A FORENSIC expert has revealed what “standard” autopsy details were missing from Suzanne Morphew’s report four years after she disappeared on Mother’s Day.
Professor Joseph Scott Morgan, distinguished scholar of applied forensic science at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, explained why certain information was not available in this document.
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Colorado mother disappeared after a Mother’s Day bike ride four years ago.
Morphew, 49, was missing until her remains were unexpectedly found in September 2023.
Investigators published the autopsy on April 29 and determined that his death was a “homicide by undetermined means in the context of butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine intoxication.”
Morgan exclusively explained to The US Sun that this autopsy document was much shorter than usual due to several factors.
READ MORE ABOUT SUZANNE MORPHEW
Morphew’s autopsy was four pages long, but the expert said other reports he found were typically around eight to 10 pages long.
Morgan said the lack of soft tissue, such as muscle, would have made the process more difficult.
“This is actually dictated by the absence of tissue, so all you have are skeletal remains,” he said.
“Automatically this will condense things a little.”
The professor explained why the lack of soft tissue would make the investigation more difficult, as possible causes of death could be missed.
“Because there is no soft tissue, if she was shot, there are no focal areas of hemorrhage,” he said.
“There are certainly no defects in the skin that you can appreciate.”
Morphew’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave in a dry desert in Moffat, Colorado, about three hours southwest of Colorado Springs.
The teacher explained that the “adverse conditions” to which her body was exposed in this location would have led to the degradation of her skin and tissues.
Morgan also noted that the autopsy did not disclose the status of the clothing found at the scene.
What did the autopsy say?
Suzanne Morphew’s autopsy results were released by the Colorado Bereau of Investigation.
These results included a “final diagnosis” of his death:
“Homicide by unspecified means in the context of butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine intoxication:
- Reported story of recovery of a partial skeleton, medical port and clothing scattered in and around a shallow grave in Saguache County
- Positive dental identification at the time of the autopsy examination
- Reported Story Deceased was reported missing from Chaffee County on 5/10/2020 and her bicycle and helmet were discovered without significant damage in separate locations within the county
- No indication of perimortem trauma
- Postmortem toxicology of femoral trabecular bone identified butorphanol, butorphanol metabolites, azaperone, and medetomidine
- Positive DNA identification, right and left femurs
- Medical history of the deceased was receiving maintenance chemotherapy with rituxan after complete remission of recurrent follicular lymphoma.”
The report described the clothes as “aged and covered in dirt” when they were collected by investigators.
Finally, the professor explained that this document was missing three typical sections of an autopsy report.
These included an anthropological report, an odontological (dental) report and a toxicological report.
“This is standard, none of this is here,” he said.
In fact, this is dictated by the absence of tissue, so all you have are skeletal remains.
José Scott Morgan
Morphew left behind his two daughters, Mallory and Macy.
Her daughters were reportedly at camp and returning home on Mother’s Day in 2020, according to CBS News.
The girls said they sent Morphew a message for the special day and raised the flag for their dad when she didn’t respond.
Her husband, Barry Morphew, who said he left home that morning to travel to work in Broomfield, Colorado, reportedly asked his neighbors to look for Morphew and his mountain bike.
As soon as they said Suzanne and the bike were missing, he asked them to call the police.
Investigators later recovered his mountain bike and a helmet.
Barry was arrested and charged with her murder in 2021.
He vehemently denied all allegations and allegations against him.
These charges were dropped without prejudice in April 2022, meaning the case could be refiled at a later date.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
