‘Swamp Mountain Jane Doe’ ID’d 49 Years Later | Crime Alert 6AM 09.23.25

A nearly 50-year mystery in Oregon has just been solved. DNA technology has finally confirmed the identity of a young woman whose remains were discovered in the state’s mountains back in 1976.

Authorities say the remains belong to Marion Vinetta Nagle McWhorter. She was just 21 years old when she disappeared in 1974 after a shopping trip in Tigard, Oregon—a suburb of Portland.

Two years after she vanished, skeletal remains were discovered along a creek in the Central Cascades. For decades, investigators could not determine to whom they belonged.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alert. I'm Nancy Grays breaking crime news. Now straight
out to Nicole Parton for the latest.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Nancy. The man charged with the murder of his wife,
whose remains were discovered years later in a shallow grave,
has been released from custody after securing a bond. Barry
Morphew was formerly charged with first degree murder this past
summer in connection with the death of his wife, Suzanne,
who went missing on Mother's Day twenty twenty. Her remains

(00:27):
were uncovered in twenty twenty three, buried in a shallow
grave in a field during an unrelated investigation. Previously, Barry
faced charges related to his wife's death in twenty twenty one,
but those charges were dropped just two weeks prior to
the start of his trial. Earlier this month, a judge
declined to reduce Barry's bond, which is set at three

(00:50):
million dollars, but did him in the conditions to allow
for a cash surety or property bond rather than cash only.
As part of his release conditions, Barry you must adhere
to strict house arrest, surrender his passport, and is prohibited
from consuming alcohol or drugs. He also will be monitored
with an ankle bracelet. Barry was released from the Alamosa

(01:12):
Jail on Friday after engaging a bondsman who provided at
least ten percent of the bond amount, as reported by
the Colorado Springs News, Suzanne Morphew disappeared from the Maysville
area on May tenth, twenty twenty.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Three.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Years later, investigators discovered her body in an area in
the San Louis Valley. A twenty twenty four autopsy report
said Suzanne Morphew died of unspecified means, but ruled it
a homicide while there is no indication of trauma and
her remains a drug cocktail used it to tranquilize wildlife

(01:46):
was found in one of her bones, the report said.
Prosecutors and law enforcements say they remain committed to seeking
justice for Suzanne Morphew. Prosecutors alleged that Barry, Suzanne's husband,
was the only person in the region who had access
to that tranquilizer cocktail that was found in her system

(02:06):
post death.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Nicole, thank you more private justice news after this.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
And now to Florida. Pope County Sheriff Grady Judd announced
that nearly two hundred and fifty people are facing significant
charges Following a week long undercover operation aimed at combating
human trafficking and illegal immigration, the Poe County Sheriff's Office
reported that its detectives collaborated with various Sheriff's offices, police agencies,

(02:37):
as well as Homeland security and Immigration and Customs enforcement,
resulting in the arrest of a total of two hundred
and forty six suspects, including the arrest of a law
enforcement recruit.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
The good news is we caught him soon when he
was celesting sex, because otherwise, had he been able to
keep his composure, he would have been a law enforcement officer.
His job was to counsel at risk children, and at
risk children are traditionally those that are the easiest and

(03:13):
the most vulnerable to be groomed.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Among those arrested, ninety nine people were charged with soliciting prostitutes.
One hundred and eleven suspects were charged with attempting to
engage in prostitution. Ten victims of human trafficking were provided support.
Twenty suspects face prostitution related charges, including transporting a prostitute.
There were fifteen suspects charged with traveling to meet a minor.

(03:40):
During a press conference on Friday, judge revealed that two
hundred and nineteen of the suspects were residents of Florida,
while the remaining were from eleven other states and Puerto Rico.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
Miranda Connor, a state at home mom of two, calls
her own mom asking for her help. Her mom sends
rent money, but that's the last contact they have. February three,
this year, Connor's picked up by an uber and driven
to a location in Federal Heights, Colorado to meet someone.
She was seen in the early morning hours that day,
but never goes home. Her roommate files a missing persons

(04:13):
report with Denver Cops. Connor's phone pings in the area
around four am the next day. The phones later found
abandoned near the complex where she's last seen. Foul play suspected.
A two thousand dollar reward offered. Connor last sing wearing
a purple sweater and a gray puffer jacket. She has
an Okay hand symbol on her right forearm and a

(04:36):
Winnie the Pooh on her left shoulder a tiger on
her left fore arm. If you have info on Miranda Connor,
please contact Denver PD seven two zero nine to one
three two thousand or Federal Heights PD three zero three
four two eight eight eight three three. For the latest

(04:57):
Crime Instice news, go to crime online dot com and
please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where
we do our best to find missing people, especially children,
and help solve unsolved homicides. With this crime al Art,
I'm Nancy Grace.