An exhumation at Starkville Cemetery Sept. 6, 2023, outside Trinidad. The exhumation uncovered two bodies in a mass grave, launching a state criminal probe.
by Mark Craddock
“It is the conclusion of the CBI and the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office no crimes were committed.”
– DA Henry Solano
TRINIDAD — Third Judicial District DA Henry Solano announced late Wednesday that an independent investigation by Colorado Bureau of Investigation found no evidence of criminality by Las Animas County Coroner Dominic Verquer.
“No evidence was discovered that (Verquer) violated any criminal law,” Solano wrote in a May 1 release. “There was not even evidence supporting probable cause to believe a crime had been committed.”
In mid-December, 2023, The CBI launched an investigation at the request of the Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office, based on complaints over how the coroner’s office was handling disposition of unidentified bodies.
The action came on the heels of a Dec. 5, 2023, county commission work session in which a local funeral director lodged a complaint against Coroner Verquer, accusing him of secretly burying two, and possibly more, unidentified, unclaimed bodies in an unmarked grave at the Starkville Cemetery.
At the meeting, funeral director Tom Murphy told commissioners he was present for the Sept. 6, 2023, exhumation of Frederick Huff, a homeless man who reportedly lived in the area for decades. He was reported missing by family and was later identified as having been buried in the cemetery. Murphy claimed crews found three bodies stacked on top of each other in the grave, one of which was apparently Huff’s.
“The allegations made to law enforcement, in a public meeting and to the media did not have supporting facts,” Solano wrote. “At the time Coroner Verquer arranged for the burial of five individuals, there was no known next of kin, leaving the county with the responsibility for burial.
“The deaths occurred during the COVID pandemic period and (in the context of) the limited space Coroner Verquer needed to arrange their burial. Contrary to claims, there was no misuse/misappropriation of public funds by him or that he lacked permission for the burials in the private cemetery. There were no instances of abuse of corpses that meet any Colorado Revised Statute requirement or prohibition. Further, speculation that Coroner Verquer buried a locally well-known missing person was unfounded as that person went missing long after the last burial.”
As is customary, the DA’s release said, the CBI provided their investigatory material to Solano for his evaluation and final determination.
Solano said he did not ask for further review of any issue or matter “since the investigation was thorough, without limitation in scope, and consistent with the manner CBI has performed investigations with which they are entrusted.”
The DA’s office said the CBI reviewed more than 108 documents, including writen, video and media materials, and conducted 11 interviews.
“It is the conclusion of the CBI and the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office no crimes were committed.”
