A Colorado funeral home case that devastated nearly 200 families moved forward Friday when the owners admitted in court that they abused corpses entrusted to their care.
Jon and Carie Hallford, who operated Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs and Penrose, pleaded guilty in El Paso County Court to 191 felony counts of abuse of a corpse, according to Michael Allen, district attorney for Colorado’s 4th Judicial District.
The pleas came more than a year after investigators discovered decaying bodies at the funeral home locations, a case that has drawn attention not only for its scale, but also for what it exposed about consumer trust, funeral costs and oversight in Colorado’s funeral industry.
What Prosecutors Say Happened
Return to Nature marketed itself as a provider of green burials, telling families that their loved ones would be cared for using options such as biodegradable caskets, baskets or shrouds.