Colorado officials announced on Friday that 115 bodies were found improperly stored at a funeral home.
Investigators received a search warrant for Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose on October 4, amid complaints of a foul odor coming from the building. Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller said an investigation could take months as they will be using fingerprints, dental records, and DNA to identify the decedents, according to the Denver Gazette.
Return to Nature advertised that it performed “green burials” without embalming chemicals or metal caskets.
Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said the green burial business owners have cooperated with the ongoing investigation. The business’ website indicated that it stopped accepting cremation clients, according to The Colorado Sun.
KRDO reported that Jon and Carie Hallford own HallfordHomes LLC, which owns Return to Nature Funeral Homes. Records indicated that HallfordHomes LLC’s business license expired in November 2022. Further, the company is reportedly at the center of multiple civil lawsuits in El Paso County.
KKTV reported that investigators were also seen at Return to Nature’s Colorado Springs location on Thursday. Though Cooper said the owners are cooperating with the ongoing probe, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies wrote on its website that Jon Hallford declined to permit access to a property that was being investigated despite it being legally required.
According to the news outlet, Jon Hallford had admitted to having a “problem” at his Penrose property — where he also performed taxidermies.
No criminal charges have been filed. Officials have not revealed how the remains were stored or where they were located on the property.
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[Featured image: KKTV video screengrab]
