Tuesday Search Ends With No New Leads In Suzanne Morphew Disappearance
CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office said a search on Tuesday ended with no new leads in the Suzanne Morphew investigation. The 49-year-old was reported missing nearly 5 months ago after leaving her home for a bike ride on Mother's Day.
This week, investigators collected several pieces of possible evidence found during a search organized by Morphew's brother, Andrew Moorman.
"There have been a handful of potential leads that have been pursued as a result of the volunteer search; however, nothing has been identified as related to Suzanne's disappearance," the sheriff's office said in a statement on Monday.
The task force investigating Morphew's disappearance responded to three separate properties this week after a K9 search. Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said none of the properties are owned by members of the Morphew family.
One of the locations investigated by the task force was along the Arkansas River. A dog handler told investigators that the K9s did not alert to anything on the property, but did show interest.
"Our law enforcement team obtained consent from the property owner, and after further investigation, including working with the private human remains dogs on the property, it was determined this was not a viable lead in this case," the sheriff's office said.
The second search took place near the Morphew home after the same dog team alerted to an area on the property. Investigators searched the property, but said they found no significant evidence.
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A different pair of search dogs alerted their handler during a third search in unincorporated Chaffee County near Salida. The sheriff's office, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Colorado Bureau of Investigation excavated the property on Tuesday morning, but found "nothing of evidentiary value."
Sheriff Spezze said the case remains an active investigation.
"The level of commitment from the entire team from the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office, CBI and FBI investigators is unprecedented and unparalleled," said Sheriff Spezze. "While the public may not see all of the effort being put forth in this case, I can assure the community that this investigation continues to move forward."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the tip line at 719-312-7530.
So far, the sheriff's office has received 1,123 tips and conducted 180 interviews related to the case. Task force investigators have logged more than 4,000 hours, including more than 130 searches.
