Police were called to check on a vile smell from a neglected building. The smell came from the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, for days.
Return to Nature / Instagram
What the police found inside the "green" funeral operator's storage facility was gruesome: At least 115 decaying bodies.
The report stated the alleged funeral home owner, Jon Hallford, tried to cover up the grim mess by claiming he was doing taxidermy at the facility.
This is odd since the "green" funeral home advertises all-natural burials and cremations with a "minimal environmental impact." No chemicals, which is what you would need for taxidermy.
From their website:
Green Burial is a natural way of caring for your loved one with minimal environmental impact. Green Burial aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions and the preservation of habitat, WITHOUT the use of harsh embalming chemicals, metallic, plastic or unnatural items.
You can still view your loved one who is NOT embalmed. Embalming is NOT a law. In the state of Colorado within 24 hours the body must be either embalmed or placed in a regulated temperature controlled environment, meaning under refrigeration, dry ice, etc...
Return to Nature / Instagram
Hallford did not elaborate on the taxidermy or alleged improper storage of human remains, but the facility's registration has expired since November.
No arrests or charges had been made.
All attempts to reach the funeral home for comment through text messages and phone calls remained unanswered, with no functioning voicemail.
Their website and Instagram page are still up, but their Twitter account has been deleted, and their Google business page is marked "permanently closed."
From AP News:
Funeral home officials were cooperating as investigators sought to determine any criminal wrongdoing, Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said at a news conference where he called the scene inside the building "horrific."
On Friday, a sour, rotten stench still came from the back of the building, where windows were broken. Coroner's officials from Fremont County and nearby El Paso County parked their trucks outside and discussed among themselves as they walked around the building.
Some identifications would require taking fingerprints, finding medical or dental records, and DNA testing in a process that could take several months, Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller said. Families would be notified as soon as possible after body identification, he added.
Family members who have used the funeral home have been asked to contact investigators, and as the news broke, people have been left wondering if their loved one has been rotting away.
Mary Simons, 47, went through Return to Nature Funeral Home to cremate her husband, who had lung cancer and died from pneumonia in August. She never received his ashes.
Suddenly it's like ‘oh my God', I've lost him all over again. It's like the grieving process is starting all over again.
Losing a loved one is always tragic. But this is beyond.
A funeral home is claiming to be "green" and environmentally friendly while corpses rot away...
Sickening.
What the heck is up with Colorado?
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