TL/DR –
Colorado authorities have issued an arrest warrant for former funeral home owner, Miles Harford, who is suspected of keeping a deceased woman’s body in a hearse for two years and storing cremated remains of at least 30 people at his home. Harford, who owned Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services in Littleton, Denver, is accused of failing to complete cremations due to financial troubles, potentially providing grieving families with the incorrect ashes. The state of Colorado, which has some of the weakest oversight of the funeral industry in the U.S., has seen numerous cases of mishandled bodies in recent years.
Funeral Home Owner Arrested in Denver
Colorado authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Miles Harford, a former funeral home owner accused of keeping a dead woman’s body in a hearse for two years, along with the cremated remains of at least 30 people. The discovery was made during a court-ordered eviction at Harford’s residence.
Harford previously owned Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services in Littleton, a Denver suburb, which has been closed since September 2022. The police suggest financial troubles led to his inability to complete cremations, allegedly giving family members ashes from other individuals on some occasions.
Discovery of Remains
Plastic boxes, intended as temporary urns, were found in the crawl space of Harford’s house, some empty. More urns were discovered in a moving truck and a hearse, where the dead woman’s body was found covered in blankets. The cremains appear to be related to individuals who died between 2012 and 2021.
This case adds to a list of recently mishandled bodies by Colorado funeral home operators. The state has lax oversight of the funeral industry with no routine inspections or qualification requirements for operators.
Pending Charges
Harford is expected to face charges including abuse of a corpse, forgery of a death certificate, and theft of cremation payments. More charges may follow as the investigation progresses. Harford has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Despite owing money to several crematories, Harford admitted to keeping a woman’s body in a hearse after failing to secure cremation services. The woman’s family was given ashes they believed to be hers, now turned over to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Investigation Continues
Officials report that the other cremains found at the property appear to have been professionally cremated. Investigators are reviewing labels on the cremains, state databases, and meeting with families. Many families were shocked, believing they had the full remains of their loved ones.
State records show no disciplinary actions for Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services. Harford and his company faced lawsuits in 2018 and 2021 from another funeral home company over unpaid services. In 2021, a former employer claimed she paid Harford to cremate two pets, but he failed to return them.
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