LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, Colo. — The coroner in Las Animas County who is under investigation for burying homeless people in mass graves is defending himself.
Dominic Verquer filed a statement with the county in response to an effort to recall him from his position.
"Although multiple bodies were buried in a single grave, it was done in compliance with state statutes, and with all necessary and valid permits," Verquer said in part.
It is illegal in Colorado to bury two people together without family consent.
Both people found in an exhumed grave last September were homeless. They were buried by the coroner because his office could not find family members to claim their bodies.
The exhumation prompted the CBI to begin its investigation into Verquer.
WATCH: CBI to investigate Las Animas County Coroner Dominic Verquer
In his response, the coroner also commented on the case of Timothy Radford, a homeless man who was buried before his family had a chance to claim his body.
"I did not know the identity of the deceased until DNA testing was done after the burial," Verquer said of Radford. "The decedent was known as 'John Warehouse Doe,' homeless. After DNA testing the true identity of the decedant was established as Mr. Timothy Radford. I also have always known the location of the grave," the statement said.
News 5 has followed this investigation from the start and told Tim Radford's story in December 2023. Stay with us for more on this developing story.
Have a story you'd like News5 Investigates to look into? Send an email to News5Investigates@KOAA.com.
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