SALIDA, Colo. (KDVR) — For the past year, missing person signs and banners have been draped throughout Chaffee County. Showcasing photos of Suzanne Morphew, the banners have served as a daily reminder for those living in the region. 

Following news of an arrest in the case, some of those banners began coming down on Wednesday.

“This is unprecedented for our small town, we’re not used to this,” Danny Ridenour said. 

Ridenour is the news director at Heart of the Rockies Radio, where the airwaves have been filled with Morphew chatter. 

The station set records for Facebook interactions and the number of people streaming online on Wednesday, Ridenour said.

“First and foremost, they want to find Suzanne, they want closure for the family,” he said of the comments. 

Ridenour says Morphew was new to the area, and was not terribly active in the community. 

Despite few knowing her personally, he said many in the region have become attached to her story.

“That’s been the local response, one of caring, one of getting closure, one of stepping up and doing the right thing for anybody, whether we know them well or not,” he said. 

At Integrity Tattoo in Poncha Springs, Brandon Beach said they have no plans to remove their missing banner. 

“To keep her name still out there, even when this case is closed,” Tisha Leewaye said. “They need to know that this community had something tragic happen.”

Plans are underway to unveil a memorial bench to Morphew in the coming weeks.