Colorado Funeral Home Owners Face Sentencing for Hoarding 189 Bodies

In Colorado Springs, Colorado, the owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home face sentencing for hoarding the remains of 189 people in a decaying building, one of the largest such discoveries in U.S. history. Jon Hallford is set for sentencing this week, potentially facing 30 to 50 years in prison, while his wife Carie awaits hers in April, following plea agreements accepted by a judge in December.

The scandal unfolded in October 2023, when authorities raided a 2,500-square-foot facility in Penrose, outside Colorado Springs. Investigators, responding to reports of a foul odor described by neighbors as reminiscent of rotting fish or rancid manure, discovered bodies stacked in nearly a dozen rooms, including the bathroom. Some piles blocked doorways, with remains in body bags, wrapped in sheets and duct tape, or exposed on gurneys and in plastic totes. Many had decomposed for months or years in the un-refrigerated space, surrounded by swarms of bugs and maggots. Body bags leaked fluids into five-gallon buckets, and the floor was layered with human decomposition.

According to an arrest affidavit, the Hallfords, who advertised eco-friendly burials without embalming and cremation...