'Horrific': Over 115 improperly stored bodies found at Colorado funeral home

More than 115 improperly stored bodies were discovered at a southern Colorado funeral home known for performing "green" burials, in what officials described Friday as a "horrific" scene.

The funeral home in Penrose, Colorado, a small town about 34 miles southwest of Colorado Springs, is under investigation after authorities responded to a report of an odor coming from the funeral home earlier this week. The owner of the facility had tried to conceal the problems with the storage of the bodies, the Associated Press reported.

Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said at a news conference Friday there have been no arrests made and the owners of the funeral home were cooperating with the investigation. Officials said it was not yet clear if a crime had been committed.

The improperly stored bodies created a "hazardous scene," Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller said. After working to mitigate the hazard, authorities will be focused on "respectfully" removing the bodies and transporting them to another facility, where the coroner's office can control the environment and prevent any more degradation.

The process of identifying all the deceased people could take months, Keller said, and may require the use of fingerprints, dental records or DNA.

"The loved ones in this facility will be treated with the utmost care and respect," Keller said.

Owner tried to conceal issues with storage of bodies: Report

The owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home facility in Penrose, Jon Hallford, tried to conceal the improper storage of the bodies when he spoke with investigators earlier this week, according to the Associated Press, which obtained a suspension letter sent to Hallford by state regulators.

In a phone call with regulators, Hallford reportedly acknowledged he had a "problem" at the facility. The document didn't detail how he tried to conceal the issue, AP reported. He also said he practiced animal taxidermy there.

According to a cease and desist ordered on Thursday, the facility's license had expired in November 2022, AP reported.

The Return to Nature Funeral Home couldn't be reached for comment by USA TODAY on Friday.

Neighbors were smelling a foul odor

Officials said they responded to the funeral home after reports of an odor coming from it and obtained a warrant to enter. Neighbors and businesses said they'd been smelling something foul for weeks.

Joyce Pavetti, 73, told the Associated Press she can see the funeral home from the stoop of her house and said she caught whiffs of a putrid smell.

“We just assumed it was a dead animal,” she said.

Another neighbor, Ron Alexander, told the AP he thought the smell was coming from a septic tank.

There was no health risk to the public, Keller said. Upon entering the facility, a deputy coroner developed a rash and was evaluated at a hospital, but Keller said she was "fine."

What to know about the funeral home, owners

The Penrose property is owned by the Return to Nature Funeral Home, which is based in Colorado Springs, according to authorities. 

The company provides what it describes as green or natural burials without embalming chemicals or metal caskets. The cost for a green burial there is $1,895, which doesn’t include the cost of a casket and cemetery space.

"No embalming fluids, no concrete vaults. As natural as possible," the funeral home's website said. Return to Nature was established six years ago in Colorado Springs, according to public records.

Under Colorado law, green burials are legal but state code requires that any body not buried within 24 hours must be properly refrigerated.

According to county property records, the funeral home building and lot are owned by Hallfordhomes, LLC, a business with a Colorado Springs address that the Colorado Secretary of State declared delinquent on Oct. 1 for failing to file a routine reporting form that was due at the end of July.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; The Associated Press