EPA reschedules demolition of Colorado funeral home for next month where 190 "improperly stored" bodies were discovered
After a delay blamed on cold weather, the Environmental Protection Agency has rescheduled the demolition of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose for the last week of February. The EPA anticipates the demolition will take about 10 days.
The EPA determined the building needs to be demolished to "safely remove all medical, biological, and hazardous materials found in the building." The original date for demolition was set to begin in mid-January.
The Fremont County Sheriff's Office began an investigation on Oct. 4 after neighbors reported an odor emanating from the Penrose facility located at 31 Werner Road. Once inside, 190 "improperly stored" bodies were located, some of them stacked on top of each other, along with human decomposition fluids and insects. The bodies had tags dating back to 2019.
The EPA said that prior to and during demolition, EPA's contractors will spray a disinfectant and odor suppressant into the interior of the building.
Jon and Carie Hallford were arrested in November in Oklahoma on suspicion of committing the crimes of abuse of a corpse, theft, money laundering and forgery, which are all felonies.
Last week, a judge reduced Carie Hallford's bond from $2 million to $100,000 with an ankle monitor. If released from custody, she must surrender her passport and have no contact with the victims. Her next court appearance is scheduled for an arraignment on March 21.
Earlier this month, Jon Hallford appeared before a judge where his bail was lowered from $2 million to $100,000. He remained in custody as of Jan. 17. If released from custody, he must surrender his passport and have no contact with the victims. He is set to appear in court for a continuance of the preliminary hearing on Feb. 8 at 1:30 p.m.
All decedents were removed from the funeral home on Oct. 13, 2023 and transported to the El Paso County Coroner's Office.
A total of 30-40 bodies still have not been identified.
The Environmental Protection Agency had scheduled crews to mobilize to the site around Jan. 17 for demolition. That date has been delayed due to "final logistical arrangements and cold temperatures forecasted." In a previous post, the EPA said the demolition will take approximately 10 days, weather permitting.
Return to Nature started in 2017 and offered cremations and "green" burials without embalming fluids.
Additional Information from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office:
Families who have not already done so are asked to go to https://forms.fbi.gov/penrose-funeral-home and complete the questionnaire to assist in this process.
If you believe you or your loved one might have been impacted and you have further questions, please send an email to penrosefuneralhome@fbi.gov. This is the most effective way to connect with resources; a person will respond to all emails from family members.