BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — A Boulder County man is charged in connection with the death of his mother whose decomposing body was found inside her home last August, an estimated seven to 10 months after she died, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office (BCSO).
Jeffrey Apprill, 55, who BCSO says was the caretaker for his 78-year-old mother Karen Apprill, was arrested Tuesday on the following charges:
- Tampering with a deceased human body
- Criminal exploitation of an at-risk person (more than $500)
- At-risk negligence resulting in serious bodily injury
- Caretaker neglect against an at-risk person
- Concealing a death
On Aug. 28, 2020, deputies with BCSO were dispatched to check the welfare of Karen Apprill who had reportedly not been heard from for more than a week, BCSO said.
Around that same time, Jeffrey Apprill, had been admitted to a hospital. Deputies determined Karen Apprill lived in a home in the 3900 block of Bosque Court in unincorporated Boulder County and went there to check on her.
They knocked on the door but got no answer and then tried calling phone numbers associated with the home but no one answered, BCSO said. The deputies eventually entered the home and discovered a decomposing body inside.
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 10 months prior to the discovery.
During the autopsy, her body was described as being in the advanced stages of decomposition and trauma that occurred both before and after her death was discovered.
However, the cause or manner of her death could not be determined.
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