PENROSE, Colo. — A Penrose funeral home where 190 bodies were found improperly stored is being demolished in January.
Many of the bodies that were found at Return to Nature Funeral Home were reported to the state as buried or cremated, and loved ones were provided with items that were purported to be remains, according to a federal complaint filed in the case. The Penrose funeral home's license expired in November 2022.
The Environmental Protection Agency said in a release that demolition is necessary to safely remove biological and hazardous materials inside the funeral home after an assessment on Nov. 15.
"It's been very sad. It's horrible. It's heartbreaking. You know, 200 families, not just us, have been affected," Samantha Naranjo said.
Naranjo said her grandmother Dorothy was one of the 190 bodies found inside the funeral home.
"It goes to show just how tragic the situation is, by knowing that they have to demolish this building, to know that that was the environment that my grandmother has been in for over a year," Naranjo said.
Naranjo's grandmother died in October 2022. Over the weekend, the family said goodbye again.
"I found some relief in being able to witness her cremation and see that on Friday for myself," she said. "And that’s the weirdest feeling in the world. Like I don’t think many people understand that. How do you cremate your loved one again? How do you say goodbye to your loved one again?"
The EPA is working to develop a demolition plan and will release more details when they are finalized.
The couple who owns the funeral home were arrested in Oklahoma last month on numerous charges, including abuse of a corpse, theft, and money laundering, the Fourth Judicial District Attorney's Office said.
Jon Hallford faces 190 preliminary counts of abuse of a corpse, 61 counts of forgery and four counts of theft and money laundering.
Carie Hallford is also being held on 190 counts of abuse of a corpse, as well as dozens of other felony charges that include theft, money laundering and forgery.
Both remain in custody at the El Paso County jail on a $2 million bond each. Their next court appearances are both scheduled for Tuesday.
Naranjo plans to follow the court process in honor of her grandmother.
"My grandmother no longer has a voice," she said. "I want to be able to be that voice. She deserves someone to stand up for her, to fight for her justice, to not let her voice or her beautiful, beautiful self go unnoticed."
The sheriff's office searched the Penrose property on Oct. 4 after a report was made the previous day of "an abhorrent smell" coming from the property off Werner Road, according to an order of summary suspension.
The FBI detailed extensive efforts led by its Technical Hazards Response Unit to safely remove the remains from the funeral home in October.
"The conditions were challenging, both mentally and physically," the FBI said in a release.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime