DENVER — A Denver deputy district attorney told a magistrate Friday that more charges against former funeral director Miles Harford are forthcoming.
Deputy District Attorney Jake Friedberg asked Magistrate Arnie Beckman to amend Harford’s bond from a personal recognizance bond to reflect the harm his alleged crimes have inflicted on the family of Christina Rosales, the woman whose body was found in a hearse in the backyard of a home Harford was evicted from in early February.
Investigators also believe they've recovered the cremated remains of at least 30 people who died between 2012 and 2021.
“This is not the only family that’s been victimized,” Friedberg said. “We almost daily are hearing from additional past and present customers of Mr. Harford that have the same concerns.”
“The amount of harm that this man has caused that has radiated throughout of our community is far more substantial than your honor knew at the time," Friedberg said. "And is even more substantial than we know with certainty yet. But I do know that many additional charges along these same lines are forthcoming.”
Harford is charged with two counts of forgery, one count of theft and one count of abuse of a corpse for allegedly forging death certificates and giving Rosales’ family someone else’s remains.
Since police announced those charges and the story of troubles at Harford’s Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services made national headlines, Friedberg told the court, many people who believe they’d been victimized have contacted his office.
Beckman didn’t adjust the $50,000 personal recognizance bond Friday, but he updated the supervision on Harford’s bond to intensive, requiring a GPS unit, and required Harford to be on monitored sobriety during the terms of his bond.
Harford, who initially made an agreement with prosecutors to turn himself in on the charges, briefly went missing in February and was arrested on the warrant by Englewood Police who were responding to a call of an intoxicated man.
Outside of court, Harford told 9NEWS he had no comment when asked a series of questions.
Since the details of his charges were announced Feb. 16, Steve On Your Side has spoken to several of Harford’s former clients, now left with questions about whether they really have the remains of their loved ones or whether Harford kept the money some prepaid him for future cremation services.
Mark Dacumos contacted Denver Police last month to tell the story of his wife’s wedding rings.
Dacumos told 9NEWS he met his wife Jennifer in 1991 when they both were in college – but never got together until nearly 30 years later in 2019, when they reconnected.
“She made me into who I am today – a kind person,” he said.
Dacumos said when he wanted to propose to Jennifer, he used the diamond in his mother’s engagement ring, which his mother gave him after his father passed away. To make it extra special, he had both her engagement ring and wedding band engraved with the inscription “Sweetblossom” – his nickname for Jennifer.
Mark and Jennifer married in 2020, eloping after their big wedding was canceled because of the pandemic. A year later, Jennifer died suddenly in July of 2021.
Dacumos contacted Harford and his company Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services on a suggestion from a friend. He said he never met Harford personally but kept in touch via e-mail.
“He was great at first, he got things moving and always sent me forms right away, I sent forms back to him right away,” Dacumos said.
Dacumos said it took Harford a month and a half to get Jennifer’s ashes to him. He kept asking the funeral director to send back her wedding rings. Each time he did, Harford had a bunch of excuses, he said.
He either wouldn't respond or respond in a few days with another excuse like ‘I was in a car wreck, sorry, I had a medical procedure, sorry’,” he said. “And this went on for months.”
RELATED: He paid a troubled funeral director for a future cremation. Now the money seems to be gone.
Five months later, frustrated that Dacumos still hadn’t received the rings, he said his friend contacted Harford directly and Harford explained he had accidentally cremated the rings along with Jennifer, pulverizing whatever remained with her ashes.
“I was on the floor crying,” Dacumos said. “Couldn't believe it. ...They were the only things I had left on my wife. So now all they have is pictures, which are great, but nothing that symbolizes the commitment we made to each other.”
Dacumos filed a lawsuit against Harford in 2022, seeking $25,000 worth of damages, which was the estimated value of the rings. He won a default judgment when Harford didn’t arrive in court. He said Harford hasn’t paid that judgment.
“I had to pay the lawyers to do all of this,” he said. “But I haven’t seen a penny from the settlement.”
All these months later, his friend sent him an article about Harford’s recent trouble, so he said he contacted the police to make sure his story was on the record.
He admits, hearing Harford was having money trouble makes him think about the story Harford told about the rings.
“Oh, I'm definitely second guessing,” he said. “Like, did he pawn the jewelry off? Are they out there somewhere? Is someone else enjoying them?”
“If I were the only one, at least it was just me," he said. "But now I hear all these other people and you know, the pain of losing someone is enough. That should be it. That should be the pain that you go through. Not the pain of dealing with some guy who's messing with remains.”
Anyone who did business with Apollo Funeral and Cremation and has questions is asked to contact the Denver Police Major Crimes Division and the Denver Police Victim Assistance Unit at 720-913-6610.
If you have a tip about this story or another consumer issue, contact 9NEWS Consumer Investigator Steve Staeger. Click here to send a tip to Steve On Your Side.
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