DENVER (KDVR) A Colorado funeral home owner who kept a woman’s corpse in the back of a hearse for over a year and improperly stashed cremated remains of dozens of people was sentenced Monday.
Miles Harford, 34, pleaded guilty in April to one felony count of abuse of a corpse and one misdemeanor count of theft under a plea deal that dismissed a dozen counts that included forgery and further abuse of corpse charges. He was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison, which is the maximum sentence for his charge under Colorado law.
The plea agreement requires that all victims be named within the two charges Harford pleaded guilty to, and states that he is still liable for restitution, including for the dismissed counts.
The case began on Feb. 6, 2024, when Denver police responded to Harford’s Quitman Street home for an eviction and found the body of Christina Rosales, 63, covered in blankets in the back of a hearse and cremated remains that were hidden throughout the property, including in the crawlspace.
Rosales’ remains had been hidden in the hearse for approximately 18 months, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said that Harford had provided the Rosales family with someone else’s cremated remains, but represented the remains as those of Christina.
“Nothing will ever undo the terrible pain that Miles Harford caused so many families, but it is our hope that this sentence will provide the family and friends of the deceased with some measure of justice. Harford systematically and shockingly violated his professional and moral obligations, and, for that, he is now being held accountable,” said Denver District Attorney John Walsh in a press release. “Our condolences go out to all those who suffered as a result of Harford’s actions.”
This case, alongside the case of a Colorado funeral home owner who illegally sold body parts, and another in which nearly 200 bodies were left to rot and families were allegedly sent fake ashes, has spurred legislators to form new laws creating oversight of the industry.
