Colorado funeral home owners plead guilty to corpse abuse after nearly 200 bodies found decomposing
The owners of a Colorado funeral home have recently pleaded guilty to corpse abuse after being accused of piling hundreds of bodies in room-temperature conditions inside a dilapidated building and providing loved ones with concrete instead of ashes. Jon and Carie Hallford, who own the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, admitted to 191 counts of abuse of a corpse in court.
According to prosecutor Rachael Powell, the bodies were found lying on the ground, stacked on shelves, left on gurneys, piled in rooms, and even stacked on top of each other. This shocking revelation left their loved ones intensely outraged, with some family members present in the courtroom during the guilty plea.
One grieving mother, Crystina Page, shared her heart-wrenching experience outside the courtroom, stating that her son’s body had been left in an inoperable fridge for four years, with rats and maggots eating his face. The Hallfords also faced charges of theft, money laundering, and forgery, but these charges were dropped as part of their plea deals.
It was revealed that the couple had misused $882,300 in COVID relief funds on personal expenses such as vacations, cosmetic surgery, a car, and their child’s tuition. Under the plea agreement, Jon Hallford faces up to 20 years in prison, while Carie Hallford could serve between 15 to 20 years. Despite objections from six individuals who deemed the recommended sentences inadequate, they will have an opportunity to address the court before the sentencing in April.
If the plea deal is rejected by the judge, the case may proceed to trial. The Hallfords had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October related to the misappropriation of funds. The disturbing discovery of improperly stored bodies dates back to 2019, when the stench emanating from the building prompted neighbors to alert authorities.
Upon investigation, hazmat-clad officials found decaying bodies stacked on top of each other, some beyond recognition, within an infested environment. The state of Colorado has since implemented stricter regulations for funeral homes in response to this appalling incident.
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