Demolition date rescheduled for Penrose funeral home

Ashley Eberhardt
·2 min read

(PENROSE, Colo.) — After the initial planned demolition date was delayed due to weather, the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose will be demolished in late February, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The funeral home was shut down in October 2023 after nearly 200 improperly stored bodies were discovered inside. The owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, are facing a slew of charges including Abuse of a Corpse, Forgery, and Money Laundering.

At a hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 17 for Carie Hallford, the judge stated that it appeared the Hallfords had run into financial trouble and could not maintain their services in Colorado Springs. As a result, they began moving the bodies from the Colorado Springs location to Penrose.

  • The owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home were arrested on suspicion of committing multiple felonies. (KDVR)
    The owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home were arrested on suspicion of committing multiple felonies. (KDVR)
  • FILE - A hearse and van sit outside the Return to Nature Funeral Home, Oct. 6, 2023, in Penrose, Colo. Investigators who entered the funeral home encountered stacks of partially covered human remains, bodily fluids several inches deep on the floor and flies, an FBI agent testified Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
    FILE – A hearse and van sit outside the Return to Nature Funeral Home, Oct. 6, 2023, in Penrose, Colo. Investigators who entered the funeral home encountered stacks of partially covered human remains, bodily fluids several inches deep on the floor and flies, an FBI agent testified Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
  • Return to Nature Funeral Home
    Courtesy: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • A hearse and debris can be seen at the rear of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colo. Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. Authorities said Thursday they were investigating the improper storage of human remains at a southern Colorado funeral home that performs “green” burials without embalming chemicals or metal caskets. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP)

Due to the biological and hazardous waste resulting from the improper storage of bodies, the Penrose location was deemed a public health hazard by the EPA, and it was initially set to be demolished in early January.

Demolition of Penrose funeral home delayed

However, poor weather conditions delayed the demolition, and now the EPA has rescheduled the work for the final week in February.

Once contractors and EPA personnel arrive and set up, the work is expected to take approximately 10 days.

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