Introduction to the Case
A Colorado funeral home owner accused of stashing nearly 200 decomposing bodies in a room-temperature building admitted in a plea agreement Monday that she cheated customers and defrauded the federal government out of nearly $900,000.
Carie Hallford, who ran Return to Nature Funeral Home with her husband, Jon Hallford, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Carie Hallford faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, though federal prosecutors agreed to ask for 15 years.
The Federal Case
The federal case brought against both Hallfords focused on two schemes: falsifying documents to trick the U.S. Small Business Administration into giving them pandemic-era financial aid and deceiving customers who paid for cremations the Hallfords never did.
Instead of cremating nearly 200 bodies between 2019 and 2023, the Hallfords are accused of storing them in a decrepit building sending customers dry concrete instead of ashes. The Hallfords pocketed around $130,000 of their customers’ payments meant for cremations or burial services.
Nearly 200 decaying bodies were found at the facility this week.
State Court Charges
In a separate case in state court, both Hallfords have been charged with 191 counts of corpse abuse, including for burying the wrong body in two instances and leaving others to decompose. Jon Hallford has already pleaded guilty to those 191 counts, as well as a fraud charge in the federal case.
The building packed with bodies was discovered in 2023 in Penrose, Colorado, about a two-hour drive south of Denver. It shook already grieving families. Many learned that their loved ones’ remains weren’t in the ashes they spread or held tight, but were instead decaying in a building — some for four years.
Conditions at the Facility
Investigators found bodies stacked atop each other, swarms of bugs and maggots, and so much liquid on the ground it had to be pumped out.
Crystina Page’s son David died in 2019 and his body was left in an inoperable refrigerator for four years. Page, who attended the hearing, is disappointed neither Hallford will stand trial, something she hoped would have brought answers about what happened to her son and all the other people entrusted to their care.
“We still don’t know the truth of what they’ve done to us,” she said.
Sentencing and Previous Plea
Carie Hallford had already pleaded guilty in federal court last year, but a judge had rejected that agreement. Carie Hallford is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
Conclusion
The case of the Hallfords and their funeral home has brought to light a horrific example of fraud and abuse of trust. The fact that they were able to deceive so many families and store the bodies of their loved ones in such conditions is a tragedy. The guilty plea and upcoming sentencing of Carie Hallford are steps towards justice, but for many families, the wounds will take a long time to heal.
FAQs
Q: What was the Hallfords’ scheme?
A: The Hallfords falsified documents to trick the U.S. Small Business Administration into giving them pandemic-era financial aid and deceived customers who paid for cremations they never did.
Q: How many bodies were found at the facility?
A: Nearly 200 decaying bodies were found at the facility.
Q: What are the Hallfords charged with in state court?
A: Both Hallfords have been charged with 191 counts of corpse abuse, including for burying the wrong body in two instances and leaving others to decompose.
Q: When is Carie Hallford scheduled to be sentenced?
A: Carie Hallford is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
