JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A man accused of tampering with the body of Jax Gratton, a Denver hairstylist who was found dead two months after she was reported missing in April of last year, pleaded not guilty in Jefferson County court Friday.
Brandon David Mumma, 44, was charged with one count of tampering with a deceased human body and one count of tampering with evidence following a March 11 indictment. Prosecutors believe Mumma was the last person who was with Gratton before her death. They further allege he removed her body, her personal belongings and other evidence of her death to avoid detection by investigators.
Crime
Jury returns indictment in connection with Jax Gratton’s 2025 death in Lakewood
Gratton, 34, was last seen on the evening of April 15, 2025. Her roommate reported her missing and in the days after her disappearance, her loved ones rallied to search for her across the metro area.
Mumma’s indictment shows that Gratton and Mumma entered his office at 9655 W. Colfax Avenue at 10:41 p.m. on April 15, 2025, before a second man arrived about an hour-and-a-half later. That man, who has been cooperative with police and is not believed to have been criminally involved in this case, then left the unit with Mumma at 1:43 a.m. on April 16. At that point, Gratton was alone and asleep under the influence of drugs, according to prosecutors…