UNITED STATES NEWS

More charges against Colorado funeral home owner who had corpse in back of hearse for over a year

Dec 10, 2024, 2:14 PM

FILE - The residence where a former funeral home owner kept a deceased women's body in a hearse for...

FILE - The residence where a former funeral home owner kept a deceased women's body in a hearse for two years as well as the remains of 30 cremated people is shown Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in southwest Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

DENVER (AP) — An arraignment for a Colorado funeral home owner accused of keeping a woman’s corpse in the back of a hearse for over a year and improperly stashing the cremated remains of at least 30 people has been delayed again, this time because prosecutors have filed additional charges.

Miles Harford had been scheduled to enter a plea Monday to two counts of forgery, one count of abuse of a corpse and one count of theft during a court hearing in Denver that had been delayed four previous times.

Last week, prosecutors filed additional charges against Harford including three more counts of abuse of a corpse for treating bodies or remains “in a way that would outrage normal family sensibilities.” The names of the victims were redacted from the motion to add the new charges, but the crimes date back to 2019.

Harford also faces four more theft charges, including two involving at-risk victims.

There were no other details in court documents on the new charges, including how much money was allegedly taken from the four victims, how it was taken or in what way the three other corpses were abused.

Harford, 34, is represented by lawyers from the state public defender’s office, which does not comment on its cases to the media. His next court hearing is set for Jan. 17.

Harford was arrested in February after the body of Christina Rosales, who died of Alzheimer’s at age 63, was found covered in blankets in the back of a hearse and the cremated remains of at least 30 other people were found stashed throughout a rental property, from inside the hearse to the crawl space.

As of February, authorities had identified 18 people whose cremated remains were found, according to Harford’s arrest affidavit.

In March, prosecutors said more ashes were discovered at the home and that many more charges could be filed against Harford.

Harford’s case is the latest in a series of prosecutions over the past decade involving Colorado funeral homes, including one that illegally sold body parts and another where nearly 200 bodies were left to rot and families were allegedly sent fake ashes. The owners have pleaded guilty to state charges for abusing corpses and to federal charges for defrauding customers and the federal government

Colorado’s funeral home regulations have been among some of the weakest in the nation, but such cases have led to reforms. This year Gov. Jared Polis signed two bills into law to overhaul oversight of the industry and bring Colorado in line with most other states.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

United States News

Associated Press

Crews rush to recover commuter plane found crashed on Alaska sea ice before expected snow and wind

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Just hours after finding 10 people dead in western Alaska from one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state in 25 years, authorities raced to recover their remains and the wreckage of the small commuter plane from unstable sea ice before expected high winds and snow. “The conditions out there […]

8 hours ago

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Officer director Matt Elliston listens dur...

Associated Press

Trump is signing up local law officers to help with immigration enforcement

For years, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in suburban Indianapolis has wanted to partner with federal immigration authorities to identify and detain immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally and facing charges. President Joe Biden’s administration never returned its calls, the sheriff’s office said. But as President Donald Trump cracks down on illegal immigration, Hamilton […]

8 hours ago

Camden Lee, 16, poses for a portrait at his family's apartment, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in the Broo...

Associated Press

A 15-year-old went to a Brooklyn parade. The NYPD wrongly accused him of a mass shooting

NEW YORK (AP) — Camden Lee was leaving high school football practice in September when he saw the photograph, splashed across the New York Police Department’s social media accounts, that would soon upend his life. In a crisp surveillance image, the 15-year-old stands alone in a hoodie and shorts, eyes cast down on a Brooklyn […]

8 hours ago

Mellow, a transgender woman, poses for a portrait, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, outside of the Norfolk Cir...

Associated Press

Passport applications got more complicated for transgender Americans under new Trump policy

The day after President Donald Trump returned to office, Lisa Suhay took her 21-year-old daughter, Mellow, to a passport office in Norfolk, Virginia, where they live. Getting a passport for Mellow, who is transgender, was urgent. In an executive order Trump signed the night before, the president used a narrow definition of the sexes instead […]

8 hours ago

Leslie Knox stands outside her home Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Hamtramck, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul San...

Associated Press

Generations later, a remedy to destroying Black neighborhoods is fulfilled in Michigan

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (AP) — Leslie Knox was a young girl in the 1960s when her Detroit-area city was accused of destroying neighborhoods to get rid of Black residents. Decades later, the retired nurse has returned to Hamtramck, settling into a new two-story home on Gallagher Street and watching TV from a fold-up chair while she […]

8 hours ago

Patrick Mannion, owner of Osprey Whitewater, looks over the Nolichuky River, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024,...

Associated Press

A hidden gem of whitewater rafting faces an uncertain future after Hurricane Helene

ERWIN, Tenn. (AP) — After 24 years of guiding whitewater trips on the Nolichucky River Gorge for other companies, Patrick Mannion finally received a permit last year to operate his own outfitter business. But following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, he doesn’t know if Osprey Whitewater will be around for a second year. Flooding driven […]

8 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Bright Wealth Management

How IRAs are a helpful tool in retirement planning

When it comes to retirement planning, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) can be a great tool for income growth.

...

The UPS Store

How The UPS Store is giving back to the community

PHOENIX -- As 2024 nears a close, The UPS Store is looking to give back to the Arizona community with the holiday season approaching.

...

Sanderson Ford

Sanderson Ford’s Operation Santa Claus: Spreading holiday cheer through pickleball

Phoenix, AZ – Sanderson Ford, a staple in the Arizona community, is once again gearing up for its annual Operation Santa Claus charity drive.

More charges against Colorado funeral home owner who had corpse in back of hearse for over a year