‘Echoes in the Canyons‘ on NBC Dateline, as the title suggests, investigates Suzanne Morphew’s disappearance in 2020, which has perplexed officials to this day.
After all, what makes this case so strange is that it involves not just spy pens and infidelity, but also a plastic needle cap, tranquillizers, and an unexpected chipmunk alibi.
Now, if you’re interested in learning more about Suzanne, her experiences, the various ideas around this probe, and who might be responsible, we’ve got you covered.
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Suzanne Morphew: What Happened to Her?
Suzanne Morphew was born and raised in the lovely small town of Alexandria, Indiana, and was characterised as bright and cheerful by those who knew her.
Many people assumed she had the perfect life with her (nearly) high school sweetheart husband, Barry, and their two daughters, Macy and Mallory, but the reality was far more complicated.
The former schoolteacher had relocated with her family to a comfortable home just outside of Salida, Colorado, in 2018 for a fresh chapter after quitting her work to raise her children. That, however, was only the beginning of a dreadful conclusion.
Despite the fact that it was Mother’s Day on May 10, 2020, Barry had left home early to drive to a job site about 150 miles away, while his and Suzanne’s daughters were on their way back from a camping trip.
The sisters’ seemingly typical day was flipped upside down when they found they’d received no answer to the texts they’d sent to their mother wishing her a happy holiday.
They then contacted their father, who requested that a neighbour check on his wife, only to discover that Suzanne had vanished. Her car, keys, and purse were all safe and sound at home, but she was missing.
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Suzanne had taken up mountain biking after relocating to another state, so the fact that her two-wheeler was gone could have led her family to believe she was out on the trails.
Despite this, her husband encouraged a neighbour to call 911 due to her lack of communication, which was likely due to the fact that her smartphone was also not at home.
Suzanne’s bike was rescued from the edge of a cliff off the road near their home within hours, but her helmet was found another mile down the roadway. Despite this, they began to suspect that she had never actually gone on a bike that morning.
The fact that the two scenes were too pristine — with no evidence of fibre, blood, or struggle — and Suzanne’s vital sunglasses and hydration bag were still inside her car back home led to the officials’ conclusion that they were staged.
That’s when they began to look into her disappearance as a kidnapping/homicide rather than a simple disappearance, without abandoning their comprehensive search for her.
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Is Suzanne Morphew’s Body Found Or Still Missing?
Suzanne Morphew and her body have never been discovered, despite the best efforts of the FBI and the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.
Her death has subsequently been assumed, but the investigation into her case has continued, particularly because of the possibility of murder. According to accounts, the suspects have always been her husband, Barry Morphew, or her two-year-long secret boyfriend.
The authorities found out about Suzanne and Barry’s unhappy marriage early on in the investigation.
The couple moved to Colorado in the first place because of their difficult relationship and a desire to be closer to their college-attending daughter.
Barry was further incriminated by the fact that he had scratch marks on his arm in the days after the incident and that a CCTV camera showed him throwing trash bags at various sites around Broomfield on that fateful morning.
After all, it appeared that he and Suzanne had an out-of-control argument on May 9, 2020, and that he was supposedly covering it up.
However, ten days after Suzanne was reported missing, officials discovered a spy pen in the Morphew’s bedroom walk-in closet, revealing that Suzanne had been having an affair.
She’d purchased this voice-activated device with the intention of catching her husband cheating on her, but it backfired when it accidentally captured talks she was having with her lover.
There was not a word from the search or the investigation… Oh, but there was a bombshell.
Tune in tonight for an all-new #Dateline mystery at 10/9c on @NBC. pic.twitter.com/Z20SP8gNb7
— Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) February 26, 2022
Suzanne’s mysterious lover took six months to be identified since he never came forward because he, too, was married with six children. Despite this, he cooperated with the authorities and was quickly cleared.
Suzanne’s married boyfriend had a solid alibi and was not involved in any very questionable behaviours.
Barry was honed in on after Suzanne texted her husband on May 6 that she was “done” with their 25-year marriage and his cell phone pinging all around the house on May 9 (which he tried to rationalise by claiming he was pursuing and shooting at chipmunks).
The finding of a tranquillizer dart cap at the couple’s home did not help his case, especially since he had already admitted to being an “expert tranquillizer dart gun shooter.”
Thus, when Barry got home from doing errands the afternoon before Mother’s Day, he hunted, tranquillized, and strangled his wife, only to catch her texting a bikini photo to her secret boyfriend.
According to prosecutors, it was never a secret that Barry didn’t want a divorce, so he allegedly picked what he thought was the next best option at the time.
However, it’s important to note that, despite being accused of Suzanne’s murder, Barry has yet to be found guilty (or acquitted).
