DENVER — The autopsy released Monday on the homicide of Suzanne Morphew – a Colorado woman who vanished in 2020 and whose body was found last fall in a shallow grave – cited three drugs found in her body: butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine.
The autopsy reports her manner of death as homicide by undetermined means, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
It describes the drugs found in Suzanne's body as "marketed as a compound injectable chemical immobilizer for wildlife providing pharmacologically reversible analgesia, sedation, and immobilization."
Here is more information on each of those drugs:
Medetomidine
Medetomidine is a sedative and pain reliever approved for use in veterinary procedures for animals, specifically dogs.
Azaperone
According to the National Library of Medicine, azaperone is a tranquilizer used mainly for pigs and elephants.
Butorphanol
Butorphanol is a synthetic opioid pain reliever. It’s often used as a nasal spray treatment for migraine headaches and also as a supplement to general anesthesia, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Suzanne Morphew case
Morphew, 49, was last seen on Mother's Day 2020. She lived in Maysville in Chaffee County, west of Salida, with her husband Barry and their two daughters, Mallory and Macy. When she vanished, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said she went for a bike ride but never returned home.
Three years after her disappearance, in September 2023, agents with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation found Suzanne's remains in the area of Moffat in Saguache County. The El Paso County coroner confirmed the identity of the remains as hers.
CBI said investigators were searching the Moffat area on an unrelated investigation when her remains were discovered. No arrests have been made since her remains were found, CBI said.
Barry Morphew, 56, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection to her disappearance in May 2021.
Days before he was set to stand trial in April 2022, all charges were dropped when Fremont County District Judge Ramsey Lama granted a motion filed by prosecutors that asked to dismiss the case.
This story includes reporting by Melissa Reeves and Marc Sallinger.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime