Colorado Funeral Home Under Scrutiny for Allegedly Distributing Counterfeit Ashes After Discovery of 189 Unidentified Bodies

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The Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado, where authorities recently uncovered 189 decomposing bodies, is now suspected of falsifying cremation records and potentially distributing counterfeit ashes to grieving families, as reported by Big Big News after conducting interviews with affected families and other crematories.

Families who entrusted Return to Nature Funeral Home with the remains of their loved ones are now living in a state of uncertainty and dread, concerned that the unidentified bodies discovered on the premises may include their relatives, following reports of a nauseating odor emanating from the establishment.

Tanya Wilson, who laid to rest what she believed were her mother’s ashes in Hawaii this past August, expressed her emotional turmoil. “The solace we had, believing we’d respected her final wishes, has been entirely shattered,” she said.

According to documentation provided by Return to Nature, the ashes were processed by one of two separate crematories. However, both of these facilities have since confirmed that they did not conduct any cremations for Return to Nature on the dates mentioned on the death certificates.

All attempts to contact the owners of Return to Nature, Jon and Carie Hallford, have been futile since the unsettling discovery. As of now, no arrests have been made, although law enforcement agencies have confirmed that the owners are cooperating in the ongoing investigation.

Death certificates from at least four affected families were examined by the Associated Press, revealing that the listed crematory had ceased its services to the financially unstable Return to Nature Funeral Home at least five months prior to the mentioned dates. Furthermore, legal representatives for the crematory have reported that at least ten families have been given post-November death certificates.

Another crematory mentioned in the certificates, Roselawn Funeral Home in Pueblo, Colorado, confirmed that it had not performed the listed cremations. Rudy Krasovec, the manager of Roselawn, corroborated this information.

Strikingly, none of the families interviewed received the standard identification tags or certificates generally used to validate the authenticity of cremated remains. Family members described the ashes as having a peculiar texture resembling dry concrete, an element known to be used by funeral homes to imitate human ashes.

Financial and legal woes have beleaguered Return to Nature, which opened in 2017 and specialized in cremations and environmentally-friendly burials without the use of embalming fluids. Public records show a history of forced eviction, tax delinquency, and a lawsuit that resulted in a $21,000 judgment against the funeral home for unpaid services.

Legal experts suggest that pending charges could be comprehensive, including misdemeanor violations of mortuary regulations and fraud. Each improperly stored body could result in a separate charge, with potential fines exceeding $1 million and a maximum jail sentence of two years for multiple misdemeanors under state law. Federal charges, if levied, could lead to even stiffer penalties.

The distressing revelations have shattered the healing process for many families. Abby Swoveland, whose mother’s remains were allegedly handled by Return to Nature, found out that the listed crematory had long ceased its association with the funeral home. “Any semblance of healing has been utterly dismantled,” she said.

Contributors to this report include Big Big News reporters Thomas Peipert based in Colorado Springs and Amy Beth Hanson in Helena, Montana.

The author is a corps member of the Big Big News/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative, a nonprofit organization committed to enhancing local journalism by focusing on underreported issues.

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More about Colorado funeral home investigation

• Investigation into Colorado Funeral Home
• Colorado State Mortuary Regulations
• Legal Penalties for Mortuary Violations
• How to Authenticate Cremated Remains
• Return to Nature’s Financial Troubles
• Guide to Recognizing Fake Ashes
• Recent Funeral Home Scandals in the U.S.
• Federal Mail Fraud Penalties