The Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado is co-owned by Jon and Carie Hallford. The couple were arrested earlier this month for several felony charges. This occurred after as many as 190 improperly stored corpses were discovered on their property.
As shared via NPR, the couple “were arrested on four felony charges, including abuse of a corpse, theft, money laundering and forgery, according to a statement from the district attorney for Colorado’s 4th judicial district.”
The publication adds that they “were taken into custody, without incident, in Wagoner, Okla. Both are being held on bonds set at $2 million.” Additionally, “the probably cause affidavit has been sealed, but District Attorney Michael Allen said that he would not contest releasing it to the public at a later date.”
He released the following statement regarding the affidavit to reporters:
“I want to warn you, the information contained in that affidavit is absolutely shocking,” he shared.
The location was first investigated by police on October 3 after they received a report of an “abhorrent smell” coming from the location. Their “horrific” discovery, as quoted by Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper. He did not go into further detail, though Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller noted that the corpses were “improperly stored.”
The funeral home itself, as shared by NPR via the funeral home’s official website, is intended to offer “green and natural burial services, which allow bodies to decompose underground without the use of metal caskets or chemicals.” NPR adds that “the practice is legal in the state of Colorado, but the law requires bodies that are not embalmed to be refrigerated within 24 hours of death.”
Unfortunately, the situation seems to only get worse. It appears that some relatives of those whose remains were sent to The Return to Nature Funeral Home for cremation believe they were given fake ashes composed of dry concrete instead. The funeral home had the remains of as many as 190 individuals that were transported to the El Paso County Coroner’s Office.
For now, “the process of identifying specific victims is ongoing,” with some of the bodies being released back to their families so that they may perform proper burials.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.