Gruesome funeral home discovery of 190 improperly stored bodies spurs calls for more regulation in Colorado

The discovery of 190 bodies stored inside a funeral home in Penrose has prompted calls for more regulation of the industry. The state used to license funeral directors but dropped that.

Now Colorado's funeral business is coming under scrutiny and for good reason. 

Tanya Wilson's mother is among those brought to the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose. 

"They were supposed to have cremated my mother and didn't," said Wilson.

She is the daughter of Yong Anderson one of the people whose bodies were discovered inside the building in Penrose. 

"Colorado created the perfect environment for them to come to Colorado to set up their business with their lack of oversight," Wilson said. 

The stench from the building led to the horrifying discovery more than a month ago. That followed the arrest and conviction of the operators of the Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose where body parts were being sold. 

A distraught Wilson asked, "How many more families need to suffer on top of Montrose, on top of Penrose?"

Colorado does not license funeral directors but does license funeral homes. There are no required state inspections but the state can respond to complaints. 

"The lack of regulation is what allowed this to happen, the fact that they were able to backdate death certificates allowed this to happen," Wilson added.

Yong Anderson's family went to Hawaii to spread her ashes in the ocean, but they have now learned the ashes were fake. 

When the Colorado Legislature convenes next year, the issues of licensing of funeral directors and inspection of funeral homes could very well be on the table.