US Funeral Home Busted for Corpse Abuse

A Colorado funeral home has pled guilty to one count of corpse abuse and one count of theft after a host of allegations came its way over the years.

Miles Harford, who runs the business and was first arrested a year ago, admitted to improperly storing the remains of at least 30 bodies, according to The Guardian. The crimes that he owned up to involve the body of a 63-year-old woman, who died of Alzheimer’s, being stowed away in the back of a hearse under a blanket for some time.

The building itself was littered with cremated remains of others, including some being hidden in the crawlspace.

Colorado Funeral Home Busted for Improperly Storing Corpses

The creepy story only gets worse when you learn more about the other accusations that have been directed at the funeral home. From the sounds of it, Harford was never properly burying the bodies or returning the remains despite being paid for it by families of the deceased.

While he admitted to the aforementioned two counts, he also was tagged with a handful of other charges that he hasn’t pled guilty to. This includes forgery, theft, and four counts of abuse of abuse, according to the outlet. In regards to what he has admitted to, Harford is liable for restitution. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9.

Apparently, funeral homes in Colorado are like the Wild, Wild West. There have been numerous haunting stories of similar cases over the years, which is due to the state not requiring a license for its funeral home directors.

That’s, uhh, strange. That’s much different than other states, which require exams, education, and/or a level of apprenticeship. There was a national case in 2023 where one home failed to properly handle more than 190 bodies, even going as far as to distribute fake cremated remains to families.  

There has been a push to create more oversight in the state, perhaps this latest discovery with Harford will create more interest at the state level to better govern this sector. It sure sounds like it needs it.