Boulder County authorities have charged a 55-year-old man with tampering with a deceased body and hiding the death of his elderly mom found in advances stages of decomposition.
Police said that Karen Apprill, 78, was dead for months before officers ultimately found her remains on her bed covered with a blanket and ice bags.
“Detectives obtained a search warrant for the home and based upon initial observations it was believed the individual, later identified as Karen Apprill, had died seven to ten months prior to the discovery,” the Sheriff’s Office statement read.
Her son, Jeffrey Apprill, admitted that he used the ice to keep her body from decaying after she fell in the shower.
An autopsy showed that the woman suffered starvation, and had fractured ribs. Other than that, it was impossible for the coroner to determine an official cause of death due to decomposition.
“I guess to starve is one way to die,” one letter found at the home read. “I thought you loved me. Why did I have to work so hard to starve to death, Jeff? Thanks, for nothing to eat.”
Jeffrey is also accused of stealing his mom’s pension and social security benefits worth more than $2,000.
