DENVER (KDVR) — Police have issued an arrest warrant for a former funeral home owner after police claimed human remains were found at his former home in Denver.
On Friday, the Denver Police Department issued an arrest warrant for 33-year-old Miles Harford on investigation of abuse of a corpse, forgery and theft.
Investigators said they found a woman’s remains and professionally cremated remains on a property Harford was evicted from in the 2500 block of South Quitman Street.
Police have been previously in contact with Harford and believe he is in the Denver area.
Harford was the owner of Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services in Littleton. The business closed in September 2022 due to financial troubles.
Remains found in home following man’s eviction
On Feb. 6, Denver police and personnel from the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner were called to the house on South Quitman Street on reports of a suspicious incident.
The person who called the police said they were in the process of cleaning the home after Harford was evicted when they located boxes of cremated remains.
According to Cmdr. Matt Clark in a press conference on Friday, the homeowner discovered several boxes in the Denver home’s crawlspace that help temporary urns that held cremated human remains.
Nearly three dozen temporary urns were found, however, some were empty, said Clark.
Body found in hearse parked at house
While at the scene, DPD and OME also inspected a hearse that was parked at the home and found the body of a dead woman and more cremated remains.
Police said the body found in the hearse was identified as a 63-year-old woman who died of natural causes in August 2022. Police said it is believed the body had been stored and concealed in the hearse since shortly after the woman’s passing.
Investigators contacted the family of the deceased woman who said Harford had given them what they believed to have been the cremated remains of the woman. Those remains have been given to the OME.
Clark said the remains previously given to the woman’s family were of another person.
Police also obtained a search warrant for a U-Haul that was parked outside of the home. Inside the truck, police found six more urns containing cremated remains.
According to Clark, police believe they have recovered the remains of at least 30 people who died between 2012 and 2021.
Investigators are now referencing state databases and information on the urns to identify the remains and return them to their families.
Clients of closed funeral home asked to call police
DPD is asking any clients of the Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services who did not receive the remains of a loved one or who had concerns with the funeral home to call the Denver Police Major Crimes Division and Denver Police Victim Assistance Unit at 720-913-6610.
At this time, DNA testing will not be conducted on the remains that were not labeled at the home. Clark said this is due to the loss of DNA after a body is cremated at an extreme heat.
Anyone with additional information is also asked to contact the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a cash reward.
DPD noted that there is no known connection from this case to the funeral home investigation in Fremont County.
