Colorado Funeral Home Owner Sentenced to 40 Years for Abusing 189 Bodies
A shocking case of corporate greed and abuse has come to a head in Colorado, as a funeral home owner was sentenced to 40 years in state prison for stashing 189 decomposing bodies in a building over four years. The crimes were committed by Jon Hallford, the co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, who gave grieving families fake ashes and charged them exorbitant fees.
The case drew emotional testimony from family members of the deceased, who described how they had been subjected to nightmares, guilt, and grief as a result of their loved ones' bodies being treated with such disregard. "I'm a daughter whose mother was treated like yesterday's trash and dumped in a site left to rot with hundreds of others," one family member, Kelly Mackeen, said during the sentencing hearing.
The Hallfords' motives for the abuse were allegedly driven by greed, as they spent lavishly on luxury items while profiting from their victims. The couple was found guilty of nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse and pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after cheating the government out of nearly $900,000 in pandemic-era small business aid.
During the investigation, authorities discovered that the Hallfords had stored bodies at room temperature, stacked on top of each other, with swarms of bugs and decomposition fluid covering the floors. The remains were identified through fingerprints, DNA, and other methods, but many families received fake ashes instead.
The sentencing marks a significant shift in Colorado's lax funeral home regulations, which have been tightened by new legislation passed in May 2024. The bill gives regulators greater enforcement power over funeral homes and requires routine inspections of facilities after one shuts down.
Jon Hallford apologized during the sentencing hearing, saying he would regret his actions for the rest of his life. His former wife, Carie Hallford, who also co-owned the Return to Nature Funeral Home, faces a separate sentence of 25-35 years in prison and is set to be sentenced on April 24.
The case has sparked outrage among family members and community leaders, who have called for greater accountability and regulation of the funeral industry. As one of the victims' families said, "My mother's remains were treated like yesterday's trash... I ask God every day for grace."
A shocking case of corporate greed and abuse has come to a head in Colorado, as a funeral home owner was sentenced to 40 years in state prison for stashing 189 decomposing bodies in a building over four years. The crimes were committed by Jon Hallford, the co-owner of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, who gave grieving families fake ashes and charged them exorbitant fees.
The case drew emotional testimony from family members of the deceased, who described how they had been subjected to nightmares, guilt, and grief as a result of their loved ones' bodies being treated with such disregard. "I'm a daughter whose mother was treated like yesterday's trash and dumped in a site left to rot with hundreds of others," one family member, Kelly Mackeen, said during the sentencing hearing.
The Hallfords' motives for the abuse were allegedly driven by greed, as they spent lavishly on luxury items while profiting from their victims. The couple was found guilty of nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse and pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after cheating the government out of nearly $900,000 in pandemic-era small business aid.
During the investigation, authorities discovered that the Hallfords had stored bodies at room temperature, stacked on top of each other, with swarms of bugs and decomposition fluid covering the floors. The remains were identified through fingerprints, DNA, and other methods, but many families received fake ashes instead.
The sentencing marks a significant shift in Colorado's lax funeral home regulations, which have been tightened by new legislation passed in May 2024. The bill gives regulators greater enforcement power over funeral homes and requires routine inspections of facilities after one shuts down.
Jon Hallford apologized during the sentencing hearing, saying he would regret his actions for the rest of his life. His former wife, Carie Hallford, who also co-owned the Return to Nature Funeral Home, faces a separate sentence of 25-35 years in prison and is set to be sentenced on April 24.
The case has sparked outrage among family members and community leaders, who have called for greater accountability and regulation of the funeral industry. As one of the victims' families said, "My mother's remains were treated like yesterday's trash... I ask God every day for grace."
this is just so wrong - you'd think people would be able to trust their loved ones when they pass away, and these folks just took advantage of that trust for cash 
. 40 years in prison is still too lenient if you ask me 
. I'm glad some of the regulations are getting tightened up though 
now funeral homes have to answer to someone who actually cares about keeping families safe 
. It's disgusting what these Hallfords did, it's just common decency and human respect... any self-respecting business should treat their customers with dignity and compassion 
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. The thought of those 189 bodies being stored like that is just disgusting 
. And to think they were giving fake ashes to grieving families and charging them an arm and a leg 
. And the fact that it took this long to catch these guys speaks volumes about the lack of regulation in the funeral industry 
. But at least now there's a shift towards tightening up those regulations, so maybe we can prevent something like this from happening again 
. Jon Hallford apologizing for his actions is a good start, but I hope he spends most of that 40-year sentence reflecting on what he did 
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just can't believe what some people will do 
to make a buck... 40 years is way too much time but i guess it's better than nothing 
. the diagram of their crimes would be a massive, festering corpse with hundreds of maggots crawling all over it - that'd show them 
. and what really gets me is how greedy they were, spending thousands on luxuries while profiting from people's grief 
. the new laws should have caught them sooner, though 
. anyway, hope the victims' families can finally find some closure 
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. And now, Kelly Mackeen's family has to deal with the aftermath of being treated like yesterday's trash. No wonder they're still dealing with nightmares and guilt.
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... you know what's even worse? Those fancy coffee shops that serve those weird iced lattes with the microfoam on top... I swear, it's like they're trying to make a latte art out of the money people pay for those drinks 
. And have you ever noticed how some places put those 'artisanal' labels on their food and stuff? Like, dude, if I work hard enough, I can put an 'artisanal' label on my own homemade granola... 
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, it was about a guy who got lost in the woods and had to survive with nothing but his wits. It totally blew my mind how he managed to start a fire and find food without any tools. I was like "how does that even work?" 
this is just disgusting, how can someone treat human bodies like that? i mean i know they're not alive anymore but still it's so disrespectful 
. I'm all 4 stricter reg's on the funeral home industry now. Can't let ppl take advantage of ppl in such a horrific way 
. I mean, who does that? storing bodies like trash on top of each other? 
. And the greed part? Like, come on! Cheating the government out of $900k for pandemic aid? 
That's just cruel 
. The whole system needs a major overhaul 
. These new regulations in May 2024 are a good start, but we need to see more 
. And what about the victims' families? They deserve so much more than a half-hearted apology 
. Maybe this will be a wake-up call for the industry as a whole - we need more accountability and transparency, especially when it comes to something as sacred as death 
. Fingers crossed that we'll start seeing some real reform and better practices in the future 
. The fact that Jon Hallford was able to go four years without anyone noticing 189 bodies stacked up in his funeral home is just mind-boggling. It raises so many questions about how lax our laws are when it comes to regulating the funeral industry. I mean, who lets a couple run a funeral home like that? 