Neighbors had reported the foul odor. The owners of a Colorado funeral home where nearly 200 decomposing bodies were found by law enforcement pleaded guilty to corpse abuse Friday, ABC News reports.
The events occurred in the town of Penrose, located in Fremont County in the state of Colorado, in October 2023. While neighbors complained of bad odors, local police went to the funeral home “The Return to Nature”, managed by Jon and Carie Hallfort. They discovered 191 bodies there, some of which were very damaged.
The spouses in charge of the funeral home had been defrauding the families of the deceased for several years by promising the cremation or burial of their loved ones, without ever organizing it. They instead kept the bodies in their homes, sometimes even providing a dry concrete mix in the urns in place of the ashes.
Their company touted the merits of “green” burial, a mortuary process authorized in the state of Colorado, provided that the remains are buried within 24 hours of death, or are stored in a refrigerated morgue.
With this scam, the couple allegedly pocketed more than $130,000 from bereaved families over a period of four years. But the Hallfords also defrauded the American administration, receiving more than $800,000 in aid funds allocated during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The impact on the members of these families has been immense,” said 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen, noting a “violation of trust.”
The couple pleaded guilty to all 191 counts of abuse of a corpse. Carie Hallford faces between 15 and 20 years in prison and Jon Hallford faces up to 20 years. Sentencing has been set for April 18.
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