Boulder County man faces charges related to mother's death

A 55-year-old Boulder County man is facing several charges related to the death of his mother, whose decomposing body was found in her home in August 2020 after her death several months earlier.

Jeffrey Apprill was arrested Tuesday and taken to the Boulder County Jail for charges of tampering with a deceased human body, a class three felony; criminal exploitation of an at risk person — more than $500 — a class three felony; at risk negligence resulting in serious bodily injury, a class five felony; caretaker neglect against an at-risk person, a class one misdemeanor; and concealing a death, a class one misdemeanor.

Deputies on Aug. 28, 2020, were dispatched to check the welfare of 78-year-old Karen Apprill who had reportedly not been heard from for more than a week and her son and caregiver, Jeffrey Apprill, had been admitted to a local hospital, according to a Boulder County Sheriff’s news release. Deputies determined Karen Apprill lived in a home in the 3900 block of Bosque Court in unincorporated Boulder County.

After knocking on the door, calling phone numbers associated with the home and speaking with friends and neighbors, deputies entered the home to check on Karen, according to the news release. Deputies discovered a decomposing body inside the home.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the home and, based on initial observations, it was believed the individual, later identified as Karen Apprill, had died seven to 10 months prior to the discovery, the news release said.

During the autopsy, Karen’s body was described as being in the advanced stages of decomposition and both antemortem and postmortem trauma was discovered. Karen’s cause of death was listed as undetermined and the mechanism of death could not be determined, the news release said.

In the following months, detectives worked with Boulder County Adult Protective Services and served multiple search warrants. Based on statements and physical evidence investigators are not able to determine the cause and manner of Karen’s death.

However, they were able to establish probable cause to arrest Jeffrey Apprill for the charges related to his mother’s death, the news release said. There was no mention of a possible motive in the case.