Funeral house house owners who ‘abused 190 corpses’ owe £782million to sufferer households

A Colorado judge has ordered the owners of a funeral home to pay $1billion (£782m) in damages for mishandling bodies.

Jon and Carie Hallford, who ran the now infamous Return to Nature Funeral Home where 190 bodies were found this summer, are also accused of misappropriating nearly $900,000 (£703.6k) in pandemic relief funds on personal luxuries such as holidays, cosmetic surgery and jewellery.

The couple was arrested last October on a $2million bond, facing charges including approximately 190 counts of abuse of a corpse, five counts of theft, four counts of money laundering, and over 50 counts of forgery.

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Judge Lynette Wenner of the Fremont County District Court has now ruled that they must pay more than $956 million in damages, a figure which could exceed $1billion with interest according to attorney Andrew Swan, who represented the victims’ families.

Each family member involved in the class action has been awarded more than $7million, an amount believed to be the largest monetary judgment in Colorado history. Despite their registration expiring, the Hallfords continued to operate the funeral home without any restrictions.

In Colorado, anyone can become a funeral director, and obtaining a license is voluntary by other state standards, although they can be regulated through the Colorado Funeral Directors Association.

It was reports of a “repugnant” odour emanating from the funeral home that led neighbours to alert investigators. However, without a search warrant, authorities were unable to enter the premises.

Upon finally gaining access, they discovered a gruesome sight of 190 bodies strewn and stacked across the floor, amidst insects and bodily fluids. Among the victims was 77-year-old Sara Swoveland, identified by her fingerprints.

The funeral home owners were supposed to cremate the bodies and return the ashes to families, but instead discarded the bodies and handed out concrete. In an exclusive interview with the Mirror US, Sara’s daughter Abby revealed that the Hallfords had told neighbours the smell was due to taxidermy.

“When neighbours complained about the smell, police approached the Halfords who claimed they were practicing taxidermy,” she said. “Thanks to some changes in laws in 2018, regulators were able to inspect funeral homes. However, they were denied entry and had to secure a search warrant to investigate the premises.

“If investigators hadn’t obtained a warrant, they wouldn’t have been allowed in as everything seemed above board. There’s no evidence that regulators made any attempts to verify if their business was still operational.”

Abby admitted she feels “stupid” for believing her state and lawmakers would protect her mourning family, stating: “I assumed my state and legislators who represent my family would be looking out for us, but it didn’t happen.”

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