Former funeral dwelling proprietor arrested after ‘hiding corpse in back of hearse for two years’ | EUROtoday

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A former funeral dwelling proprietor within the US accused of hiding a lady’s corpse at the back of a hearse for 2 years and hoarding the cremated stays of not less than 30 folks at his dwelling has been arrested, native authorities mentioned.

Miles Harford, 33, was arrested on Thursday night time in Denver, Colorado.

Harford owned Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services within the Denver suburb of Littleton, police have mentioned, and the hoarded stays seem like these of people that died from 2012 to 2021. The funeral dwelling has been closed since September 2022.

Urns stashed across the Harford property have been uncovered in early February throughout a court-ordered eviction at his dwelling, police mentioned.

A warrant lists potential fees of abuse of a corpse, forgery of the dying certificates, and theft of the cash paid for the girl’s cremation, although Denver District Attorney Beth McCann mentioned beforehand that different fees are attainable.

Police initially mentioned Harford was cooperative when the arrest warrant was introduced final week. But by Thursday, police couldn’t discover him and provided a $2,000 award for data resulting in his arrest.

Available courtroom paperwork didn’t but listing a defence legal professional who might touch upon Harford’s behalf. No voicemail was arrange at a phone itemizing for Harford, and he has not responded to emails in search of remark.

Denver Police Commander Matt Clark beforehand mentioned, in an interview earlier than an arrest warrant was issued, that Harford acknowledged to police that he owed cash to a number of cemeteries within the space and that none would cremate the 63-year-old lady’s physique, so he determined to retailer it within the hearse.

Her household advised investigators they got what they believed have been the girl’s ashes, which have been turned over to a medical expert’s workplace.

Harford’s arrest follows the invention of 190 decaying our bodies in a bug-infested constructing run by the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, about two hours south of Denver.

A married couple who owned Return to Nature are awaiting trial in Colorado Springs following their arrest final 12 months on allegations they gave faux ashes to kinfolk of the deceased. The operators of one other funeral dwelling within the western Colorado metropolis of Montrose acquired federal jail sentences final 12 months for mail fraud after they have been accused of promoting physique components and distributing faux ashes.