Colorado funeral home scam victims prepare to testify as sentencing nears

Investigators found 189 human remains at the Return to Nature facility and owners Jon and Carie Hallford pleaded guilty; Jon is due to be sentenced Friday and Carie is scheduled for sentencing in April, and relatives are preparing to testify.

Families affected by the Return to Nature funeral home case in Colorado are preparing to speak at upcoming sentencing hearings. Investigators discovered that the business’s owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, had stored nearly 200 human remains in a Penrose building and admitted to related crimes, including fraud. Jon Hallford is scheduled to be sentenced Friday and faces a term reported as 30 to 50 years; Carie Hallford is due to be sentenced in April after plea agreements were accepted. Relatives and survivors have described ongoing emotional distress and some are expected to give statements at the hearings. What officials say: - Investigators identified 189 human remains at a building associated with Return to Nature in Penrose, Colorado. - Authorities say the Hallfords handed some families fake ashes and admitted to defrauding federal pandemic-era relief programs. - The Hallfords pleaded guilty to charges including abuse of corpses and fraud, and a judge accepted their plea agreements in December. - Jon Hallford is set to be sentenced Friday with a reported exposure of 30 to 50 years; Carie Hallford’s sentencing is scheduled for April. - Hundreds of families learned their loved ones’ remains were not handled as promised, and many relatives have joined together to prepare testimony. Summary: The case has had broad effects on those who engaged Return to Nature and prompted reviews of funeral-home oversight in the state. Sentencing for Jon Hallford will occur Friday, and Carie Hallford’s sentencing is scheduled for April; victims are preparing statements for those hearings.