Cremated Remains Found in Denver Self-Storage Unit

An auction winner recently discovered cremated human remains inside a self-storage unit at one of three Mini U Storage facilities in Denver. Larry Beckett, owner of Auction Avenues, paid $5 at a Feb. 4 lien sale for the contents of the unit, which had been rented to Stephen Humphrey, a former funeral home director and owner of Humphrey Funeral Ministry & Cremation Service. Among the unit contents were three black boxes containing what appeared to be cremated human remains. The boxes were labeled with names and dates going back to 2010, along with Humphrey’s name, the source reported.

Humphrey had rented the 10-by-10 storage unit in 2013 to store office furniture after his company went out of business and he had to downsize, the source reported. After making the $139 monthly payment for more than a year, he fell behind. The unit was considered abandoned after 90 days of nonpayment and the unit went up for auction. Humphrey told the source he didn’t know the remains were in the unit.

When Becket began cataloging the unit contents, he was shocked to find the ashes, he told the source. “I just kind of stood back and went, 'What do I do with this?'"

Beckett returned the boxes of ashes to Humphrey, who told the source he will attempt to track down the families and return the remains.

Mini U Storage operates nine self-storage facilities in Colorado. The company also has properties in California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia.

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