Colorado judge reduces bond for Carie Hallford, co-owner of Penrose funeral home where nearly 200 "improperly stored" bodies found
In court on Wednesday, the judge reduced the bond for Carie Hallford, co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose. The proceeding was a continuation of a preliminary hearing that began last week in El Paso County Court for the co-owner of the funeral home where 190 "improperly stored" bodies were discovered in October of last year.
The judge reduced her bond from $2 million to $100,000 with an ankle monitor. If released from custody, she must surrender her passport and have no contact with the victims. Her next court appearance is scheduled for an arraignment on March 21.
Jon and Carie Hallford were arrested in November of last year in Oklahoma on several crimes, including abuse of a corpse, theft, money laundering and forgery, which are all felonies.
Investigators who entered the funeral home last fall testified they found stacks of partially covered human remains, bodily fluids several inches deep on the floor, along with flies and maggots. The remains were dated 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Investigators also discovered animal remains and bags of concrete. There were three "makeshift" refrigeration units inside but those were not operating.
There were no 2021 dates of death for remains found inside the building in Penrose. Employees working for Return to Nature Funeral Home in 2021 have told investigators there was a proper disposition of bodies during that time.
Earlier this month, Jon Hallford appeared before a judge where his bail was lowered from $2 million to $100,000. He remained in custody as of Jan. 17. If released from custody, he must surrender his passport and have no contact with the victims. He is set to appear in court for a continuance of the preliminary hearing on Feb. 8 at 1:30 p.m.
The Fremont County Sheriff's Office began an investigation on Oct. 4, 2023 after neighbors reported an odor emanating from the Penrose facility located at 31 Werner Road.
According to the affidavit for their arrests in Oklahoma, Jon Hallford told a Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies investigator that he was "using the building in Penrose to learn how to do taxidermy" and that he "knew he had a problem there."
All decedents were removed from the funeral home on Oct. 13, 2023 and transported to the El Paso County Coroner's Office.
A total of 30-40 bodies still have not been identified.
The Environmental Protection Agency had scheduled crews to mobilize to the site around Jan. 17 for demolition. That date has been delayed due to "final logistical arrangements and cold temperatures forecasted." In a previous post, the EPA said the demolition will take approximately 10 days, weather permitting.
Return to Nature started in 2017 and offered cremations and "green" burials without embalming fluids.
Additional Information from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office:
Families who have not already done so are asked to go to https://forms.fbi.gov/penrose-funeral-home and complete the questionnaire to assist in this process.
If you believe you or your loved one might have been impacted and you have further questions, please send an email to penrosefuneralhome@fbi.gov. This is the most effective way to connect with resources; a person will respond to all emails from family members.