ALEXANDRIA, Indiana — Longtime friends of Suzanne Morphew are remembering the Alexandria native, as her husband's attorney again proclaims his innocence in her death.
Investigators in Colorado said they were looking for someone else when they found the remains of the 49-year-old Morphew in the town of Moffat. Her body was found about 45 miles south of where she lived in Salida, Colorado, when she went missing during a bike ride on Mother's Day in 2020.
Morphew and her husband, Barry, are from Alexandria and moved to Colorado about five years ago.
Barry Morphew was charged with his wife's murder in May 2021, but the case was dismissed in April 2022, just before he was set to go on trial.
On Thursday, his attorney, Iris Eytan, issued a lengthy statement about the case, which begins:
"The first and most important focus should be that the Morphews just learned that they lost their beautiful mother and wife after she disappeared 3 1/2 years ago. What appears to be the overriding focus is a finger pointing right back where it started 3 1/2 years ago: a movement to blindly re-accuse Barry for Suzanne's death."
A friend of Suzanne's in Colorado hopes the discovery of her remains helps find her killer.
"The biggest question is – who did this?" Tisha Leeway said. "And lets bring them to justice and put them where they need to be."
Back in Indiana, Suzanne's hometown was stunned by the news of her death.
"Alexandria is a small community of approximately 5,000 people. Most of us have a connection to all the families involved. Sadly, there are no winners in this situation," Amy McCurry wrote in a message shared with 13News.
McCurry said Suzanne's friends in Indiana "appreciate all the kind words, thoughts and prayers, and ask that you please continue to keep them coming." She said Morphew was "the definition" of a person who is beautiful inside and out.
"Her beautiful smile, huge heart, and ability to listen to, and tend to others, was truly God-given," she wrote.