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The owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, Jon and Carie
Hallford, began storing bodies in a decrepit building near
Colorado Springs as far back as 2019 and gave families dry
concrete in place of cremated remains, according to the charges.
The grim discovery last year upended families’ grieving
processes.
Over the years, the Hallfords spent extravagantly, prosecutors
say. They used customers’ money and nearly $900,000 in pandemic
relief funds to buy laser body sculpting, fancy cars, trips to
Las Vegas and Florida, $31,000 in cryptocurrency and other
luxury items, according to court records.
Last month, the Hallfords pleaded guilty to federal fraud
charges in an agreement in which they acknowledged defrauding
customers and the federal government. The two have been charged
with more than 200 charges of corpse abuse, theft, forgery and
money laundering in state court.
Jon Hallford is represented by the public defenders office,
which does not comment on cases. Carie Hallford’s attorney,
Michael Stuzynski, declined to comment.
Over four years, customers of Return to Nature spread what they
thought were their loves ones' ashes in meaningful locations,
sometimes a plane’s flight away. Others carried their urns on
cross-country road trips or held them tight at home.
The bodies, which prosecutors say were improperly stored, were
discovered last year when neighbors reported a stench coming
from a building in the small town of Penrose, southwest of
Colorado Springs.
Authorities found bodies stacked atop each other, some swarming
with insects. Among them were remains too decayed for visual
identification. The building was so toxic that responders had to
wear hazmat gear and could remain inside only for brief periods.
The discovery of the bodies at Return to Nature prompted state
legislators to strengthen what had been among the laxest funeral
home regulations in the country. Unlike most states, Colorado
didn’t require routine inspections of funeral homes or
credentials for the businesses’ operators.
This year, lawmakers brought Colorado’s regulations up to par
with most other states, largely with support from the funeral
home industry.
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