A grand jury in Jefferson and Gilpin counties returned a two-count indictment accusing a 44-year-old man, Brandon David Mumma, of tampering with Jax Gratton’s body after she died last April.
Last year, Denverites rallied to search for Gratton, a 34-year-old hair stylist who worked at Solera Salon Suites on Broadway. When her body was found in an alley in Lakewood two months after she went missing, advocates said the Lakewood Police Department had failed to take her case seriously.
According to the indictment, Gratton was in a relationship with Mumma at the time of her disappearance. On the night of April 15, the couple entered an office space at 9655 W. Colfax Ave., a strip mall in Lakewood near where Gratton’s body was eventually found.
Mumma left the office several hours later with a friend, leaving Gratton alone and asleep under the influence of GHB, a common party drug, the indictment stated. In an interview with police in May, Mumma said that Gratton had been snoring loudly and making “gurgling” sounds when he left.
Mumma told police that when he returned to the office early the next morning, Gratton was gone and had left some personal belongings, like her bag and shoes, inside the office. He claimed he collected those and placed them in his car to return to Gratton — a claim that was not corroborated by surveillance footage. He remained there for an hour, threw out garbage bags and left the area.
Gratton’s roommate reported her missing late in April, as did Gratton’s mother.
Gratton’s body was found nearly two months later, on June 6, between 9655 and 9699 W. Colfax Ave. Her body was found in a “narrow, four-foot-wide space that is inaccessible” and obscured from public view.
She was found lying on her side on the ground, wearing the same clothes she had on when she entered the office the night she went missing. An air conditioning unit beneath the second-story window of 9655 West Colfax Unit G had a “significant dent” and Gratton’s body was found with an air conditioning grate on top of her.
Mumma first met with police in late May, over a month after Gratton was reported missing. He told police that he should have called 911 to alert them to a potential overdose when he saw Gratton vomit. He also admitted that he knew she had been reported missing but did not contact officials to share information. During those conversations, he was also confronted with the possibility that he threw Gratton’s body out of the window, which he denied.
The indictment alleges that Mumma tampered with Gratton’s body and evidence related to her death. Coroners were unable to conclude a cause of death due to the decomposing state of her body. Toxicology reports found signs of methamphetamine, THC, citalopram and trazodone.
Authorities searched the unit on May 29. By then, its furniture had been removed. Gratton’s personal belongings were never recovered.
The grand jury indictment was presented to the 1st Judicial District Court on Monday. A subsequent warrant was issued for the arrest of Mumma on felony charges of tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with evidence. Both charges carry potential jail time and fines.
Mumma was arrested in Summit County on Wednesday. His bail was set at $100,000 and his first court appearance was scheduled for Thursday.
