DENVER (AP) – Two years have passed since the shocking discovery of nearly 200 decaying bodies in a rural Colorado funeral home, bringing the case to a critical point as the responsible owner, Jon Hallford, is set for sentencing. Hallford faces 191 counts of corpse abuse in state court after running a fraudulent operation at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs for four years.
Hallford and his wife, Carie, misled families into believing their loved ones were being cremated, while instead, they stored the bodies in a building infested with bugs and filled with decay. They further deceived grieving families by providing them with dry concrete resembling ashes instead of the cremated remains of their relatives.
Jon Hallford is already facing a federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to fraud charges. The upcoming sentencing hearing will focus specifically on state charges involving the mistreatment of corpses. Family members have been invited to share their harrowing experiences in court, revealing the profound suffering caused by this deceit. Tanya Wilson, who traveled from Georgia for the hearing, expressed her anguish after discovering that the ashes her family spread in Hawaii were not those of her mother, whose body had decayed in the Penrose facility.
A plea agreement suggests a 20-year prison sentence for Hallford. However, families like Wilson's are urging Judge Eric Bentley to reject this deal, as it allows Hallford's state sentence to run concurrently with his federal sentence, potentially leading to his early release. Wilson highlighted the scale of the crime, stressing that accountability is essential in such a staggering case.
If the judge does not accept the plea agreement, it may result in a new arraignment and potentially a criminal trial, according to Kate Singh from the Fourth Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Colorado has faced challenges regulating funeral homes, historically maintaining some of the weakest regulations in the nation, resulting in recurrent abuse cases. Recently, authorities discovered approximately 20 more decomposing corpses at a funeral home in Pueblo.
Carie Hallford, facing similar charges as her husband, has also pleaded guilty, though her sentencing for corpse abuse charges has yet to be scheduled. The Hallfords, who obtained a license for their funeral home in 2017, reportedly began hoarding bodies by 2019, with many decomposing beyond recognition and some left unclothed amid bodily fluids.
In addition to mishandling bodies, the couple committed extensive fraud, defrauding the federal government out of nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. With the financial gains from both grieving families and federal aid, they indulged in luxury items, including purchases from Tiffany & Co., vehicles worth a combined $120,000, and significant investments in body sculpting and cryptocurrency.
The revelation of the decaying bodies emerged in 2023 when a foul smell led authorities to the building, culminating in a police investigation that extracted the remains while officers wore hazmat suits. Jon and Carie Hallford were arrested in Oklahoma, having fled there a month after the discover.
The aftermath of this ordeal shattered families’ perceptions of grief. Many individuals who believed they had honored their loved ones through rituals like scattering ashes faced the traumatic realization that their closure had been built on a foundation of deception. Some family members expressed intense psychological distress, with fears that their loved ones’ souls were trapped in a state of decay.
Crystina Page was among those who demanded to witness the cremation of her son’s body after it was recovered. Meanwhile, Wilson has had to confront the painful task of cremating her mother’s remains after the negligence of the Hallfords. As the judicial process unfolds, the families await justice, striking a deep chord of emotional resonance amidst the grim reality of the case.
