Funeral home owner couple arrested after abusing more than 190 corpses they were doing…

What started as a seemingly simple promise of eco-friendly burials spiraled into one of the most harrowing scandals in Colorado’s funeral industry. Beneath the serene marketing and gentle reassurances of Return to Nature Funeral Home lay a nightmare few could imagine.

When a persistent, foul odor finally drew investigators inside, they uncovered a grotesque scene: nearly 200 bodies left to decay, urns stuffed with concrete instead of ashes, and a web of financial deception that stretched deep and wide.

Jon and Carie Hallford, the Colorado couple behind the “green burial” businesses in Colorado Springs and Penrose, have pleaded guilty to 191 felony counts of corpse abuse. In El Paso County Court, the Hallfords accepted a plea deal that could see them imprisoned for 15 to 20 years, with sentencing scheduled for April.

Return to Nature had built its reputation on environmentally conscious promises—biodegradable caskets, shrouds, and burial baskets designed to honor both earth and the departed. But the truth revealed last fall shattered that image completely. Following complaints about a putrid smell, authorities discovered nearly 200 improperly stored bodies, some neglected for as long as four years.

“The pain for the families is beyond measure,” El Paso District Attorney Michael Allen said. “The Hallfords shattered the sacred trust placed in them by those who were already grieving.”

The couple also faces federal charges after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Court documents reveal they siphoned over $800,000 in pandemic relief funds, spending it on luxury jewelry, extravagant vacations, and shopping sprees instead of proper burial services. They also defrauded grieving families of over $130,000 for services never performed.

Perhaps most disturbing were urns filled with concrete instead of cremated remains, and cases where wrong bodies were delivered entirely. One victim’s relative discovered his loved one’s body dumped in a broken refrigerator, abandoned for four years.

The scandal exposed glaring gaps in Colorado’s regulations—shockingly, it’s the only state requiring no licensing, certification, or formal education for funeral home staff. As outrage grows, legislators are pushing urgent reforms to prevent future horrors and restore dignity to an industry that failed those in their most vulnerable moments.