He's got a lot to lose if revelations of this affair come out. In the back of his truck, pictured right, is the black tote that prosecutors say he soon used to transport Berreth's body after beating her to death with a baseball bat. "So, what this case lives and dies on is the testimony of Krystal Lee. I would never, never, ever hurt this child. Dan Ridenour: If that happened, there would have been signs of that There would've been blood, there would've been a struggle So, that was a very short-lived speculation. A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office told ABC News that investigators have a copy of the video and do not dispute Drayton's description. Nicole Haywood: From the pictures she's gorgeous, obviously, and very put together and so you might think that she's this prissy girl, but she was not. Neither Barry, his daughters nor his lawyer had any advance warning. Laura Stutzman has known Lee since she was a teenager. It was very revealing. Dan Ridenour: I came home every day and my wife asked me, "had they found her yet?". Judy Tygard is the executive producer. For two days, prosecutor Jennifer Viehman asked Lee to describe Frazee's plan to kill Kelsey Berreth. And I was like, "Oh my gosh. Defense attorney Eytan denies Barry has any involvement in his wife's disappearance. 1 arrested in Michigan in connection to fatal 2020 shooting of 8-year-old girl at birthday party . Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Nikki Battiste: Did Kelsey ever say he was physically abusive? "I'm literally just there to search -- I need to find her, need to bring her home, give her a proper burial and closure for my family," he told Denver ABC affiliate KMGH. Suzanne Morphew is seen in this undated photo released by Chaffee County Sheriffs Office via Facebook on May 11, 2020, when she went missing. Call us if you can. Barry was not home, as the lovers' texts heat up: At 2:05 p.m., Suzanne writes: "I'm just in love with you. Nicole Haywood: She wasn't afraid to challenge the typical boundaries. Investigators created a Berla report, meaning they tapped into the data in Barry's Ford truck to track its movements after his cell phone went into airplane mode. Ben Lemere: Well, it gets overwritten. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. All Rights Reserved. Records show that Suzanne and Jeff messaged each other 59 times that day, much more than usual, authorities say. Ashley Franco: When Suzanne and Barry moved to Colorado, Suzanne messaged him on Facebook. In September, Suzanne's brother Andy Moorman initiated an independent, volunteer-run search in the area where she was said to have vanished. A closer look at Kelsey and her fianc's cell phone activity Thanksgiving weekend would lead them to her suspected killer. Kelsey's mother Cheryl alerted investigators who returned to the house. Prosecutor Jennifer Viehman: Yeah, I do. Aya Gruber: This is a pretty good deal that she gets. Ashley Franco: He saw a herd of elk, and he's a hunter. Letecia Stauch makes her first appearance in Colorado, after being extradited from South Carolina where she was arrested. So, an accident is certainly plausible. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Ashley Franco: Krystal says that she can't come out that same day, but will come out a few days later She's in Idaho loads up the car with cleaning supplies, bleach, hair nets, you know, gloves, trash bags . You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! DNA evidence made public for the first time now threatened to destroy the case against Barry. Of 543,018 people reported missing in 2020, more than 182,000 or . And then says, "Oh, in the last month." A mug shot of Barry Morphew, released by the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office on May 5, 2021. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. After that,, Stock market today: Markets steady after latest bank, Insider Q&A: Aurora CEO Chris Urmson on self-driving, A good sign for summer travel? Peter Van Sant: From 2:47 p.m. until 10:17 p.m., just under 8 hours, Barry's phone goes into airplane mode. She said the family has received more than 20 death threats. Colorado, by comparison, has 186 missing persons cases still open from 2000 to the present, the 21st highest number in the country. (KUSA via AP, Pool), In this still image from video, Barry Morphew, center, appears in court in Salida, Colo., on May 6. Phone records show Frazee called Lee in Idaho around 4:30 on Thanksgiving Day. And there was one more crucial issue the prosecution had to deal with one that its own forensic team uncovered. While Barry Morphew has been charged with murder, Suzannes disappearance remains an open missing person case because her remains have not been found. Initially, Barry told police that he set his alarm for 4:30 a.m. on Mother's Day and left the house by 5 a.m. to drive to a job site in Broomfield, a town near Denver, 150 miles from Salida. Part of his problem, Aya says, is that Barry granted between 30 and 40 interviews all without a lawyer to everyone from a county detective to members of the FBI. (CBS/AP) DURANGO, Colo. - Search teams in southwest Colorado have found the remains of Dylan Redwine, a 13-year-old boy last seen in November during a visit . READ PROSECUTORS' MOTION TO DISMISS HERE: They wrote that investigators had hoped to recover Morphew's remains in a remote area near the couple's mountainous home before the trial, but weather stymied their efforts. Clint Cline: He's kind of laid back, you know, kind of stays to himself. Colorado has 3.22 open missing persons cases per every 100,000 residents based on its 2020 population, the 23rd lowest rate in the U.S. There are now 97 open cases from 2010s. "And thats my point. On the way, Barry speaks to sheriff deputies who advise him they've found Suzanne's bike and he arrives at that ravine at around 8:40 p.m. Ashley Franco: And investigators say that when he arrived there, he was pretty emotional for a few minutes. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP). And he says he met Suzanne a handful of times; she even made cookies for his wife and kids. On Feb. 4, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation made the statement, "We celebrate Colorado Missing Persons Day by remembering all of those loved ones who have gone missing in Colorado for more than a year. During her interview with investigators, Lee said Frazee told her while baby Kaylee was in another room, he took a baseball bat and "he went to swinging.". The El Paso County District Attorney's Office to file nine additional charges against his stepmother, including one count of first-degree murder after deliberation and eight counts of committing a crime of violence. While his body has still not been found, she has been charged with first-degree murder of a child under 12 by a person in a position of trust; child abuse resulting in death; tampering with a deceased human body; and tampering with physical evidence, according to El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder. Clint Cline has known Frazee for seven years. Authorities provide the latest update on the search for Gannon. Nikki Battiste: What did Krystal say about Patrick? Was he chasing Suzanne before a final and fatal confrontation? Ashley Cogburn: she seemed to be kind of stressed out from the whole thing that she couldn't make him happy. ", Dan Ridenour: So, the only thing that makes sense is that Barry Morphew lost it when Suzanne finally said, "I'm leaving you.". On Sunday three days after Thanksgiving there was a bizarre development that would send this case in a very different direction. Did you encounter any technical issues? Did she sound , Cheryl Berreth: Definitely, she sounded happy and . Throughout the investigation, Barry Morphew maintained his innocence. Prosecutor Beth Reed says the surprise witness was an inmate at the same jail where Patrick Frazee was being held. He was also worried agents considered him a suspect. Why would Lee help Frazee? Investigators wondered, if Kelsey had broken up with Frazee why would she send him this text:"I bought some sweet potatoes in case you wanted sweet potato casserole ". The initial press release on his disappearance describes the call about him as a "report for a juvenile runaway.". Going to jump in the shower. And whatever else happens with the case, Melinda says she hopes her nieces keep one thing in mind. He told agents he was in Michigan that weekend and his alibi checked out. Investigators discovered mysterious male DNA in this Range Rover belonging to Suzanne Morphew. Ashley Franco: He says I have a metal pipe that I'll leave outside my property that you can come pick up, and I want you to go wait for Kelsey at her townhome. Chromebooks are excellent alternatives to traditional laptops and have built-in security software. One clue may be a deleted text that investigators found on Barry's phone sent by Suzanne just days before: "I'm done. Eytan is calling for a review of the prosecutors handling of the case. Gannon Stauch, 11, has been missing from his Colorado Springs, Colo., home since Jan. 27, 2020. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Nikki Battiste: What does Krystal do next? So, what we mainly have connecting Patrick Frazee to an incredibly brutal and violent crime is Krystal Lee's testimony. Say, "you need to talk to my friend. It was updated on August 1, 2020.] He started a landscaping business. I excuse me [in tears]. Two months before Kelsey went missing, Lee says she drove 12 hours from Idaho to a Starbucks near Kelsey's home in Colorado. Jan. 27. Now they needed to figure out the identity of "Jeff," Suzanne's lover. Peter Van Sant: For a human being, it could be lethal. Nicole Haywood: Yeah, she was out their driving tractors and bucking bales. But the abduction theory could not be so easily dismissed especially after that mysterious DNA was found in Suzanne's Range Rover. Kade Atwood: This is what we do. Thanksgiving Day, 2018 the last time Kelsey Berreth was seen in public. After that,, Stock market today: Markets steady after latest bank, Insider Q&A: Aurora CEO Chris Urmson on self-driving, A good sign for summer travel? "They absolutely dismissed this case at this point because they knew they were going to lose this trial and Mr. Morphew was going to be acquitted and exonerated," she told reporters after the news of the dismissal. First published on November 23, 2019 / 11:02 PM. According to Lee, Kelsey's body was not inside. Suzanne, who shared two daughters with her husband, disappeared on May 10, 2020, near the small mountain town of Salida, in Chaffee County. Her sister Mallory attended college and the Morphews told some friends they moved to a home just outside of Salida to be closer to their older daughter. Aya Gruber: Everything. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Peter Van Sant: And are they monitoring him in some fashion? Market data provided by Factset. Barry Morphew pleaded not guilty to all charges and on September 20, 2021, he was released from jail on bond with his daughters by his side. Dan Ridenour: Barry asked them at that time if the bike was there, to go check on her her bicycle is not here. Nikki Battiste: Do you regret now not calling the police? By Minyvonne Burke. Published: Dec. 29, 2020 at 10:45 AM PST. How do I keep bugs off my patio this spring? It was Cheryl Berreth who reported her 29-year-old daughter missing after trying to reach her for days. The next text from Kelsey's phone read: "Do you even love me?" 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ashley Franco: She says, "I don't have a personal relationship with Patrick Frazee. They notice that Barry's cell phone appears to be pinging all around the outside of his house. Drayton says he showed the security footage for Gannons father on Sunday. Meanwhile, the judge dismissed murder charges against her husband Barry Morphew. Seven years after a Texas man vanished while on a hike at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado his remains have been found. ANDREW MOORMAN [talking to searchers, CBS Denver news report]:We're gonna fan out and were gonna work that area very carefully, OK? The sheriff's office said it worked with law enforcement partners to execute over 135 search warrants statewide and interview more than 400 people in multiple states. Investigators found no proof Kelsey had harmed her daughter but did find evidence that Frazee had planned to challenge Kelsey for custody and believe that may have been his motive for murder. Investigators from Scotland Yard to the FBI have learned how to use Berla's software to tap into the dozens of computers in a car. Peter Van Sant [at ravine]: Where was the mountain bike found? Cody Cox: I talked pretty highly about Barry 'cause I was with him all the time. AGENT GREGG SLATER: Around the tooth, what was there, if anything? May 17, 2020: Pueblo County Sheriffs Office Dive Rescue Team searched water sites, April 19, 2022: The district attorney for the 11th Judicial District. Stein says she asked Lee why Frazee wanted to kill Kelsey. As investigators began trying to verify Barry's alibi, they were pulled in a new direction. Nikki Battiste: And the alarms go off in their minds? She pointed out where she claims she intentionally left blood for them to find. Despite the lack of a body, Barry was charged with first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and a variety of other allegations. Why not just do it at one? Nikki Battiste: Did she sound normal? In the days, weeks and months after Suzanne Morphew was reported missing on Mother's Day 2020, her trail went cold, but the mother of two's disappearance had become the biggest story in Colorado. In 2008, she was crowned queen of the Magic Valley Rodeo. Jeff told agents he only took those steps because he did not want to tarnish Suzanne's memory and worried he might lose his family and job. Aya Gruber: This case is incredibly unique. Nobody says that. After Lee said she couldn't go through with the poison plan, she told investigators Frazee came up with a different idea. Heres the timeline of Suzanne Morphews disappearance: At one point in the investigation, police said they believed Suzanne Morphews body was in a remote and mountainous region near the Morphew home. Family members previously said Barry Morphew was out of town in Denver when his wife disappeared, CBS affiliate KCNC reported. Park rangers are searching for a missing hiker at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Patrick Frazee entered a plea of not guilty, but from the beginning, investigators had questions about Patrick Frazee's story starting with his initial claim that the day before Thanksgiving, Kelsey told him she wanted to break up and "go their separate ways.". Experts say it can take between 4 and 20 minutes for an animal the size of a deer to drop after being shot with a tranquilizer dart. For the year 2020, there are 1,186 missing persons cases that remain open. I saw blood up the wall. Peter Van Sant: And his claim, well, I just always have a lotta junk in in the vehicle. He and Suzanne had a one-time fling after high school. Ashley Franco: Barry Morphew absolutely could say that. Cody said he regularly heard Barry talking to Suzanne as they drove in Barry's truck. Updated: Feb 25, 2022 / 12:55 PM EST (NBC News) Friday on "Dateline," when Colorado mother Suzanne Morphew vanishes on Mother's Day in 2020, investigators are left with minimal clues until a. The judge's penalty was to knock out 14 prosecution witnesses including experts in DNA and cell phone and vehicle data recovery. Tools including a shovel. However, to this day, Suzanne Morphews body has not been found. But the truck's computers show that someone was opening and closing the truck's doors around 3:30 a.m. Investigators believe Barry began driving toward Broomfield much earlier than he claimed, but there is a 4-hour windowapproximately 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.when no activity was recorded by the vehicle's computers. They grew up together in Moses Lake, Washington. Investigators learned that DNA at least partially matched the profile of an unnamed man connected to three unsolved sexual assault cases in Tempe, Phoenix and Chicago. Dan Ridenour: And that's when the call to 911 was placed, that Suzanne is missing. How do I keep bugs off my patio this spring? "I love you, Bubba," she said at the end of the video. Saw blood on this wall. At that time in early December Woodland Park Police had not publicly named a suspect. Please feel free to contact the Colorado Bureau of Investigation at 303-239-4211 if you have any further questions File: UPs in Colorado 2021 (PDF) Nikki Battiste: But, I think, Michelle, people watching will say "call the police." Im not about finding somebody guilty or trying to inflict punishment on anyone. Ashley Franco: Investigators find a doorframe within the Morphew home that has been broken. Barry talked to investigators dozens of times, but they believe he knows more than he's saying. A Colorado Springs boy who disappeared in January 2020 and whose remains were found two months later in a suitcase 1,400 miles away, was shot in the jaw and stabbed at . CHIEF MILES DE YOUNG [to reporters]: As you can tell from the arrest, sadly, we do not believe Kelsey is still alive. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. That admission was significant to agents because it put him in an area where a key piece of evidence had been recovered. BARRY MORPHEW 'HUNTED AND CONTROLLED' WIFE SUZANNE LIKE AN ANIMAL, INVESTIGATORS SAY, Eytan, Barry Morphew's lead attorney, slammed Stanley's office's handling of the case and called the charges "false from the beginning.". / CBS News, [This story originally aired on January 22, 2022. Andrew Katers: She could. Like I said, I could hear almost every phone call he had. In a surveillance shot of Barry on one of those trash runs, investigators could not see what he was throwing away. Rangers began their search for Grunwald on Friday, after his friend reported him missing a day before. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. But more than 5,600 cases for missing Native women or . Her husband posted an emotional plea. In this still image from video, Barry Morphew, center, appears in court in Salida, Colo., on May 6. Dan Ridenour: Where is Suzanne Morphew's body? Laura Stutzman | Krystal Lee's friend: The Krystal I knew could do no wrong but the Krystal that has done the things that came out of her mouth is somebody I don't know. At the end of her testimony, Lee told the jury Kelsey's chilling last words: "Please stop." A surveillance image from November 22, 2018 shows the last time Kelsey Berreth was seen in public. ", She called the charges an "important and incredibly crucial step. She also denied knowing Patrick Frazee. Our library has issues from 1985 to the present on our website. She would have turned 51 years old. In a Zoom interview, Melinda said she received Suzanne's text two days before she disappeared, and it was boiling over with anger toward Barry. He loves her and he misses her, and he wants to know where Suzanne Morphew is. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. No one knows. While the search for Suzanne continues, prosecutors said in April they believed they were close to locating her remains, which could implicate or exculpate her husband. But he didn't. Suzanne, who shared two daughters with her husband, disappeared on May 10, 2020, near the small mountain town of Salida, in Chaffee County. It was updated on August 1, 2020.]. Horses are her life, she loved horses. "Jeff" turned out to be Jeff Libler and he had a wife and six children in Michigan where he lived. Denver has the highest number of open missing person cases in the state at 41, followed by El Paso County at 39, Jefferson County at 32, Arapahoe County at 31 and Boulder County at 22. "Given the need to conduct further investigation to resolve these issues, this is a good faith basis to dismiss the current indictment.". Peter Van Sant: She would have been injured, yeah? What you need to know about bank, BestReviews.com - Top gifts to make everyone happy this spring, Mothers Day inspo: This foot massager has 20,000, Drew Barrymores Walmart collection is perfect for, Best Mothers Day gifts for the budding plant mom, Best Mothers Day Gifts for moms obsessed with books, Search continues for missing Lakewood man, Denver restaurant closes after 50 years in business, Set of quadruplets set to graduate from MSU together, Air pollution on the Front Range has gotten worse, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, May 11, 2020: Search efforts continue with drones and scent-tracking dogs. The jury needed to hear that, they needed to hear how brutal this was, how uncaring he was. DENVER (KDVR) The number of missing persons per year has been going up both in Colorado and nationally, though Colorados number are in the middle of the national pack. I don't know if it's 'cause she knew she lived far away. She claimed she feared for herself and her children. Neighbor Roderrick Drayton told ABC News he decided to look through his footage once the search intensified and saw Stauch getting into a red pickup truck Monday morning at 10:13 a.m. Tell me about him. Experts say a human female tooth fragment was recovered from Frazee's ranch near the burn site, but there wasn't enough DNA to determine a profile. If you want a pest-free patio this spring, the most important thing you can do is take away those elements that bugs find desirable. Cheryl Berreth: No. Girlfriend of convicted killer shows cops where she cleaned up victims blood. By Sunday night, Suzanne's daughters were back home but Suzanne is nowhere to be found. If you have any information about Stine, you are asked to call the Aurora Police Department at (303) 739-6130 or (303) 739-6109. Nikki Battiste: Were they in a sexual relationship? Her credibility was on the line. Another big question investigators had was when Frazee said he last saw Kelsey. He came home around 3 p.m. on May 9, 2020 and had a pleasant evening with Suzanne. Morphewwas chargedin May 2021 with murder, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence, among others, in connection with the May 2020 disappearance and presumed death of his wife. Involving Krystal was -- it was a stupid plan. Andrew Katers: It only fires darts. Ashley Franco: And then he moves on to a hotel trash can, a McDonald's trash can a dumpster in a Men's Wearhouse parking lot, and then back to the hotel, and dumps stuff in a dumpster there. Patrick Frazee lived on a 35-acre ranch in rural Florrisant, Colorado, where he trained cattle dogs, shoed horses and groomed donkeys. In exchange for her testimony against Frazee, sheagreed to plead guilty to evidence tampering. The next morning, Mother's Day, Barry says he drove to a job some 3 hours away. The pen captured several intimate conversations between Suzanne Morphew and a secret lover. In October 2020, DNA testing revealed at least a partial match to an unnamed man connected to three unsolved sexual assault cases in Tempe, Phoenix and Chicago. And when the FBI went back at Lee a second time, she too was ready to talk. And she said, "Yeah he asked me if I would kill the mother of his baby.". Surveillance image of Kelsey Berreth on November 22, 2018, at the Woodland Park, Colorado, Safeway grocery store. Just after 6 p.m., Barry starts driving back to Salida. A week later she says Frazee called with a new murder plan. (Courtesy of Suzanne Morphew's Family). Your girls need you," he said in the clip, appearing to hold back tears. It was just days after Suzanne Morphew went missing when investigators make that intriguing discovery. I don't think she cared about the big wedding kind of thing. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Michelle Stein | Krystal Lee's best friend: He would play head games with her a lot he just had a way of manipulating her into doing things. This is completely out of character. May 11, 2020: Search efforts continue with drones and scent-tracking dogs. Discovery Company. CHIEF MILES DE YOUNG [to reporters]: Today we arrested Patrick Frazee on charges of first-degree murder of Kelsey Berreth As a reminder Patrick Frazee is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Clint Cline: Well, this isn't the most affectionate place in the world [laughs], so I'd say that day, no. DA Dan May: Justice in this case? LOL??". Nikki Battiste: I think a lot of our viewers are probably thinking, "Krystal Lee, given what she's admitted to, got a really good deal.". Aya Gruber: And then that confession to shooting chipmunks becomes a major piece of incriminating evidence against him. A few days later on September 20, 2021, Barry Morphew and daughters Mallory and Macy are all smiles as they leave the jail. Iris Eytan: Barry Morphew loves Suzanne Morphew. And they say that there could have been a chase and then a struggle. Details on what led to the discovery were not released, but the El Paso County Sheriff's Office asked for anyone who had seen Letecia Stauch in Florida from March 3 to 5 to come forward. He said it was "unlikely" Suzanne had run off on her own, even though she and lover Jeff Libler had discussed moving to Ecuador. Law professor Aya Gruber said the case was going to be an uphill battle for prosecutors even before she heard about the most recent sanctions. Beth Reed: It says that Patrick will do whatever he wants to get whatever he wants. But you know good luck finding them. ", "Today is a good day," Stanley said. Her mother Cheryl says they were engaged. And I know there are some questions out there that's up to the investigations -- when they end up letting you guys know -- but I've cooperated with them," she told KKTV. She says, "I'm new to the neighborhood, someone had told me that you had helped get my dogs out of trouble" and Kelsey says, "no, I didn't do that.". Ashley Franco: DNA results showed it was Kelsey's. Prosecutor Jennifer Viehman: She was in love with Patrick Frazee and has been for a long time as the trial went on and we saw some of that dark side of Patrick Frazee, that Krystal saw, that Kelsey saw, I think you can understand some of that fear. So, we thought that maybe she got attacked by a lion. Frazee chose not to testify. Lee claims Frazee was back at his ranch during the cleanup. Lee says he was buying gas to start a fire: Kelsey's body was moved to Frazee's ranch: AGENT: Were your present when he started the fire? She says Lee called and confided in her about a disturbing conversation she and Frazee had a month before Kelsey disappeared. Keith Lonnquist and Reggie Franklin (left to right), with El Paso County Search & Rescue, launch a drone to search an area near Drennan Rd for missing, endangered child, Gannon Stauch on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. Nikki Battiste: What does she buy here at Safeway? Park rangers found his car parked at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead on Thursday and are asking for the publics assistance with any information about his disappearance.
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