GUILTY CO - 190 Improperly Stored Human Bodies - Penrose, Fremont County - 6 October 2023

[Richrd]

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‘Horrific:’ More than 100 bodies found inside Colorado funeral home, criminal investigation underway

The Fremont County Sheriff described the scene inside a Colorado funeral home as “horrific” tied to a criminal investigation.

www.kktv.com

Police find at least 115 bodies at Colorado ‘green’ funeral home

The investigation centered on a building owned by the funeral home where local residents reported smelling a foul stench before police became involved.

www.wbaltv.com

Google Search

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[subaw0067]

Ugh thats terrible. 115 bodies take up a lot of space for a 2,500sqft home

 

[azure]

Their Google business page is interesting, lots of great reviews and a facility that looked brand new 6 years ago. It seems they started with a lot of passion. I wonder what happened.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[Richrd]

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Revised upward to 189 Human Bodies

Remains of at least 189 people removed from Colorado funeral home, up from 115, officials say

Officials say the remains of at least 189 people have been removed from a Colorado funeral home. Authorities discovered the decaying bodies while responding to a foul odor at the site two weeks ago.

apnews.com

Google Search

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[iamshadow21]

Their Google business page is interesting, lots of great reviews and a facility that looked brand new 6 years ago. It seems they started with a lot of passion. I wonder what happened.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

Cases like this, it tends to always come back to money. They aren't making enough to pay the bills, keep taking in remains to try and 'catch up', and can't afford to get remains cremated or buried, so they stack them up like cordwood and lie to the families and then, when they finally lose the battle to keep ahead of the debt collectors and have to file for bankruptcy, we end up here. It's horrific. Bill Bass detailed a case in his book, Death's Acre. Tri-State Crematory. The chapter in the book focuses on a specific victim, but 339 bodies were found in all, all meant to have been cremated and treated with dignity. They weren't.

MOO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Joe Walsh, president of the Colorado Funeral Directors Association, has been calling for new regulations of the funeral home industry, which was largely deregulated in Colorado 30 years ago.

Colorado is the only state in the country with no license requirement to be a funeral director. Walsh said a poll of members showed support for such licensing.

The FBI said it sent investigators from its Dallas field office and national lab, as well as a HAZMAT team to assist agents from the Denver field office and local and state officials in collecting evidence and properly removing, storing, preserving and identifying the bodies.

Agents worked 12-hour shifts at the scene but were only allowed inside the funeral home for 40 minutes at a time, according to the FBI.

"The conditions were challenging, both mentally and physically," the Bureau said in a news release.

All bodies removed from Colorado funeral home where officials say bodies were improperly stored

The FBI said Saturday that all bodies have been removed from the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose and are now entering the second phase of the investigation, which is identifying the remains.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[iamshadow21]

Joe Walsh, president of the Colorado Funeral Directors Association, has been calling for new regulations of the funeral home industry, which was largely deregulated in Colorado 30 years ago.

Colorado is the only state in the country with no license requirement to be a funeral director. Walsh said a poll of members showed support for such licensing.

The FBI said it sent investigators from its Dallas field office and national lab, as well as a HAZMAT team to assist agents from the Denver field office and local and state officials in collecting evidence and properly removing, storing, preserving and identifying the bodies.

Agents worked 12-hour shifts at the scene but were only allowed inside the funeral home for 40 minutes at a time, according to the FBI.

"The conditions were challenging, both mentally and physically," the Bureau said in a news release.

All bodies removed from Colorado funeral home where officials say bodies were improperly stored

The FBI said Saturday that all bodies have been removed from the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose and are now entering the second phase of the investigation, which is identifying the remains.

www.cbsnews.com

When the case Bill Bass worked happened, they actually activated D-MORT, the emergency response network of specialists who worked so tirelessly in the weeks, months and years after 9/11 to process remains and identify the victims. They also were activated for Oklahoma City. It would not surprise me if they're called in to help here.

Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

MOO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

When the case Bill Bass worked happened, they actually activated D-MORT, the emergency response network of specialists who worked so tirelessly in the weeks, months and years after 9/11 to process remains and identify the victims. They also were activated for Oklahoma City. It would not surprise me if they're called in to help here.

Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

MOO

OKC I was there immediately after the bombing happened. I worked at a private psych hospital down the road. Our team was swiftly in place to try to help in any way we could. My mind is sure wandering now…

 

[iamshadow21]

OKC I was there immediately after the bombing happened. I worked at a private psych hospital down the road. Our team was swiftly in place to try to help in any way we could. My mind is sure wandering now…

*offers hugs* Sorry if I triggered bad memories by mentioning it. I had no idea you had a personal connection to that tragedy.

 

[Cindizzi]

Press conference by El Paso County DA office (Colorado Springs) in one hour. 10:30 a.m. MST

https://x.com/4thjudicialda/status/1722279348085088389?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/abbeysoukup2/status/1722302474282004944?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/seanricetv/status/1722323610008776836?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

 

[Cindizzi]

https://x.com/seanricetv/status/1722393992774517185?s=61&t=Vp-AZ81ShrhzLNqqCFHAgA

 

[B4igo2it]

a Go Fund Me has been set up to assist Return to Nature victims of this horrific crime. Funds will be used to purchase trees for families who were promised a tree to be planted in honor of their loved ones by Return to Nature with memorials. This is so sad IMHO.

#JusticeinPenroseCO, organized by Abby Swoveland

UPDATE 10/25: Families are being notified by the CBI, FBI, and the Fremont County Coroner as thei… Abby Swoveland needs your support for #JusticeinPenroseCO

gofund.me

 

[iamshadow21]

189!

74 more than we knew. 74 more grieving families.

What a travesty.

MOO

 

[Cindizzi]

 

[Cindizzi]

Yesterday’s press conference (Wednesday November 8, 2023)

If you followed the Stauch trial you’ll recognize DA Michael Allen.

 

[iamshadow21]

Yesterday’s press conference (Wednesday November 8, 2023)

If you followed the Stauch trial you’ll recognize DA Michael Allen.

Nice to see Allen again.

Oh. Colorado Springs. Oh no.

(Oh, please let Gannon's family have used literally any other service for his cremation than this place. They've suffered enough.)

MOO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Investigators entered the Return to Nature Funeral Home building in the Rocky Mountain town of Penrose in early October to find “abhorrent” conditions with dozens of stacked bodies, according to a federal affidavit that’s under seal in Colorado but available in Oklahoma.

Some bodies had 2019 death dates, according to the document.

“Law enforcement now knows the cremains each family was given could not have been their loved one,” reads the documents alleging funeral home owners Jon and Carie Hallford had fled Colorado to avoid prosecution.

The Hallfords were jailed on $2 million bond on a Colorado arrest warrant alleging approximately 190 counts of abuse of a corpse, five counts of theft, four counts of money laundering and over 50 counts of forgery — after their arrest in Wagoner, east of Tulsa. They're set for an initial appearance on a federal fleeing charge on Nov. 9 in Muskogee.

During a news conference in Colorado Springs announcing the charges Wednesday, District Attorney Michael Allen said authorities wouldn't be releasing many details in order to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation. He said the charging documents contain information that is “absolutely shocking."

Several families have told The Associated Press that the FBI told them privately that their loved ones were among the decaying bodies, meaning the ashes they were given weren't their family members'. Those families were asked to give samples of the ashes they received to investigators to analyze.

Return to Nature Funeral Home stored bodies for 4 years, repeatedly deceived families, arrest documents say

Relatives of people whose remains were handled by the funeral home have feared that their loved ones weren't cremated and were instead among the remains that authorities found.

www.cpr.org

 

[imstilla.grandma]

According to the affidavit, on October 3, Colorado law enforcement officers received multiple tips of a horrible smell coming from the Return to Nature Funeral Home.

Jon told authorities the following day that he was learning how to do taxidermy but thought there was a problem.

Jon missed an appointment with the Department of Regulatory Agencies scheduled for the following day.

DORA issued a statement after the missed appointment and when the case began developing against the couple.

The organization said the funeral home was operating unlicensed and they never received complaints while it was licensed through DORA.

The affidavit says "The conditions within the building were abhorrent; bodies we located stacked on top of each other and some were not in body bags."

Man, woman involved in mishandling 189 bodies; phone ping led to arrests in OK

2 News obtained the arrest affidavit for two allegedly involved in the improper disposal of about 189 bodies at their funeral home.

www.kjrh.com