Dark Secrets Behind Colorado’s “Green” Funeral Home: A Betrayal Beyond Words

What started as a seemingly simple promise of eco-friendly burials spiraled into one of the most harrowing scandals in Colorado’s funeral industry. Beneath the serene marketing and gentle reassurances of Return to Nature Funeral Home lay a nightmare few could imagine.

When a persistent, foul odor finally drew investigators inside, they uncovered a grotesque scene: nearly 200 bodies left to decay, urns stuffed with concrete instead of ashes, and a web of financial deception that stretched deep and wide.

As this shocking story unfolds, many are left asking: How did such profound betrayal remain hidden for so long? And who failed to protect the grieving families?
\
Jon and Carie Hallford, the Colorado couple behind the so-called “green burial” businesses in Colorado Springs and Penrose, have now pleaded guilty to 191 felony counts of corpse abuse. In El Paso County Court, the Hallfords accepted a plea deal that could see them behind bars for 15 to 20 years. Their sentencing is slated for April.

Return to Nature Funeral Home had built its reputation on environmentally conscious promises—biodegradable caskets, shrouds, and burial baskets designed to honor both the earth and the departed.

But the truth revealed last fall shattered that image completely. Following complaints about a persistent, putrid smell emanating from their facilities, authorities launched an investigation that exposed nearly 200 improperly stored bodies, some neglected for as long as four years.

“The pain for the families is beyond measure,” El Paso District Attorney Michael Allen said somberly at a press briefing