SAGUACHE COUNTY, Colo. (Scripps News Denver) — Authorities from Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), along with the Chaffee County and Saguache County sheriff’s offices, conducted an hours-long search Friday in a remote area of Saguache County near Moffat that was connected to the investigation into Suzanne Morphew’s death.
Colorado State Patrol hazardous materials vehicles were seen during a law enforcement search Friday, Sept. 29 in the area where Suzanne Morphew’s remains were found a week prior. (Scripps News Denver)
The search was done “in the area where Morphew’s remains were found,” according to a brief release from the CBI.
Morphew, who lived in Chaffee County, went missing in May of 2020. Remains located in Saguache County on Sept. 22 were confirmed to be hers on Sept. 27.
Investigators say Morphew’s remains were found in a shallow grave and identified through dental records, sources told Scripps News Denver.
The Friday afternoon release from CBI was scant on other information, but the Scripps News Denver crew on the ground gathered some exclusive details about the search.
CBI investigators were seen placing orange flags, as well as what appeared to be yellow evidence markers, throughout the area. Some of those flags were placed within about 50 yards of the county road that runs north-to-south through the field. The search area extended to within feet of the roadway.
An excavator and hazardous materials vehicles were involved in the search early Friday.
A CSP trooper told Scripps News Denver that Friday was the first time the agency had been out to that particular location outside of Moffat.
A separate Friday bulletin from the CBI said the search continues for Edna Quintana, a 55-year-old woman who was last seen in the town of Saguache in May of this year. That release said investigators do not believe Quintana’s and Morphew’s disappearances are related.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Denver, an E.W. Scripps company.
