undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication.”
“The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and our law enforcement partners understand and appreciate the public interest surrounding this case,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer in a statement. “The investigative team assembled to work this case continues to follow the evidence and only the evidence as we seek justice for Suzanne’s death.”
The National Institutes of Health describes Butorphanol as “a synthetic opioid which is used as a nasal spray for treatment of migraine headaches and parenterally as a narcotic analgesic for moderate-to-severe pain or as an adjunct to general anesthesia.”
The NIH states that a combination of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine is an “effective, safe, and easy-to-use protocol” when immobilizing bears.
The investigation into Morphew’s disappearance on May 10, 2020 began after his bike was found at the bottom of a steep ravine off Chaffee County Road 225, in Colorado. Police said the bicycle didn’t appear to have been in a crash, and there was no blood on the scene.
Authorities conducted 135 searches across the state and more than 400 interviews across multiple states in their investigations, although as of September 2023, police were still unable to state what had happened to her.
On 22 September 2023, her remains were found in Saguache County, about 40 miles south of the Salida area, where she was initially reported missing. The tragic discovery was made by agents from the CBI during a search for Edna Quintana, 55, a mother of five who disappeared in May of last year after she went hiking with a boyfriend.
It came after prosecutors charge Morphew’s husband Barry Morphew with murder, but later dropped the charges without prejudice, leaving the door open should prosecutors later decide to pursue a case against him again.
The charges against Mr Morphew were dropped in April 2022 after prosecutors’ case fell apart when they were barred from presenting crucial evidence at trial – after a judge found the state had held back substantial evidence that could have helped Mr Morphew’s case of innocence.
This included DNA evidence that linked her disappearance to sexual assault cases in other states and which in turn suggested a different person might have been involved. Mr Morphew subsequently filed a $15m lawsuit against county officials, accusing them of violating his constitutional rights.
His attorney said in a statement following the discovery of the remains that he and his daughters were in grief.
