Former Funeral Home Owner Arrested for Storing Body in Hearse, Cremated Remains Found at Residence

Colorado authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Miles Harford, the former owner of Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services, after a deceased woman’s body was discovered in a hearse at a residence where police also found the cremated remains of at least 30 individuals. The shocking incident occurred during a court-ordered eviction of a house rented by Harford in Littleton, a suburb of Denver, on February 6.

According to Denver Police Cmdr. Matt Clark, Harford, 33, had been experiencing financial difficulties in his business, leading to incomplete cremations and the inability to provide remains to families for services. In some cases, it is suspected that Harford may have given family members the ashes of someone else instead of their loved ones. During the eviction process, temporary urns were discovered in the crawl space of the house, with some of them found to be empty. Additional urns were found in a moving truck parked outside, while the deceased woman’s body was uncovered in the hearse, covered with blankets.

Harford, who is cooperating with investigators and not on the run, claimed that the woman had passed away in August 2022. The recovered cremated remains are believed to be associated with individuals who died between 2012 and 2021. This distressing discovery is the latest in a series of disturbing cases involving mishandled bodies by funeral home operators in Colorado, a state known for its weak oversight of the funeral industry. Unlike other states, Colorado lacks routine inspections of funeral homes and qualification requirements for operators.

Harford is expected to face charges including abuse of a corpse, forgery of the death certificate, and theft of the money paid for cremation. Denver District Attorney Beth McCann stated that additional charges may be filed as the investigation progresses. Harford has not set up a voicemail on his listed telephone number and has not responded to emails seeking comment.

Clark revealed that Harford admitted to owing money to several crematories in the area, leading to his decision to store the deceased woman’s body in the hearse. The family of the deceased believed they had received her ashes, which have now been turned over to the Office of the Medical Examiner. The revelation has left the family devastated, as they had believed they were processing their grief with the remains they had received.

The other cremated remains found on the property appear to have been professionally cremated. Investigators are cross-referencing labels on the urns with state databases and meeting with families to determine the identities of the remains. These conversations have proven to be extremely difficult, as many families were under the impression that they had received the complete remains of their loved ones.

State licensing records indicate no disciplinary actions against Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services, which held a license from March 2012 to May 2022. In 2018, Harford and his company were sued by another funeral home company, Wilbert Funeral Services, and ordered to pay approximately $27,000 for unspecified services. Wilbert Funeral Services filed another lawsuit in 2021, claiming that Harford owed nearly $9,000, with the case still pending. Additionally, a former employer of Harford sought a court order last year to keep him away from her due to alleged harassment, stating that he failed to return the ashes of two pets she had paid him to cremate. There is no record indicating whether the order was granted.

Author: CrimeDoor