COLORADO, USA: Jon and Carie Hallford, owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado, are expected to plead guilty to federal charges of fraud related to COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.
They allegedly misspent nearly $900,000 on luxury items and vacations while storing 190 decaying bodies in their facility. Families were also allegedly given fake ashes, with some cremation bags filled with dry concrete instead of their loved ones’ remains.
The Hallfords face 15 federal charges, which could result in up to 20 years in prison. They are also facing over 200 state-level charges for corpse abuse and forgery. The discovery of these practices in 2022 led to reforms in Colorado’s funeral home regulations, including new inspection and licensing requirements.
The case has devastated families who believed they had received the cremated remains of their loved ones but later discovered the truth through the investigation.
