A Colorado woman who disappeared while on a bike ride died from murder and had a mixture of drugs in her system, according to the coroner.

(CNN) — An autopsy performed on the remains of a Colorado woman who disappeared while riding a bicycle in 2020 and was found dead three years later determined that she died by murder and that there was a trace amount of drugs in her body. Cockatiel was used to immobilize animals.

Suzanne Morphew, 49, disappeared while riding a bike in May 2020. Her husband was initially charged with murder, but prosecutors dropped the charges in 2022 and said they hoped his body would be found. Morphew’s remains were discovered in September 2023, about 80 kilometers south of where she was reported missing. There is currently no defendant in the case.

According to a report released by the El Paso County coroner, an autopsy performed on Morphew’s remains revealed that his death was “homicide by unspecified means in the context of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication.” According to the coroner’s office, a combination of the three drugs is often used to control wild animals and can cause analgesia and unconsciousness.

In a statement Monday, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Schaefer said investigators working on the case “are continuing to follow the evidence and only the evidence as we seek justice for Suzanne’s death.”

Twelfth Judicial District Attorney’s Office Anne E. Kelly said in a separate statement that she could not comment because the case is under active investigation, but added that her office continues to “seek justice for Suzanne.”

A neighbor of Morphew reported her missing on Mother’s Day 2020, after she rode her bike near Maysville, Colorado and never returned home. Maysville is located in Chaffee County. According to the coroner’s report, Morphew’s bicycle and helmet were found “without any significant damage” at separate locations in the county.

In 2021, Morphew’s husband Barry Lee Morphew was charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and attempting to influence a public official in connection with Suzanne Morphew’s death. He pleaded not guilty and in April 2022, prosecutors sought to drop the charges, saying they hoped his wife’s body would have been found by the time the trial began. A judge ruled that prosecutors could continue to file the same charges against him in the future.

Suzanne Morphew’s remains were found more than a year later in neighboring Saguache County.

The couple had two daughters.

Barry Morphew’s attorneys, Jane Fisher-Byrielson and Iris Ayton, said in a statement sent to CNN after the coroner’s results were known that Morphew “is left with more questions than answers and is deeply saddened for Suzanne, the family and the community.” There is a lack of justice.” .” Lawyers said authorities have not shared with Morphew’s family whether his clothing has been DNA tested and alleged that unidentified DNA was found in his car.

CNN contacted the CBI for comment on the lawyers’ allegations, but the agency declined to comment. CNN also contacted the district attorney’s office for comment.

Barry Morphew’s lawyers said, “The family demands privacy and urges the authorities to look at the case with fresh eyes, follow up all leads, conduct all forensic tests and solve Suzanne’s murder.”

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