The Colorado Funeral Home Scandal: Deceit, Decay, and a Plea for Justice
Nearly 200 decaying bodies were mishandled by Jon and Carie Hallford at Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado. Families were deceived, thinking loved ones were cremated, receiving concrete instead. The Hallfords faced state and federal charges. Victims’ families sought justice, urging harsher sentences for the perpetrators.
The grisly discovery of nearly 200 decomposing bodies in a rural Colorado funeral home remains a chilling reminder of the depths of deceit practiced by Jon and Carie Hallford. On Friday, Hallford faced sentencing in a state court. For years, the couple's Return to Nature Funeral Home assured families they were cremating their deceased loved ones. Instead, bodies were stashed in a bug-infested building, with relatives unknowingly handed dry concrete masquerading as ashes.
A plea agreement outlines a 20-year prison sentence for Hallford on corpse abuse charges. Still, the victims' relatives implored Judge Eric Bentley to reject it, as it would allow Hallford's state sentence to run concurrently with a 20-year federal sentence, potentially reducing his time behind bars. Crystina Page, whose son David was a victim, was one of many urging the court to ensure those wronged received dignity in death.
The Hallfords, having obtained a funeral home license in 2017, began their fraudulent activities by 2019. As bodies were left to rot, they defrauded the government of nearly USD 900,000 in pandemic relief, purchasing luxury items. The scandal unfolded in 2023 as investigators swarmed the premises following reports of a putrid odor, uncovering the horrific truth. Families now grapple with the betrayal entwined with their grief.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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