Investigators searching for missing mom Suzanne Morphew sift through dirt at her husband’s construction site
THE search for missing mom Suzanne Morphew, who vanished on Mother's Day, has turned to her husband's construction site.
The owner of the property confirmed to CBS4 in Colorado on Saturday that Barry Morphew was hired to lay dirt on the riverfront land.
FBI agents could be seen with buckets going through the material, according to the TV station, and an evidence response team truck was close by.
"A search being conducted at a residence on the east side of Salida in connection with the Suzanne Morphew missing person case has concluded for the day," the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
"Investigators with the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, CBI and FBI plan to return to the site to continue the search on Saturday, May 23, 2020.
"In response to widespread rumors, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office relays that Ms. Morphew has not been located and there have been no arrests in the investigation."
The owner is cooperating with investigators and is not connected to Morphew's disappearance, according to authorities.
"Additionally, it is not known how long this search will take law enforcement," the sheriff's office said.
"An update will be provided at the conclusion of the search.
"There will be no updates during the search."
Suzanne Morphew, 49, hasn’t been seen since May 10, when a neighbor reported her missing after she apparently didn’t return home after a bike ride.
Her daughter’s friend’s mother claims “nobody actually saw her on her bicycle, sadly,” according to Crime Online.
“The neighbors up there are spread pretty far apart but the only reason they found out [she was missing] is because the girls called the neighbors and said, ‘We never heard from mom — can you go check on her?'” the friend’s stepmother said.
But, per the report, no one actually saw Morphew, who lives in Colorado, on a bike.
The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office has been searching for her with help from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, as well as the FBI.
Earlier this week, Barry's nephew, Trevor Noel, said police had recovered Suzanne's bike from the day she disappeared, but police have yet to confirm whether the "personal item" is her bike.
The "personal item" was found during a police search just west of County Road 225 and Highway 50, in an area west of Maysville, around 20 miles from Salida, according to reports.
Authorities in the area have asked residents for doorbell, security, and wildlife camera footage from May 8 through May 12 in case it might help in their search for Morphew.
On Sunday, a dive team from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office searched waterways for signs of Morphew, and authorities have cordoned off Morphew’s home, as it "is being held as part of the investigation."
The sheriff’s office said that, as of Monday, they had received more than 150 calls to its tip line about the case.
Morphew’s family is offering a $200,000 reward for her return, having initially put out a public plea on Facebook.
The 49-year-old has two daughters, Macy and Mallory, with her husband Barry, to whom she’s been married since 1994.
They moved from Arcadia, Indiana, to Salida, Colorado, in 2018.
Barry, who was a landscaper in Indiana, now works as a volunteer firefighter for Chaffee County Fire Protection District.
On the day divers searched the waters around her home, Morphew’s husband released a public plea via a video shared online.
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He said: "Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there and can hear this, that has you, please, we’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back.”
"We love you, we miss you, your girls need you.”
"No questions asked, however much they want – I will do whatever it takes to get you back. Honey, I love you, I want you back so bad,” he said.