-copy.jpeg%3Ftrim%3D0%2C0%2C0%2C0%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
Mom's heartbreak as hairstylist daughter who mysteriously vanished found dead two months later
Jax Gratton, 34, had been working as a hairstylist in Denver when she went missing on April 15. Her friends and family had appealed for her whereabouts in online appeals for weeks, with her mom fearing her daughter, who was transgender, may have been killed.
On Friday, her mom Cherilynne Gratton-Camis confirmed the news that her body had been found. Police are now investigating the death as 'suspicious'.
'With a broken heart, I share the news that our beloved Jax Gratton has been found — and she is no longer with us,' she wrote on Facebook. 'There are no words strong enough for the grief we are feeling. The light she carried, the love she gave so freely, and the joy she brought into our lives have been taken from this world far too soon.'
In the post about her daughter, Gratton-Camis also paid tribute to the support from the LGBT+ community.
'This has opened my eyes in ways I can't ignore. It's not just about Jax — it's about all of you in the LGBTQIA+ community who face the world every day with courage, just wanting to live, love, and exist safely and equally. That should never be a fight. And yet it is,' the mother added.
Gratton had vanished after leaving her apartment and telling her flatmate she would be back in three hours. She never returned.
On Saturday, Lakewood Police Department said they were 'investigating a suspicious death' after 'someone discovered a dead body in an alleyway' in west Denver, Colorado, early Friday evening.
'The body was in advanced stages of decomposition and could not be positively identified. It does appear to be the body of an adult,' Lakewood PD stated.
An autopsy with the Jefferson County Coroner's Office was due to be held Sunday to conduct an official identification and to determine the cause of death.
Gratton-Camis confirmed to Denver7 that it was her daughter's body that was found by Lakewood PD, adding that she was identified by her tattoos.
The 34-year-old was wearing the same clothes she left in, which the grief-stricken mother said brought her comfort as she suspected her daughter had died the same night of her disappearance.
"That is comforting to me,' her mother told Denver7. 'She was gone the same night she left her house. She didn't spend 6-7 weeks in horrible situations.'
Speaking to People magazine, the mother revealed that despite having difficult periods with drug and alcohol abuse, her daughter was doing well at the time of her disappearance.
'She operated a successful business,' says Gratton-Camis. 'She has friends that she has been friends with since middle school.'
Her mother also shared that Gratton had donated her time as a stylist to homeless people in the area and adored her family.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Missing dog named Rusty found wandering on highway 1,000 miles away finally returns home
A missing dog that was found terrified and covered in ticks on a highway 1,000 miles away from his family has finally returned home. Rusty is a 'smart' Australian Shepherd who went missing when his owner was sent to prison and he was left under the supervision of her friend. The owner is a woman who had been living in Cheyenne, Colorado, prior to being incarcerated. Her friend disappeared and Rusty was left alone, Cowboy State Daily reported. How the dog somehow ended up walking 270 miles from Cheyenne to Shoshoni, Wyoming, remains a mystery, but he was found on the side of the road looking 'really scared'. Rusty first arrived on Lander Pet Connection Director Hannah MacGregor's radar in May after a friend spotted the dog 'out in the middle of nowhere'. 'A bunch of people had left bowls of food and water,' MacGregor said. 'When they initially reached out to me about the dog being out there, I had already seen it on Facebook.' 'Someone had posted, but they couldn't get close to him, and they were just trying to find out where he belonged.' MacGregor's friend spent hours trying to rescue Rusty and finally, with the help of another family, was able to coax the pup into her vehicle. The friend kept Rusty overnight and then delivered him to the shelter, where workers found a microchip on the dog. There were two phone numbers and an emergency number listed on the chip - but the first two lines had been disconnected. Luckily, the emergency number worked and they were able to locate the mother of Rusty's owner in Oklahoma. To form a plan for Rusty's care, the shelter had to wait to speak with his owner - who was still incarcerated. Workers neutered Rusty at the request of his owner's mom. After discussion with the owner's mother and son, it became clear that the family members would not be able to pick Rusty up. The dog was placed under the care of a foster family in Afton, Wyoming, who volunteered to take care of Rusty short-term. 'At that time, it sounded like the owner was going to get out of jail soon,' MacGregor said. But that did not pan out, and the owner's incarceration was expected to continue until January. Rusty was bonding with the family, so he stayed with them until the owner's other son became involved and agreed to take the dog. Addison Miller said her husband, Allen, and their son, Aiden, will host Allen's mom when she completes her time in a treatment facility for her addiction issues. They were happy to add Rusty to the family - which already includes two dogs and a puppy, who Rusty has become fast friends with. Addison has experience in dog training, 'He is a purebred Australian Shepherd. Both his parents are papered,' she said. 'He is the most beautiful brown boy ever and he is so sweet and so smart.' To collect Rusty, the family drove to Rock Springs from their home in Sapulpa, Oklahoma - a 1,021-mile journey. Addison shared that Rusty once saved her husband's mother from overdosing on drugs. Just over a year ago, Rusty's owner passed out in bed from an overdose in a locked room. Rusty somehow knew 'I need to go check on mom,' Addison said. Rusty attempted to chew through the door and when he couldn't get through, went to her roommate's door and jumped on it until the roommate opened it. 'Rusty pulls her roommate down to her room and is barking and scratching at the door and the roommate is mad because my door is all messed up now,' she said. 'But (the woman) is not answering so he busts through the door and there she is blue on the bed, and the roommate saved her.' The owner is in recovery from her addiction issues and when she gets out will stay with them, continue her sobriety journey and be reunited with her 'baby.' Miller said her husband's mom calls every day and when Rusty hears her voice he becomes 'all excited wagging his little nub tail.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Ivy League-feeder high school quietly suspends renowned soccer coach for illegal betting scheme... after pedo teacher was arrested
A Pennsylvania high school soccer coach was quietly suspended amid scandal after being caught allegedly gambling with students. David Zimmerman, a nationally recognized soccer coach at the prestigious Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, was caught back in January reportedly placing 'prop bets' with students on the school's basketball games. Zimmerman, who was named 2022 National Boys Soccer Coach of the Year for large public high schools, initially served a brief suspension over the course of a few days last winter following an internal investigation, according to The Inquirer. The school, which is located in one of the most affluent districts in Pennsylvania, reportedly opened an investigation after learning of the alleged betting through 'secondhand' sources in January, and found that the gambling began last year 'on a limited basis.' Zimmerman and Conestoga's principal Amy Meisinger were not immediately available for comment when contacted by the Daily Mail. Prop bets consist of wagers placed on specific occurrences or certain players' statistics during games. It is a form of sports gambling that the NCAA has lobbied the federal government to ban. The prestigious Conestoga High School launched an investigation into the activity in January It is unclear if any of the Conestoga basketball players were aware that Zimmerman and students were betting on them. The wagering is said to have been limited to small amounts - as little as $10. The school's investigation reportedly found no evidence of widespread gambling or Venmo payments. Zimmerman is also said to have made no profit from the activity. However, Zimmerman, who has several state soccer championships to his name and has taught at the school since the mid-1990s, wasn't dismissed from his position. Instead, the coach apologized to the parents of students involved in the betting, according to the report. He also reportedly served a brief internal suspension from the school for a few days during the winter. The school, which sends 95 percent of its graduates to college, seemingly attempted to keep the scandal under wraps, making no formal announcement. As of Sunday, Zimmerman was still listed as Conestoga's boys' soccer coach on the school's official website. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, a governing body of high school athletics, began to receive anonymous tips about gambling at Conestoga High School. But the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association informed The Inquirer that it was 'an internal school matter.' Conestoga, located about 15 miles west of Philadelphia, is considered to be a top-rated public high school with strong academic and athletic programs. Last year, more than two dozen students from Conestoga were accepted at Harvard, Yale, and other Ivies. Meanwhile, it also boasts athletic success. Conestoga won 29 Central Athletic League titles between 2020 and 2024, nine of which were earned by Zimmerman's soccer team. However, Zimmerman's alleged gambling scandal isn't the only storm the school has had to weather over the past few months Michelle Mercogliano, a special-ed teacher at the Conestoga High School, was arrested earlier this year after allegedly bringing a student to her parents' home and having sex with him about a dozen times. The married teacher, 35, was charged in April after the 16-year-old victim's family contacted police. She faces 63 charges including Institutional Sexual Assault and the Corruption of Minors. She's also accused of providing medical marijuana to the teen, the Chester County District Attorney said. Mercogliano began a sexual relationship with the boy in February, according to a criminal complaint from the Tredyffrin Township Police Department. The boy's father provided to police some marijuana packaging he found in his son's closet with Mercogliano's name on the label, according to the affidavit. 'The [victim] disclosed that after school he would walk from Conestoga High School to the... apartment complex where Mercogliano would pick him up in the back parking lot and drive to his home, to her parents' residence, or drive him to the Sunnyside Marijuana Dispensary in Phoenixville,' court documents obtained by ABC News stated. The investigation began after the victim told his sister of his relationship with Mercogliano and the sibling then informed the boy's parents. The pair allegedly had sex about 12 times, the victim told police, and often in Mercogliano's parents' home in Wayne, according to the complaint. Mercogliano was also said to have provided the boy with pot about 15 times. She allegedly communicated with him through Snapchat 'as to go undetected,' or via text message. The school's football team made national headlines in 2016 over hazing allegations. A freshman player claimed he was assaulted with a broom handle during what the team called 'No Gay Thursday.' Three players later pleaded guilty to lesser harassment charges.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Disturbing video shows lawmaker stuffing ballots in swing state that Trump only won by 80,000 votes
A chilling video has shown a lawmaker stuffing ballots in a swing state that Trump only won by just over 80,000 votes. Abu Musa, city council member of Hamtramck, Michiga n, was seen in the passenger seat of a car, watching another man deposit three stacks of ballots into a drop box. Michigan State Police have confirmed the authenticity of the video footage, which was filmed on August 1, 2025. The alleged ballot box stuffing incident took place just before the city's latest primary election on August 5. The video comes just days after two of Musa's councilmen colleagues, Muhtasin Sadman and Mohammed Hassan, were charged over forging ballots in the city's tightly fought 2023 election. Musa was previously named as 'under investigation' in the same conspiracy, but was not charged. According to an April document that Attorney General Dana Nessel issued requesting a special prosecutor in the 2023 case, two of Musa's city council colleagues had 'conspired to receive unvoted absentee ballots that had been signed by recently naturalized citizens.' The accused then allegedly proceeded to 'fill in the candidates of their choosing' during the city's 2023 elections. Musa received the most votes in the August 5th primary election, per unofficial election results released on August 6 - receiving 12.5 percent of total votes in a field of 12 candidates. Of the total 1,129 votes received by Musa, 843 were cast by absentee ballot. The 286 total of election day votes received by Musa is only the fifth-highest tally. Two of Musa's colleagues on the city council were charged with felony forgery earlier this month over their conduct during the 2023 city council election. Hamtramck council members Sadman and Hassan were charged on August 11, while two other council members, Musa and Mohammed Alsomiri were not charged at the time. Nessel recused herself from the investigation into the council members because she had previously criticized policy positions taken by the council to ban Pride flags from being flown on city-owned property. The Michigan Attorney General had also 'been criticized for her prosecutions of pro -Palestinian protestors at the University of Michigan.' Nessel was additionally accused of prosecuting the campus protestors due to 'bias against Muslims and/or people of Arab descent' and foresaw similar criticisms coming her way in this case, as five of the defendants 'are of Arab descent.' Hamtamack, a city in Metro Detroit, has a population just over 28,000 residents, which is over 70 percent Muslim. The city became the first in America to be governed by an all-Muslim council in 2022. Detroit's Local 4 News reported that the initial investigation began 'after the city clerk noticed unusual patterns with absentee ballots — including identical handwriting on multiple envelopes and large bundles of ballots submitted at once.' Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj told Votebeat that 'state laws are clear that your ballot should only be handled by you or a family member,' adding that 'everyone's cousins around here.' The council is made up of six members, and three slots are up for election every two years. Members serve four-year terms. Donald Trump won Michigan's 15 electoral votes in 2024 with 49.7 percent of the votes to Kamala Harris' 48.3 percent. Hamtramck's Mayor Amer Ghalib made waves last year after endorsing Trump for President as the mayor of America's first Muslim-majority city.
