A judge Tuesday dismissed the case against the Colorado man accused of killing his wife, Suzanne Morphew, who vanished nearly two years ago on a Mother’s Day bike ride.
Barry Morphew was set to stand trial on April 28 in the presumed death of the mother of two, who was declared missing after she failed to return from biking in Chaffee County in May 2020.
But prosecutors were granted a motion to dismiss the case “without prejudice,” which will allow them to bring new charges against him later.
District Attorney Linda Stanley said in a Tuesday morning filing that investigators need more time to find Suzanne’s body.
Stanley indicated that the prosecution believes her body is located in an area covered deep in snow near the couple’s former home.
Stanley also said that the decision to drop charges came in part from the court’s decision to exclude key prosecution witnesses from trial.
Barry was arrested in May 2021 on charges of murder after deliberation, tampering with physical evidence and attempting to influence a public servant.
The husband, who has pleaded not guilty, had refused to take a polygraph in the days after Suzanne was reported missing by a neighbor.
Authorities allege that he discarded Suzanne’s bicycle and helmet on the morning of her disappearance before leaving town.