DENVER — The investigation into the death of Suzanne Morphew is now a “marathon” rather than a “sprint,” according to one veteran law enforcement officer and a national cold case expert.
Former Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock told Denver7 Investigates on Thursday that investigators will be able to find plenty of evidence at the scene where Morphew’s remains were found. However, news may not come quickly.
“You want to slow things down a little bit, stay consistent,” Spurlock said. “Plus, you have a crime scene that is going to be significantly larger than what they’ve had in the past.”
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Morphew’s remains were found on September 22 in Saguache County near the town of Moffat. She was last seen on May 10, 2020 in Chaffee County. Sources told Denver7 Investigates her remains were found in a shallow grave and identified using dental records.
Spurlock has spoken at national conferences as an expert on cold cases and served as Douglas County sheriff from 2014 to 2023.
While the case has high interest, he doesn’t feel investigators have pressure to share news with the public immediately.
“I don't think that they need to be announcing anything at this point because now it's a new investigation,” Spurlock said. “Now they can really start from Point A again and work their way through it.”
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He said that the investigation will have challenges and doesn’t anticipate any new information for a couple of months.
“They’re going to want to use every piece of technology and expertise that they have available to them,” Spurlock said. “And my guess is also they’re going to compare that in relevance to the original investigation.”
