Current:Home > FinanceColorado funeral home operator known for green burials investigated after bodies found 'improperly stored' -Profound Wealth Insights
Colorado funeral home operator known for green burials investigated after bodies found 'improperly stored'
Chainkeen Exchange View
Date:2025-04-10 03:07:01
A southern Colorado funeral home operator, known for performing "green" burials, is under investigation for improper storage of human remains inside one of its properties, authorities said Thursday.
Fremont County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a "suspicious incident" on Tuesday evening at a funeral home in Penrose, Colorado, a small town about 34 miles southwest of Colorado Springs. The following day, authorities executed a search warrant on the property and discovered "improperly stored" human remains inside the building, the sheriff's office said in a news release Thursday.
The sheriff’s office said it was working with several state and federal agencies in the investigation.
The Penrose property was owned by the Return to Nature Funeral Home, which is based in Colorado Springs, according to authorities. The family-owned and operated funeral home performs what they describe as green or natural burials without embalming chemicals or metal caskets.
The sheriff's office is also asking family members of decedents who have utilized the Return to Nature Funeral Home and individuals who have any potential information related to the investigation to contact authorities. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation told USA TODAY on Thursday that the agency did not have any further information.
Under Colorado law, green burials are legal but state code requires that any body not buried within 24 hours must be properly refrigerated. The investigation is the latest incident involving funeral home operators in Colorado.
In January, two Colorado funeral home operators were sentenced to prison for illegally selling body parts and bodies, and giving clients fake ashes.
When the dead don't stay buried:The grave situation at cemeteries amid climate change
Residents, businesses detected foul odor near funeral home
Several law enforcement agencies were investigating the Penrose property, a single-story building with a parking lot surrounded by overgrown weeds, on Thursday.
Trash bags could be seen outside the entrance of the building and a hearse was parked in the back. Two law enforcement vehicles were parked in front with yellow police tape closing off the area as a foul odor permeated the air.
Joyce Pavetti, 73, lives near the funeral home and can see the property from the stoop of her house. She told the Associated Press that she caught whiffs of a putrid smell in the last few weeks.
“We just assumed it was a dead animal,” she said. On Wednesday night, Pavetti said she saw lights from law enforcement as they swarmed around the building.
Different businesses have occupied the building over the years, according to Pavetti, who once took yoga classes there. But Pavetti said she hadn't seen anyone on the property recently and only noticed the hearse behind the building in the last few months.
Other residents and nearby businesses also reported smelling the odor coming from behind the building. James Glidewell, who works on a property behind the funeral home, told The Colorado Springs Gazette that he had smelled the odor for at least a month.
"I'd randomly smell it, but I didn't think anything of it. I thought it was just roadkill or something like that," he told the newspaper. "Every time you'd drive by here, you'd smell it.”
Glidewell also noted that the funeral home appeared to be vacant until two vehicles were seen parked on the property's parking lot in June, The Gazette reported.
Hearts, brains and bones:Stolen body parts scandal stretches from Harvard to Kentucky
Return to Natural Funeral Home declared delinquent
The Return to Nature Funeral Home provides burials of non-embalmed bodies in biodegradable caskets, shrouds or "nothing at all," according to its website. The operator charges $1,895 for a green burial, which doesn’t include the cost of a casket and cemetery space.
"No embalming fluids, no concrete vaults. As natural as possible," the funeral home's website states. Return to Nature was established six years ago in Colorado Springs, according to public records.
The funeral home did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
Online records from the state Department of Regulatory Agencies show that the Penrose funeral home was owned by "Hallfordhomes LLC." The company's funeral home license was originally issued on March 25, 2019, and was effective as of Dec. 1, 2021, but expired on Nov. 30, 2022, records show.
The company also owns a business with a Colorado Springs address which the Colorado Secretary of State declared delinquent on Oct. 1 for failing to file a routine reporting form that was due at the end of July. According to Fremont County records, the company had changed addresses three times in the Colorado Springs area since its establishment in 2016 with a post office box.
County records show that Hallfordhomes still owes about $5,000 in 2022 property taxes for its Penrose building.
Contributing: The Associated Press
veryGood! (2836)
Related
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Wounded California officer fatally shoots man during ‘unprovoked’ knife attack
- Ben Affleck Steps Out With New Look Amid Divorce From Jennifer Lopez
- Why Hurricane Helene Could Finally Change the Conversation Around Climate Change
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's NSFW Halloween Decorations Need to Be Seen to Be Believed
- Christina Hall Lists Her Tennessee Home for Sale Amid Divorce From Josh Hall
- You like that?!? Falcons win chaotic OT TNF game. Plus, your NFL Week 5 preview 🏈
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Pennsylvania school boards up window openings that allowed views into its gender-neutral bathrooms
Ranking
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- 'CEO of A List Smiles' charged with practicing dentistry without license in Atlanta
- Ariana DeBose talks 'House of Spoils' and why she's using her platform to get out the vote
- Regulators investigate possible braking error in over 360,000 Ford crossover SUVs
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- 'Dream come true:' New Yorker flies over 18 hours just to see Moo Deng in Thailand
- What’s next for oil and gas prices as Middle East tensions heat up?
- FEMA has faced criticism and praise during Helene. Here’s what it does — and doesn’t do
Recommendation
US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
Donald Glover Cancels Childish Gambino Tour Following Hospitalization
The Supreme Court opens its new term with election disputes in the air but not yet on the docket
A week after Helene hit, thousands still without water struggle to find enough
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
Why this $10,000 Toyota Hilux truck is a great affordable camper
2 sisters from Egypt were among those killed in Mexican army shooting
Will Lionel Messi play vs. Toronto Saturday? Here's the latest update on Inter Miami star