In the ongoing tragic saga surrounding the death of beloved transgender hairdresser Jax Gratton—who was found dead in June of 2025 after going missing for approximately two months—the last person known to have been with Gratton has been indicted on two counts related to her death. According to Denver7, Brandon David Mumma, who the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office believes was the last person who was with Gratton before she died, was indicted on one count of tampering with a deceased human body and one count of tampering with evidence. Mumma was arrested on Wednesday and is expected to appear in court today.
According to Denver7, the grand jury for Jefferson and Gilpin County returned the indictment which alleges that Mumma removed Gratton’s body and other evidence of her death to avoid scrutiny from investigators. During the initial investigation last year, Mumma admitted to having known Gratton for two or three years and to have an intimate relationship with her.
The information from the indictment shows that Mumma and Gratton went to an office space at 9655 W. Colfax on April 15 of last year. A second man arrived at 12:14 a.m. and left with Mumma at 1:43 a.m., leaving Gratton asleep and under the influence of GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyrate. Mumma told authorities that Gratton had taken too much of the drug and was snoring and making gurgling noises, and even vomited at one point, and that the two men rolled her onto her side before leaving her alone. According to security cameras, nobody entered or exited the building until Mumma returned at 5:55 a.m. He stayed there a little over an hour before moving his car to the north side of the building, according to the indictment, and then he went into the building again and returned with trash bags that he threw into a dumpster.
Despite the evidence of the security cameras, Mumma claims that when he returned to the unit the following morning, Gratton wasn’t there. When interviewed by the police, Mumma admits that he should have called 911 when Gratton started vomiting.
Gratton’s body was found on June 6, 2025 in a narrow space between 9655 and 9699 W. Colfax Ave that is not accessible to the public. In an interview with the police, Mumma said that he and Gratton had talked about possibly climbing out of the window of his office building and jumping to the next roof to smoke, and theorized that Gratton may have tried to do just that and fell. However, no cigarettes or lighters were found around the body and Gratton’s roommate said they didn’t know Gratton to be a smoker.
While the evidence seems to be pointing towards recreational drug use gone wrong, it’s notable that the indictment is not for murder or manslaughter and merely for tampering with the body and evidence. Still, it’s a move in the right direction that seems to be giving some closure to those involved.
“That’s kind of bittersweet that my daughter is gone and he’s here,” Gratton’s mother Cherilynne Gratton-Camis told Denver7. “… I am thankful for Jax’s community, and I am thankful for the people that knew her and shared space with her, and I am thankful for the people that searched for her. I am thankful for the people that showed up week after week at city council and poured their heart out.”
“I think tonight I will sleep more than two hours,” added Gratton-Gamis. “I think I will not have nightmares. And I hope Jax is pleased with the outcome. She needed justice.”
