Return to Nature Funeral Home owners set to appear in El Paso County court for plea hearing
Nov 21, 2024
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Jon and Carie Hallford, owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, will both appear in El Paso County court on Friday, Nov. 22 for a plea hearing regarding their state charges.
Courtesy: Muskogee County Detention Center, Jon and Carie Hallford mugshots.
The hearing, originally scheduled for Nov. 8, was rescheduled to Nov. 22 at 10:30 a.m. due to a snowstorm in Colorado Springs and across the state.
According to the Associated Press (AP), in late October, the Hallfords pled guilty to federal fraud charges for defrauding customers and the federal government. Both also face more than 200 criminal counts in Colorado state court including corpse abuse, money laundering, theft, and forgery.
Oct. 4, 2024, marked one year since law enforcement discovered the nearly 200 improperly stored bodies after the Fremont County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) initially responded to 31 Werner Road in Penrose on reports of a "suspicious incident." About a month later after the initial investigation, on Nov. 8, 2023, the Hallfords were arrested in Wagoner, Oklahoma.
FOX21 News will be in the courtroom on Friday and will update this article as we learn more.