Improperly stored remains of nearly 200 people removed from Colorado funeral home in ‘horrific’ scene
Nearly 200 decomposing bodies have been removed from an “eco-friendly” Colorado funeral home — a dramatic increase from the initial 115 sets of remains discovered decaying and improperly stored two weeks ago.
At least 189 bodies were removed after being found on Oct. 13 at Return to Nature Funeral Home, an eco-conscious mortuary in the rural town of Penrose.
“The total number of decedents could change as the identification and investigative processes continue,” Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper and Coroner Randy Keller said in a press release Tuesday.
It’s unclear what state the additional bodies were found in, though Cooper described the scene as horrific.
The updated body count comes as more than 120 families remain concerned that their relatives may be among the remains discovered inside the business.
Local officials said they would be notifying family members as remains are identified, though officials provided no timeline for how long the process will take.
“We are conducting extensive coordination efforts as we focus on the identification of the decedents and provide notifications to ensure the families are given accurate information to prevent further victimization as they continue to grieve their loved ones,” Keller said.
The FBI is working with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and the county coroner in the identification process, which could take months, according to local officials.
“Without providing too much detail to avoid further victimizing these families, the area of the funeral home where the bodies were improperly stored was horrific,” Cooper said earlier this month.
Police were called to Return to Nature Funeral Home the night of Oct. 3 following reports of a suspicious incident. When investigators returned the following day with a search warrant, they uncovered a trove of improperly stored remains.
Neighbors interviewed by authorities said they’d noticed a putrid smell in recent weeks.
A day after the odor was reported, the director of the state office of Funeral Home and Crematory registration spoke with Jon Hallford, the funeral home’s owner, who allegedly tried to conceal the improper storage of corpses.
The company offered cremations and “green” burials without embalming chemicals or metal caskets despite mounting financial and legal problems.
The owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home missed tax payments in recent months, were evicted from a previous property, and sued for unpaid bills by a crematory they had been doing business with up until a year ago, according to public records viewed by AP.
While green burials are legal in Colorado, any bodies that are not buried within 24 hours are still required to be refrigerated.
Colorado also has some of the weakest regulations for funeral home operators in the nation, requiring no routine inspections or qualifications for operators.
Law enforcement officials said the funeral home owners were cooperating as investigators sought to determine any criminal wrongdoing.
With Post wires.