Products are selected by our editors, we may earn commission from links on this page.
Investigators uncovered one of the most horrifying funeral home scandals in American history. Nearly 200 decomposing bodies were stacked inside a Colorado building owned by Return to Nature Funeral Home. Owners Jon and Carie Hallford had been stashing corpses since 2019, giving grieving families fake ashes instead.
The Phone Call
Derrick Johnson was teaching eighth-grade gym class in Hawaii when the FBI called. They asked about his mother, Ellen Lopes, and mentioned Return to Nature funeral home. The agent suggested he search the name online. What Johnson discovered would shatter his world and send him spiraling into nightmares.
Ashes That Weren’t Real
Johnson had buried what he believed were his mother’s ashes beneath a golden dewdrop tree with purple blossoms at his Maui home. He had sprinkled rose petals over the blue box at her memorial service while a preacher said the traditional words. But the FBI revealed a horrifying truth: those weren’t his mother’s remains at all.
A Gruesome Scene Inside
Investigators donning protective suits discovered 189 bodies stacked throughout the 2,500-square-foot building in Penrose, Colorado. Bodies blocked doorways in nearly a dozen rooms, including the bathroom. Swarms of bugs and maggots filled the space. Decomposition fluid covered floors several inches deep. Some bodies had decayed for years in the unrefrigerated building.
The Couple Behind the Horror
Jon and Carie Hallford operated Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs as a husband-and-wife team. They advertised eco-friendly green burials and cremation services. Carie greeted grieving families, guiding them through difficult decisions. Jon worked behind the scenes. Together, they built a business founded on deception that would traumatize hundreds of families.
Fake Ashes From Concrete
Investigators believe the Hallfords gave families dry concrete that resembled cremated ashes. A large bone grinder sat inside the building next to bags of Quikrete. While families conducted memorial services and spread what they thought were their loved ones’ remains, the actual bodies were rotting in a room-temperature warehouse, stacked on top of each other.
Spending Spree While Bodies Piled Up
While corpses decomposed, the Hallfords spent lavishly on luxury items. They purchased a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti worth over $120,000 combined. They bought $31,000 in cryptocurrency and expensive goods from Gucci and Tiffany stores. They paid for laser body sculpting and family vacations. Meanwhile, their unpaid bills mounted, and families trusted them with their deceased loved ones.
Nearly $900,000 in Pandemic Fraud
The Hallfords also defrauded the federal government of nearly $900,000 in pandemic-era small business aid. They charged clients more than $1,200 per cremation, pocketing approximately $130,000 from customers for services never performed. Prosecutors described the scheme as clearly motivated by greed rather than being overwhelmed by circumstances beyond their control.
A Veteran’s Body Misplaced
One recovered body belonged to a former Army sergeant first class who served in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. Investigators thought he’d been buried at a veterans’ cemetery. When they exhumed his casket, they found a woman’s deteriorated body inside, wrapped in duct tape and plastic. The veteran’s body was later discovered in the Penrose building, covered in maggots.
The Smell That Led to Discovery
Neighbors complained about a rank smell coming from the building in early October 2023. It reminded people of rancid manure or rotting fish. One neighbor thought it came from a septic tank. Another said her dog always ran toward the building when off-leash. Detective Sgt. Michael Jolliffe and Deputy Coroner Laura Allen investigated the suspicious odor.
Warning Signs Ignored
Authorities found dark stains under the door and on the building’s exterior that resembled fluids from decaying bodies. Windows were covered, preventing them from seeing inside. When they contacted Jon Hallford to meet an inspector, he agreed but never showed up. Inspector Joseph Berry peered through a small opening and spotted what looked like body bags on the floor.
Surveillance Footage Reveals Callousness
Camera footage from September 2023 showed a man appearing to be Jon Hallford wheeling bodies into the building. He flipped one corpse onto the floor and wiped decomposition fluid from the gurney onto other bodies. In a text to his wife, Hallford called the bodily fluids getting on him during transfers as getting people juice on himself.
Experimenting With Water Cremation
Investigators believed the Hallfords were attempting water cremation, which can dissolve a body in several hours. Five-gallon buckets were placed to catch leaking body fluids from ripped bags. Removal teams trudged through layers of human decomposition on the floor. Some bodies were in bags, others wrapped in sheets and duct tape, and some lay completely exposed on gurneys.
Hundreds of Families Devastated
Hundreds of families learned the ashes they ceremonially spread or kept close weren’t their loved ones. Bodies of mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, and babies had moldered in that building. The discovery undid their grieving process. Many suffered nightmares and struggled with guilt. Johnson promised himself he would speak at sentencing and demand maximum punishment for the Hallfords.
The Neighborhood Mom
Ellen Marie Shriver-Lopes raised Johnson in affordable housing in Colorado Springs, where everyone knew her. Johnson’s father wasn’t around much. Lopes taught her son to shave and cheered at his football games. Neighborhood kids called her mom, sleeping on her couch when they needed shelter and warm meals. She dedicated her life to social work.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Johnson suffered panic attacks after the FBI called. When he closed his eyes, he imagined trudging through the building with maggots, flies and rats feasting. He asked a preacher if his mother’s soul had been trapped there. A zombie show episode triggered a breakdown. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and began therapy, joining Zoom meetings with victims’ families.
A Second Chance to Say Goodbye
In March 2024, Johnson flew to Colorado, where his mother’s remains lay in a brown box at a crematorium. He placed his hand on the box and apologized, though he knew she wouldn’t blame him. Then her body was loaded into the cremator. This time, Johnson pushed the button himself, finally giving his mother the cremation she deserved.
Forty Years Behind Bars
Judge Eric Bentley sentenced Jon Hallford to 40 years in state prison on February 7, 2026, calling the harm he caused unspeakable and incomprehensible. Family members called Hallford a monster and vile, urging the maximum 50-year sentence. Hallford apologized, saying he had many chances to stop but didn’t. His mistakes would echo for a generation, he admitted.
Legal Reforms and Future Sentencing
The corpse abuse revelations spurred Colorado lawmakers to overhaul lax funeral home regulations. The state now requires routine inspections of facilities and gives regulators greater enforcement power. Carie Hallford faces sentencing on April 24, 2026, with a range of 25 to 35 years in prison. Both also received federal sentences for fraud charges.
Justice and Healing
Johnson practiced speaking at sentencing during therapy sessions, envisioning himself standing before the judge and the Hallfords. He hoped justice would free him from the trauma, though part of him feared it wouldn’t. He has slowly improved with therapy, engaging more with his students and children. For hundreds of families, the sentencing marked a step toward healing from unimaginable betrayal.