Funeral home owner left 190 bodies to rot for 4 years, sent fake ashes, received 20 years in prison!

Nearly 200 bodies were left unattended, hundreds of families were cruelly deceived, that's what happened at the "Return to Nature" funeral home in Colorado. Jon Hallford, the mastermind, faces up to 20 years in federal prison and US state charges.

On June 27, Jon Hallford, 45, owner of Return to Nature Funeral Home, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for defrauding customers and misappropriating nearly $900,000 in federal Covid-19 relief funds.

The incident first came to light in October 2023, when residents living near the "Return to Nature" funeral home repeatedly reported a strong, unpleasant stench coming from the facility. Initially, many thought it could be animal odors or some other environmental issue. However, the stench became increasingly worse, prompting local authorities to investigate.

According to the records, the scene was horrifying: inside were bodies in various states of decay stacked on top of each other in a low, insect-infested building. In total, about 190 bodies were discovered in a state of complete abandonment, some of which had been there since 2019, that is, nearly four years.

What made the case even more serious was the elaborate fraud committed by Jon Hallford and his wife Carie Hallford. Instead of cremating the bodies as agreed with the families, they kept the bodies and sent fake urns to relatives.

The revelation has dealt a heavy blow to the faith and spirit of hundreds of families. They not only had to face the pain of losing their loved ones but also had to endure the deep trauma of knowing that the body of their loved one had been "abused" and neglected for a long time. Many people shared their feelings of "haunting" and "disgust" when they realized the truth. This pain was not only the pain of loss but also anger and resentment at being betrayed by those who were supposed to perform the service in the most solemn and humane way.

Jon Hallford was convicted of a slew of charges, including abuse of a deceased person's remains, and pandemic financial fraud, for billing customers to buy two cars worth more than $120,000, along with $31,000 and luxury items.

"While the bodies quietly rot, they live happily. To collect my mother's cremation fees that could have been used to pay for a cocktail, a day at the spa, a first-class flight," Derrick Johnson, a funeral home customer, denounced the Hallfords in court.

At the trial, the prosecutor emphasized the severity of the fraud that lasted for years and caused irreparable pain to the families. With a sentence of 20 years in prison, Jon Hallford will pay for his crimes.

This case is not just about individual convictions. It also raises big questions about the responsibility of the agencies that manage and supervise funeral homes. How could a facility operate for years, storing hundreds of bodies without being detected? Are there loopholes in licensing regulations and periodic inspections?

In an effort to ease the pain of the victims' families and erase the horrific traces of the case, the "Return to Nature" funeral home was demolished by local authorities in April 2024. The demolition process lasted 10 days, turning the facility that was once a place of crime into an empty lot.

Along with the demolition, Fremont County officials and local pastors held a meaningful memorial service. The service was an opportunity for the community to come together to pray and remember the 190 people who died, who suffered tragic fates after their deaths. This was a practical, symbolic act that helped families find some peace and begin the healing process.

Jon’s legal saga doesn’t end there, however. In addition to the federal charges, he faces serious charges in Colorado. He has pleaded guilty to 191 counts of desecration of a corpse, one for each body left unattended in his funeral home. This underscores the level of cruelty and disrespect toward the deceased. Sentencing on the state charges is scheduled for August.