The owners of a funeral home where 190 decaying bodies were found are due to appear in court

17

The proprietors of a funeral establishment located in Colorado, where a distressing discovery of 190 decomposing bodies was made, are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. They face a range of serious charges, including alleged mistreatment of corpses, embezzlement, money laundering, and the creation of counterfeit documents.

Jon and Carie Hallford are the owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, which maintains a facility in Penrose, Colorado. In early October, investigators uncovered a distressing scene at this location, with numerous bodies found stacked together. Shockingly, some of these bodies had dates of death dating as far back as 2019, as detailed in a federal affidavit.

Tragically, family members had been provided with false information, believing that their loved ones had been cremated. Moreover, they had received materials that were not the ashes of their deceased family members, as indicated in court records.

The Hallfords were apprehended in Oklahoma just last month, reportedly attempting to evade prosecution in Colorado. They are currently detained on a substantial bond of $2 million. Both individuals are facing an extensive list of charges, including approximately 190 counts of mistreatment of a corpse, five counts of theft, four counts of money laundering, and over 50 counts of forgery.

According to court documents, Jon Hallford is being represented by the public defender’s office, which refrains from commenting on ongoing cases to the media. Carie Hallford, on the other hand, is being represented by attorney Michael Stuzynski, who has chosen not to provide comments regarding the case.

Following the removal of the bodies from the Penrose facility, situated approximately an hour south of Denver, authorities initiated the process of identifying the remains through various means, including fingerprints, dental records, medical devices, and DNA analysis.

It is worth noting that the Hallfords’ funeral home business is headquartered in Colorado Springs, located just west of Penrose.

---

The information in this report has been provided by Bedayn, a journalist affiliated with the Big Big News/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Funeral Home Owners Legal Case

More about Funeral Home Owners Legal Case

• Owners of funeral home facing serious allegations
• Disturbing discovery of 190 bodies at Colorado funeral home
• Impact on families misled by Return to Nature Funeral Home
• Details of Jon and Carie Hallford’s arrest
• Methods used to identify remains at the Penrose facility
• Location of the Hallfords’ funeral home business