Police pull 189 decomposing bodies from Colorado funeral home

Colorado investigators confirmed Tuesday that 189 decomposing bodies had been removed from the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, about 100 miles south of Denver.  The facility claimed to specialize in “green” burials, which omit the embalming process, allowing bodies to decompose naturally. Police received a warrant to search the property earlier this month after neighbors reported a foul odor. Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper described the scene as “horrific” inside the 2,500-square-foot building, about the size of a single-story home.

What happens to the bodies now?  Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller said his office uses fingerprints, DNA, medical records, and dental records to identify remains. Keller warned the process will likely take several months. Jon Hallford owns Return to Nature and received a call from the director of Colorado’s Office of Funeral Home and Crematory registration after the first foul smell complaint was reported earlier this month.  Hallford reportedly admitted to having a “problem” on site and said he practiced taxidermy out of the building.  No arrests have been made at the time of publishing.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Les Sillars’ report on a ministry offering cost-effective alternatives to traditional funerals.