Prosecutors stopped Suzanne Morphew's cremation at the last minute, and say Barry Morphew ordered it: docs

Barry Morphew, the antheral charged with his woman Suzanne's murder, personally authorized her cremation successful February, conscionable earlier prosecutors stepped successful to halt it, they assertion successful caller tribunal filings.

In June 2025, Barry Morphew was re-indicted by a Colorado expansive assemblage pursuing a failed prosecution successful 2021 that resulted successful charges being dismissed astatine the time. He allegedly killed his wife, who vanished connected Mother's Day successful 2020 earlier her remains were aboriginal found. 

At the time, the Morphews lived adjacent Salida, Colorado, wherever Suzanne Morphew, 49, was past seen alive. Barry Morphew pleaded not blameworthy successful January, and is expected to basal proceedings successful October.

In February, attorneys for Macy and Mallory Morphew, who are Suzanne Morphew's daughters, filed a question to unit the authorities to merchandise her remains. The question was withdrawn connected Thursday.

SUZANNE’S BROTHER CALLS BARRY MORPHEW ‘SOULLESS PREDATOR’ WITH 'NO REDEMPTION' AS JUDGE WEIGHS BAIL REQUEST

Barry Morphew leaves a Fremont County tribunal gathering successful Canon City, Colo., with his daughters, Macy, left, and Mallory, aft charges against him successful the presumed decease of his woman were dismissed, Tuesday, April 19, 2022. In an interrogation with "Good Morning America" broadcast connected Monday, May 15, 2023, Morphew said authorities successful Colorado person been incorrect to absorption connected him arsenic the idiosyncratic liable for the decease of Suzanne Morphew. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP)

Attorneys for some Macy and Mallory Morphew said successful their archetypal filing that their mother's remains were astatine Swan Lake Funeral Home successful Colorado Springs, and had a ceremonial work planned for their parent erstwhile instrumentality enforcement took possession of the body.

The lawyers argued that instrumentality enforcement successful Colorado had "stopped them from exercising their law rights" to clasp a ceremonial for their parent and hide her remains.

"This authorities behaviour is outrageous, cruel, and shocking to the conscience," attorneys for Macy and Mallory Morphew argued.

Responding to attorneys for Suzanne Morphew's daughters, prosecutors said that Barry Morphew signed disconnected connected the cremation of Suzanne Morphew. In a tribunal filing, Barry Morphew did not instrumentality a presumption connected the merchandise of her body.

Prosecutors said that Suzanne Morphew's remains are "material evidence" to their execution lawsuit against Barry Morphew, asking the tribunal to contradict the question to merchandise her body. 

"The Defendant successful a execution lawsuit authorized the merchandise of the execution victim’s remains, anterior to pending motions litigation and assemblage trial, and paid to person them cremated anterior to disclosures of his experts’ opinions oregon tribunal rulings connected admissibility of technological investigating regarding said remains," prosecutors wrote.

Fox News Digital reached retired to Barry Morphew's attorney.

Timeline, according to prosecutors:

- Jan. 29, 2026: Barry Morphew signs disconnected connected the merchandise of Suzanne Morphew's remains from the El Paso Coroner’s Office to the Swan-Law Funeral Directors ceremonial home.

- Feb. 17, 2026: Law enforcement was notified that Suzanne Morphew's remains were released to a ceremonial location and began the process to use for a hunt warrant to instrumentality custody of the remains arsenic "material evidence."

- Feb. 18, 2026: A tribunal authorized the hunt warrant for instrumentality enforcement to instrumentality possession of Suzanne Morphew's body.

- Feb. 19, 2026: While collecting Suzanne Morphew's remains, Undersheriff Alex Walker was informed that the remains were acceptable to beryllium cremated the adjacent day.

- Feb. 24, 2026: A tribunal authorized different hunt warrant for documents related to Suzanne Morphew's remains, which see "two signed forms with Defendant Barry Morphew’s signature connected them." One of the forms authorized the cremation of Suzanne Morphew.

- March 19, 2026: Suzanne Morphew's daughters withdrew their effort to unit the authorities to merchandise their mother's body.

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Barry Morphew is charged with sidesplitting his wife, Suzanne Morphew. (Chaffee County Sheriff)

Notably, Suzanne Morphew's sister Melinda Balzar and member David Moorman some "strongly object" to the merchandise of her body, according to prosecutors.

"They some noted concerns with the integrity of the grounds and separately indicated their tendency to sermon bringing Suzanne backmost to Indiana. It was their presumption that others successful their household would agree," prosecutors wrote.

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Barry Morphew's booking representation astatine the Alamosa County Jail. (Alamosa County Sheriff's Office)

Colin McCallin, a Colorado-based lawyer and erstwhile lawman territory lawyer for the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office successful Colorado, told Fox News Digital helium would beryllium acrophobic arsenic a authoritative if the remains were released.

"If I were a authoritative connected this case, I would beryllium precise acrophobic if the remains were turned implicit to the family. [If] Ms. Morphew's remains were cremated, and past someway the defence wanted to allege aboriginal that they wanted entree to the assemblage for their ain testing, for their ain forensic examination, for example. And past they claim, 'oh, we can't bash that due to the fact that we don't person entree to body.'"

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Prosecutors accidental Barry Morphew tried to person Suzanne Morphew's remains cremated. (Fox News)

A proceeding regarding Suzanne Morphew's remains is scheduled for March 30. A proceedings successful the lawsuit is presently scheduled to statesman Oct. 13.

She disappeared from the couple’s location successful Chaffee County connected May 10, 2020, prompting a monolithic hunt that initially turned up fewer answers.

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Barry Morphew was archetypal charged with her execution successful 2021, but those charges were dropped the pursuing twelvemonth aft prosecutors cited issues with the lawsuit and said they were adjacent to discovering caller grounds that could alteration its direction. His defence squad argued astatine the clip the lawsuit was dismissed due to the fact that prosecutors were improbable to triumph astatine trial.

After the charges were dropped, helium near Colorado and relocated to Cave Creek, Arizona — much than 600 miles from wherever his woman disappeared. While surviving there, helium kept a debased illustration and utilized aliases, including "Bruce" and "Lee Moore." Acquaintances aboriginal told Fox News Digital they were unaware of his transportation to the high-profile Colorado lawsuit until his re-arrest.

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Suzanne Morphew’s remains were discovered successful September 2023 successful a shallow sedate successful the San Luis Valley, astir an hr southbound of the family’s home. An autopsy aboriginal ruled her decease a homicide.

According to tribunal records, a almighty carnal tranquilizer known arsenic BAM — a operation of butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine — was recovered successful her bony marrow. Prosecutors said the beingness of a metabolized signifier of the cause indicates she was live agelong capable to process it, ruling retired accidental oregon biology contamination.

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Barry Morphew was booked into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)

The indictment alleges Barry Morphew had entree to BAM done his enactment with cervid and was the lone backstage national successful the country known to person the cause astatine the clip of his wife's disappearance. Investigators person besides pointed to grounds involving a tranquilizer dart firearm recovered successful the home, on with telephone and conveyance information they accidental contradict his relationship of events.

After Barry Morphew was re-indicted, helium was arrested successful Goodyear, Arizona, extradited to Colorado and aboriginal released connected enslaved successful September aft supporters helped station portion of his $3 cardinal bond. He remains nether location apprehension with an ankle monitor.