At least 189 decaying bodies have been recovered from a “green” funeral home in Colorado, authorities announced Tuesday.
The remains were uncovered at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, after law enforcement were called to investigate an “abhorrent smell” coming from the facility, according to Fox13. The home specialized in green burials, which do not involve embalming chemicals, the outlet noted.
“While the investigation for this incident continues, we also remain focused on the impacted families,” Fremont County sheriff Allen Cooper said, according to a press release from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. “We want to do all we can to provide the families the support they need as we shift to the next phase in this process.”
It isn’t clear how long the 189 bodies were inside the funeral home or who the bodies belong to, per the CBI release. All of those uncovered were moved to the El Paso County Coroner’s Office on Friday, so authorities can start the identification process, the release explained.
Former Funeral Directors Sentenced For Selling Body Parts https://t.co/SqQ2Yiejhf
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“We are conducting extensive coordination efforts as we focus on the identification of the decedents and provide notifications to ensure the families are given accurate information to prevent further victimization as they continue to grieve their loved ones,” Fremont County coroner Randy Keller noted, per CBI. (RELATED: Thousands Of Dead Bodies Lie Under San Francisco)
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Department said the funeral home stands accused of storing bodies improperly, according to Fox13. The home’s owner, Jon Hallford, is also accused of trying to conceal the mishandling of corpses, per the outlet.