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Motorists, bicyclists, runners, neighbors.
Thousands of people traveled past the desolate building at 31 Werner Road in Penrose every day, but none suspected the horror that had been mounting for years inside those four walls.
Until early October when Fremont County Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of a foul odor coming from the Return to Nature Funeral Home located at that address. That is where they discovered 190 bodies in various stages of decomposition.
The owners of a Penrose funeral home, Jon Hallford, 43, and Carie Hallford, 46, are accused of accepting payment from families of decedents for cremations, piling the bodies in the Penrose facility, and giving families falsified death certificates and bags of what appeared to be concrete powder in place of their loved ones' ashes.
They are facing numerous charges, including abuse of a corpse, 190 counts, each a Class 6 felony; four counts of theft, each a Class 5 felony; four counts of money laundering, each a Class 3 felony; and 61 counts of forgery, each a Class 5 felony.
Michael Allen, the District Attorney for the 4th Judicial District, and his office are prosecuting the case because Return To Nature Funeral Home was centered in Colorado Springs.
Once the initial investigation was launched by local authorities, the Fremont County Sheriff's Office immediately called in the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for assistance.
Fremont County Coroner's Office, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and the Colorado Department of Public Health also stepped in early in the investigation to assist.
Investigators, the Fremont County Coroner's Office and the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies executed a search warrant on the property and did a preliminary count.
Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper called the discovery "very disturbing" and "horrific."
Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration that would make additional state resources available to Fremont County.
Delicately removing the remains and hazardous mitigation were top priorities for officials as they surveyed the scene.
Realizing the magnitude of the scope of the scene, the Colorado Coroner's Association, the El Paso County Coroner's Office, Colorado Emergency Management and the Douglas County Coroner's Office were utilized to assist and provide additional resources.
Forensic identification of the remains was done by utilizing fingerprints, dental records and possibly DNA. Once remains were identified and families were contacted, the remains were released to various funeral homes for proper cremation and then back to the families.
All decedents were removed from the facility as of Oct. 13 and transported to the El Paso County Coroner's Office. This effort was coordinated by the Fremont County Coroner's Office with support from several entities.
Community members, families and loved ones of the victims gathered for a candlelight vigil Oct. 14 at Penrose Park. The event was organized by the Penrose Park and Recreation District and the Sangre de Cristo Community Care, and supported by the entire Fremont County community. It was a place for families and loved ones to connect and receive private bereavement counseling if so desired.
A moment of silence was observed, and "the gentle flames of candles served as a symbol of hope and resilience in the face of despair."
"May they remind us that even the smallest light can pierce the darkest night," said Kim Huffington, Chief Nursing Officer for Sangre de Cristo Community Care and event co-organizer, during a prayer for the victims and families. "…May our collective support be a balm for their wounds."
As news of the funeral home continued to spread nationwide, various lawsuits were filed against the Hallfords, including one by Richard Law, a retired educator in Colorado Springs, whose father, Roger, was identified as one of those improperly stored in the Penrose facility.
According to the lawsuit, Return to Nature Funeral Home pretended to cremate Roger Law and returned what appeared to be ashes to Richard Law. Nearly three years after his death, Roger Law still has never been cremated. Instead, "he was allowed to decompose in squalid conditions at the Penrose Property," the lawsuit states.
Richard Law paid $1,345.71 to the Hollfords to cremate his father. They charged him an extra $85 as a "COVID upcharge" to "ensure that Roger's remains were safely handled."
"It is outrageous for the defendants to exploit people at their most vulnerable. Families should be able to focus on grieving their lost loved ones," Law states in the press release. "For nearly three years, Return to Nature Funeral Home and the Hallfords allowed my father to rot along with nearly 200 others. I'm honored to stand up on behalf of my father and the other victims in this case."
When questioned by Colorado State officials, and "trying to mask his illegal conduct, Jon Hallford reported that he had been practicing taxidermy at the Penrose Property, claiming that the smell of decaying flesh was related to that hobby," the lawsuit states. "The stench was too much to ignore and, in early October 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Penrose Property. The scene was reminiscent of a horror film."
To address the public nuisance identified, an EPA team and their contractors conducted an assessment of the property on Nov. 15 to determine the next steps in conducting a "removal action," including demolishing and disposing of building materials.
After the assessment, the EPA determined that demolition of the building is necessary to safely remove biological and hazardous materials found in the building. EPA has developed a work plan to conduct the demolition, which is slated to begin Jan. 17. Officials expect the demolition to take approximately 10 days, weather permitting.
For more information on the cleanup process, visit https://response.epa.gov/PenroseFuneralHome.
The Hallfords are being held at the El Paso County Jail on a $2 million cash-only bond each.
Preliminary hearings for Jon Hallford and Carie Hallford are slated for Jan. 4, and Jan. 11, respectively.
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