The owner of a southern Colorado funeral home tried to conceal that human remains were kept at a facility where more than 115 improperly stored bodies were discovered, according to a disciplinary order issued Thursday by the state.
Based on a state regulatory investigation into Return to Nature Funeral Home, owner Jon Hallford is alleged to have made “deliberate and willful violations of the Mortuary Science Code,” and his company’s registration was suspended.
No arrests have been made, and Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said Friday that the primary focus is on victims. Although details of how the remains were stored were not released out of respect for the families, Cooper called it a “horrific scene” and said the discovery of so many improperly stored bodies was “very disturbing.”
Family members who used the funeral home were asked to contact the sheriff’s office.
Local, state and federal investigators descended on the funeral home in Penrose after a report Tuesday of a foul odor emanating from a roughly 2,500-square-foot office building next to the post office on a spur road parallel to Colorado 115. The building was purchased in 2021 by Hallfordhomes LLC, according to the assessor’s records.
Return to Nature also operated in leased space at 815 E. Platte Ave. in Colorado Springs.
The rush of investigators and media came just as Penrose, an enclave of just over 3,000 people about 35 miles southwest of Colorado Springs, prepared for its biggest annual community celebration, Penrose Apple Day, on Saturday.
“The timing couldn’t be worse,” Lacy Baker, president of the Penrose Park and Recreation District board, said Friday as she set up tables for the chili cook-off. “I’m aware of the situation and I have empathy, but it’s not a reflection of Penrose.”
Sheriff predicts monthslong investigation
Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday night issued a disaster declaration so that state and federal agencies could assist in the investigation. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, the state office of Emergency Management and the Department of Regulatory Agencies are involved.
Cooper and Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller outlined at a Friday news conference in Cañon City how what is expected to be a monthslong investigation and work to recover and identify the bodies would proceed.
That will include use of DNA and dental records to identify the remains, Keller said.
Cooper said investigators had been in contact with the funeral home owners, and they had so far been cooperative. However, the suspension order said Hallford failed to permit an inspection of the site Thursday — the same day local officials got a warrant to enter the facility.
Hallford told officials he practiced taxidermy at the Penrose property, according to the suspension order.
After a quick initial assessment, investigators left the building because of potential biological and chemical hazards. The first step is to assess the risk and mitigate any hazards.
A deputy coroner who was among the first to enter developed a rash and was taken to a hospital to be checked, but is fine, Keller said.
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Officials said specialized disaster recovery teams with protective gear will move remains to a controlled facility for identification.
“Our priority and our focus is on the impacted families,” Cooper said. “My office and our team of investigators, including crime scene specialists and victim advocates, and many others working this case, are committed to finding answers for the families as quickly as possible.”
As remains are transferred, the scene will be blocked from public view by fencing or tents to ensure privacy, Cooper said.
The FBI has launched a parallel federal investigation and is bringing in hazardous materials and evidence response teams, said Mark Michalek, special agent in charge of the Denver field office.
“We all want answers on who specifically was impacted, how many were impacted, who’s responsible and why did it happen,” he said at the news conference.
Trouble at the funeral home
The Return to Nature Funeral Home was licensed in Colorado Springs in 2017. There were no previous disciplinary actions against the company listed on a state license database. A license to operate the Penrose location was issued in March 2019 and expired Nov. 30, state records show.
No one answered the “24-hour” number on the company’s website and the mailbox was full and no longer accepting messages. No one responded to a text message.
The website states the “green burial” funeral home operates with “three generations of Funeral Service Experience and Education,” but offers no details.
In March, Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc., sued Return to Nature Funeral Home over an unpaid debt of $18,888 related to “goods and services rendered.” The lawsuit names Hallfordhomes LLC, which operates the business and owns the Penrose location, and owners Jon and Carie Hallford as defendants.
Three months later, El Paso County District Judge Eric Bentley entered a $21,286 judgment against the funeral home, after factoring in 18% interest plus court costs, saying in his ruling that the defendants “failed to appear or plead or otherwise defend this action,” court records show.
In July, Return to Nature posted on its website that it would not accept new cremation clients, but promised to honor its contracts for the service.
In Penrose, a foul odor was in the air for “a few weeks”
Many vehicles on Colorado 115 continued on Friday to speed past the now infamous building at 31 Werner Road, which is partially obstructed from view by trees and weeds. The road is blocked to traffic past the post office.
But those who pull into the post office parking lot — a number that is increasing with curiosity seekers — can see the yellow-taped lot and the sheriff’s car standing guard. On Friday afternoon, numerous investigator’s vehicles, including a coroner’s truck from El Paso County were parked in front of the building.
Inside the post office, workers declined to talk about what was going on outside but noted that they’d been overwhelmed with media and others Thursday.
The pungent odors had been apparent for “a few weeks” one person said, but everyone thought it was a dead animal as skunks and other small wildlife are abundant in the rural area.
“Anyone within a half-mile could smell it,” one person who did not want to be identified said.
To the east of the highway, people were preparing Friday for the Penrose Apple Day celebration and trying not to dwell on the gruesome discovery across the way.
Quite a few reporters had stopped into the Penrose Community Library in recent days to use the Wi-Fi, said Kristi Lindsey, library director. She said the funeral home building had housed many things over the years, including county offices, an accountant and a yoga studio.
“You don’t want to be known for something like this,” she said as volunteers sorted books for Saturday’s book sale.
Along Main Street, volunteers painted numbers on the pavement for vendors to set up Saturday morning and in Penrose Park others were setting up for an apple pie-eating contest, chili cook-off and a tent to showcase Penrose wines and ciders.
Hundreds are expected to enjoy community meals, activities and an evening fireworks show.
“It’s the biggest sale day of the year for us,” said Walter Cosik, who was tending to his sister’s Train Depot Antique shop.
Baker, with parks and rec, said she hopes the focus of Saturday’s celebration will be on Apple Day, which has “been around a long time,” because so much effort has gone into planning events for the community and visitors.
But she knows many will be thinking about the tragic discovery that has brought the community into the limelight.
“It’s the talk of the town right now, but I hope that isn’t the focus tomorrow,” she said Friday. “And I hope people are respectful and avoid the area (of the funeral home) and let the authorities do their job.”