Court sentencing records

Colorado Funeral Home Owners Plead Guilty to 191 Counts of Corpse Abuse, Gave Families Fake Ashes

Nov 22, 2024, 07:43 PM

Jon and Carie Hallford, the owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, pleaded guilty on Friday to 191 counts of corpse abuse. They admitted to leaving nearly 190 bodies to decay in a room-temperature building and giving grieving families fake ashes, sometimes substituting dry concrete for their loved ones' cremains. The bodies were found stacked on shelves, left on gurneys, and piled in rooms. The couple had previously pleaded guilty in October to federal charges including theft, money laundering, and forgery. District Attorney Michael Allen addressed the media after the court proceedings, where aggrieved families looked on as the Hallfords entered their pleas.