Denver, CO
Denver funeral director faces charges after remains of 30 bodies found in home – UPI.com
Feb. 17 (UPI) — A woman’s corpse along with cremated remains of at least 30 other people were found in the Denver home of a former funeral director, authorities have confirmed.
Miles Harford is facing multiple charges in a case that remains ongoing, Denver Police Commander Matt Clark told reporters during a briefing on Friday.
Investigators believe Harford may have also given the wrong remains to several families while he was serving as director of the now-closed Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services in Littleton, Colo. Harford was also the owner of the business.
The woman’s body found at Halford’s residence was located inside a hearse. Her family had previously been told her remains were returned to them.
The medical examiner’s office later confirmed the body belonged to a 63-year-old woman who died in August 2022.
“They’re shocked,” Clark told reporters.
“They believed that they were processing their grief with the remains that they had and had had services with that. And then they come to find out that that was not the person that was processed, and in fact, she was being held in that hearse there,” the chief said.
The Denver Sheriff Department was helping to serve an eviction at the house on Feb. 6 when the property owners first discovered human remains in a crawl space. That led to further discoveries, including the corpse in the hearse.
“It appears Mr. Harford had accumulated significant debt with several metro area crematories,” Clark said. “He was unable to complete the cremation that had been pre-arranged by the family of the woman.”
Harford has not yet been arrested but faces felony charges of abuse of a corpse and forgery of a public document as well as a misdemeanor theft charge, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann confirmed Friday.
Clark confirmed additional charges are possible, adding police are currently seeking to “facilitate the arrest” of Harford.
“It is an unusual situation, and we fully intend to prosecute once Mr. Harford is arrested,” McCann told reporters. “This situation does raise the possibility that this kind of thing is happening in other parts of the state.”
Denver, CO
Denver celebrates New Year’s Eve with fireworks on 16th Street Mall
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Denver, CO
Bars, restaurants prepare for New Year's Eve celebrations across Denver
DENVER — In just a few hours, downtown Denver will be buzzing with New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Denver7 spoke with staff at The Cherry Cricket in Denver’s Ballpark District who said they were getting ready for the busy crowds.
General Manager Griffin Yarbenet said they are making sure to have more staff — and more champagne, ready.
“We got to make sure we have a lot of champagne flutes and a lot of booze ready, you know? People like to celebrate. Sometimes this is the last two hurrah before ‘Dry January,’” Yarbenet said. “We’ve noticed throughout the years that, especially after COVID, that these kind of events are creating more draw, more people are more comfortable with going out.”
Bars and restaurants aren’t the only ones who are gearing up for a big night — The Denver Police Department (DPD) said you can expect to see a lot more officers across the city, especially in spots where there will be large events.
“We do plan to make sure we have enough (patrols) based on just regular call load, but also enough to handle the firework shows that are downtown,” said Jay Casillas, public information officer for DPD.
Casillas said there will be both on-duty and off-duty officers. He said several off-duty officers are in charge of working at some of the NYE events across the city.
“They’re officers that aren’t on the clock, but they’re getting paid by the event holder, right? The people that are organizing the event, they paid them, and they’re just there to provide security for that event,” Casillas added.
DPD is reminding everyone: No matter how you plan to celebrate, do so safely.
“Plan for a safe and sober ride going to and from these areas, using designated drivers, designated sober drivers, utilizing ride shares, utilizing public transportation,” he said.
The Cherry Cricket in LoDo said it will be open until around 1:30 a.m. depending on how busy it is. They are not charging a cover fee.
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Denver, CO
Businesses prepare for downtown Denver New Year’s Eve fireworks show
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