The family of Suzanne Morphew has finally seen movement in the case of the missing Colorado mother who disappeared one year ago. Her husband, Barry Morphew, has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in the presumed death of Suzanne, authorities announced on Wednesday.
Though Suzanne Morphew’s body has not been found, the affidavit that was the basis for Morphew’s arrest detailed reasons why investigators believe he is responsible for his wife’s disappearance and presumed death. While that affidavit remains under seal, Morphew also exercised his right to remain silent, immediately asking for representation following his arrest. Chaffe County Sheriff, John Spezze, said, “Today is not the day for celebration nor does it mark the end of this investigation. Rather it’s the next step in this very difficult yet very important journey as we seek justice for Suzanne and her family.”
Suzanne Morphew, 49, has been missing for over a year, disappearing on May 10, 2020, Mother’s Day. She was reported missing when a neighbor called 911 to report that Morphew had gone for a bike ride and never returned. In a Facebook video that arched many eyebrows on the internet, Barry Morphew pled with the public for any information leading to her safe return, offering a $200,000 reward. “Now questions asked, however much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back,” Morphew said in the video.
When searches by law enforcement of the area where Suzanne went bike-riding turned up nothing, her brother, Andy Moorman, announced in mid-September that he was recruiting and organizing volunteers for his own search efforts. “I need to find her, need to bring her home, give her a proper burial and closure for my family,” he told KMGH-TV. “And that’s my point, I’m not about finding somebody guilty or trying to inflict punishment on anyone. That’s law enforcement’s job.”
Morphew’s arrest is the result of a sprawling effort by law enforcement to find answers in his wife’s disappearance. More than 135 searches have been conducted in the state of Colorado, and investigators interviewed an excess of 400 people across several states. Suzanne was described by Spezze as “a rare find” and someone who was much beloved by those who knew her. She had two daughters at the time of her disappearance.
Missing person investigators in Alabama have recently closed the search for a missing mother and her two children following initial reports that they might be in danger. Kadance Cierra Hooper, aged 29, was last seen with her two young sons last seen Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
Kadence and her children went missing after she had picked up her oldest son from school on Tuesday. An already disturbing disappearance was further exacerbated by medical complications related to Kadence’s illness of multiple sclerosis, which is known to cause anxiety and depression. An alert was released by the New Brockton Police Department about the disappearance, stating “Mrs. Hooper is a 29-year-old white female and may be living with a condition that may impair her judgement.” Investigators had additional concerns about Kadance following a report that she had taken possession of two handguns prior to disappearing with her two young sons, leading investigators to believe she was armed and may be a danger to herself or her others. Investigators believed Kadance to have disconnected her phone, making it impossible for law enforcement to track her. Law enforcement placed a BOLO, or statewide alert on her vehicle, and advised the public that she may be armed and her judgement may be impaired.
After eight long days of searching, New Brockton Police were able to report that Kadence and her children were finally located, alive and safe.
When a loved one goes missing, consider hiring a private investigator to conduct a concurrent missing person investigation with law enforcement. This ensures that no stone will be left unturned and your family can get answers fast. Call Lauth Investigations International today for a free quote on our missing person services. Call 317-951-1100 or visit us online at www.lauthmissinstg.wpengine.com.
Have you seen missing mother, Crystal Marie Fry? For months, her family has been searching for answers following Crystal’s disappearance amid distressing circumstances in her personal life. After 90 days with no case progression, the family has turned to the missing person investigators at Lauth Investigations International to join the search for Crystal.
Crystal Marie Fry, 31, was last heard from on November 11, 2020. At the time of her disappearance, Crystal was living in Baltimore, MD with her boyfriend, the father of her two youngest daughters. On November 11, Crystal contacted her mother, Teresa Silverman, to explain some of the details of what she called the “worst three days of her life.” Crystal claimed someone had kicked in her front door, damaging it in the process, so she would be staying with the father of her oldest daughter until it could be fixed. It was during this time that Crystal reportedly claimed to be “afraid for her life.” The following day when she was expected to turn up to her mother’s home to explain more about the break-in, Crystal never showed up.
When she spoke to Lauth investigators, Teresa described her daughter as a beautiful mother who was always stepping up to help out, “She’s caring. If anything’s wrong, she steps right in and tries to help take care of people. She loves her girls to death.” Teresa advised Lauth Investigators that Crystal would never have gone this long without contacting her children, claiming that holidays and special occasions were very important to her. Crystal also shared passions for baking and cooking with her girls, who have been missing their mother for over three months.
The last person she was known to have contact with was the father of her oldest daughter, when she told him she got a flat tire on the way to his residence. In the weeks following their last communication, Teresa Silverman hit the streets, trying to find the location of her daughter’s last residence when she didn’t respond to messages. After days of searching, they were finally able to locate the townhouse where she had been staying in Baltimore where her car was parked out front—one of the tires still flat.
Since she reported her daughter missing, Teresa says her perception of law enforcement’s efforts to investigate Crystal’s case have been beyond disappointing, reporting difficulties getting updates on the case and a general feeling of apathy from police. Now she has contracted Lauth Investigations International to conduct an independent investigation concurrent with law enforcement to ensure that no lead is unexplored in her daughter’s disappearance. “The circumstances under which Crystal went missing are troubling, and our team is exploring multiple leads in her disappearance,” said lead investigator, Thomas Lauth. Lauth has over 30 years of experience investigating missing person cases of all types and is considered one of the country’s foremost experts in missing persons.
Crystal Marie Fry is 31 years old, is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weights approximately 135lbs and, has blue eyes and brown hair. You can donate to the GoFundMe for the independent investigation here.
Anyone with information please contact the Baltimore Police Department at 410-396-2221 or call 911.
For over two years, the family of missing postal worker, Kierra Coles, 26, have been racked with worry over the disappearance of the missing mother—especially Karen Phillips, Kierra’s own mother. To further exacerbate the uncertainty, Kierra was about three months pregnant when she went missing in a case that has been described by Chicago police as “a high-risk missing person investigation with potential foul play suspected.” The most crucial clue in the case was a surveillance video that was believed to be the last confirmed sighting of Kierra Coles just before she vanished, but new information has come to light that could change the entire context of this case.
The surveillance video that was believed to be the last confirmed sighting of Kierra Coles was dated October 3, 2018 at 11:45 AM. At the time, many believed it to be Kierra, walking down the street wearing her postal worker’s uniform. Following her disappearance, Kierra’s keys and lunch were found on the front seat of her car, which was parked in front of the building where she lived. More than two years later, new information about the case has finally been made public. The neighbor handed over the surveillance video to investigators and Karen Phillips, Kierra’s mother, who was immediately concerned that something was not right about the video. “It’s a mother thing. You just know your child. That’s not her walk. She was a little bit smaller and a little bit shorter.” Phillips informed investigators about her feelings regarding the video, telling them that the woman in the video was not her daughter. Investigators took her concerns seriously, but in order to preserve the investigation, Phillips was asked not to tell anyone that she suspected the woman in the video was not her daughter.
In another twist, Phillips told NBC 5 that there are two more videos depicting her daughter from the night of October 2nd. One video from another neighbor shows Kierra leaving her apartment building with her boyfriend, Josh Simmons, who also works at the post office. They got into separate cars and drove off. That video was also turned over to the police. Another video from ATM surveillance camera showed Kierra withdrawing $400 from her account and giving it to Josh.
Chicago Police have refused to confirm any of the details regarding the additional surveillance videos, or Phillips’ assertion that the woman in the original video isn’t her daughter, Kierra Coles. They only confirmed to NBC 5 that they had a concrete timeline of Kierra’s movements on October 2nd before she went missing. The official statement from CPD states “The Coles case remains a high-risk missing person investigation with potential foul play suspected. At this point, anyone with knowledge of her of her last known whereabouts is asked to contact the Chicago Police Department, as we are seeking any and all information in an attempt to locate her and we won’t stop until we do.”
A Georgia family is still searching for answers in the disappearance of a now 22-year-old mother Jessica Dietzel. Jessica went missing in mid-February last year before nation-wide attempts to lock down the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic began. Now, nearly a year later, law enforcement is reportedly no closer to finding the missing mother.
Jessica Dietzel was reported missing in mid-February, 2020 after losing contact with her family. She had been having problems with her cell phone, but had been using Facebook Messenger and other people’s cells to contact her mother, Kristina Johnson. Recalling their last conversation, Johnson said it was nothing out of the ordinary. “We spoke on the phone and she seemed fine,” she told Dateline, “But over the next few days, I tried to message her on Facebook and…nothing. She just never responded. It’s been a nightmare ever since.”
From the onset of the investigation, getting answers in the disappearance of Jessica Dietzel has been challenging. Due to the nebulous circumstances of her disappearance, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has stated that the date of Jessica’s disappearance is unknown, projecting it to be any time between February 16 and March 1. According to Dateline, “APD authorities were informed that Jessica had been planning to visit someone who lives in a tent near Radium Springs Road next to the Flint River in Albany.” This lead resulted in LCSO working in tandem with Albany police to interview witnesses and follow up on a reported sighting of Jessica in Albany. In a joint effort between law enforcement and community, a search for Jessica was launched in the wooded area close to the river. Despite these efforts, no evidence was turned up of Jessica’s location.
By July 2020, all available leads in the disappearance of Jessica Dietzel still hadn’t yielded any answers. With so much time passing without answers, members of Jessica’s family began to question whether or not the LSCO was taking her case seriously or not. These family members have alleged that because Jessica has a history of substance abuse issues in the past, law enforcement is not prioritizing her case. Their suspicions are not out of the realm of plausibility—police departments have been known to drag their feet on missing person cases involving persons who have a history of substance abuse. Sometimes it’s the personal bias of the investigator against addicts that slows investigations, but investigators can also develop tunnel vision in cases where addicts go missing. Investigators may assume that the missing person is in the full swing of addict behavior and that they will eventually turn up. Whatever the reason, the amount of resources and attention on cases involving missing persons with any history of drug abuse can be severely lacking.
Chief Michael Parsley of Albany Police wants both the family and the public to know that they have not given up on Jessica’s case, “I would say those allegations are untrue. It doesn’t matter about your past with us. If anything, we want to know about your past. We want to know about any information that you may have so that it can help lead us to Jessica…I don’t want the family to feel that way. I hate that they feel that way, but every lead that they’ve given us, we’ve exhausted. Ms. Jessica, her disappearance is just as important as any other disappearance.” As they continue their investigation, APD has said that they might be re-interviewing relevant subjects in the case with new questions regarding the disappearance of Jessica Dietzel. In September of 2020, APD confirmed that new evidence had come to light that developed additional leads, but were not able to disclose what that evidence was.
In addition to raising a young child, Kristina Johnson also must budget her time and energy to multiple jobs and participating in the search for her daughter. Since her daughter’s disappearance, Kristina has been caring for her three-year-old daughter, Elena. Kristina told Dateline, “She looks exactly like Jessica…the same smile. It’s really heartbreaking. I don’t want her to grow up without her mommy.” It’s a truly wrenching sentiment after a year of missed holidays and special occasions that were punctured by Jessica’s absence. In addition to many other worry-stricken family members, Jessica’s disappearance is also deeply felt by her younger brother Mark, 21. Their birthdays are only a few days apart, and this year Mark was forced to celebrate a special day without his big sister. Despite the hole left by Jessica’s disappearance, the family remains hopeful that she will still be found.
Jessica is described as being 5’7”, 150 pounds with green eyes and long, straight blonde hair. The name “Elena” is tattooed on the left side of her chest near her collar bone. She has a nose ring in her right nostril, and a stud below her lower lip on the right side.
Anyone with any information on Jessica’s whereabouts is asked to call the Albany Police Department 229-431-2100, the Albany Area Crime Stoppers at 229-436-TIPS or the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 229-759-6012
