In a shocking case that has gripped Colorado Springs, the owner of a local funeral home faces sentencing after authorities discovered a grim scene involving 189 decomposing bodies. These bodies were hidden in a building over a span of four years, during which time grieving families were reportedly given false ashes as a replacement for their loved ones’ remains.

Jon Hallford, who operated Return to Nature Funeral Home alongside his former wife, Carie Hallford, admitted to nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse. This confession comes as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, marking a somber chapter for the community.

As the legal proceedings unfold, Jon Hallford is looking at a potential prison sentence ranging from 30 to 50 years. His former wife, Carie, is slated to face her own sentencing on April 24, with a possible term of 25 to 35 years.

The disturbing discovery was made in the town of Penrose, located south of Colorado Springs. From 2019 until the shocking revelation in 2023, the Hallfords stored the bodies in a building that became notorious for the foul odor emanating from it. This prompted investigators to uncover the grim secret within.

Authorities described a harrowing scene where bodies were haphazardly piled, with insects swarming and decomposition fluids coating the floor. The remains, which included adults, infants, and fetuses, were left at room temperature, raising serious ethical and health concerns. It is believed that the Hallfords deceived families by handing them dry concrete as a substitute for ashes.

The arduous task of identifying the bodies was undertaken over several months, utilizing fingerprints, DNA, and other forensic methods to bring closure to families and to the community affected by this distressing episode.

Families learned the ashes they had been given, and then spread or kept at home, weren’t actually their loved ones’ remains. Many said it undid their grieving process, others had nightmares and struggled with guilt that they let their relatives down.

The funeral home owners also pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after prosecutors said they cheated the government out of nearly $900,000 in pandemic-era small business aid.

Jon Hallford was sentenced to 20 years in prison in that case. He told the judge he opened Return to Nature to make a positive impact in people’s lives, “then everything got completely out of control, especially me.”

“I still hate myself for what I’ve done,” he said at his sentencing last June.

Carie Hallford’s federal sentencing is set for March 16.

Attorneys for the Hallfords did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

During the years they were stashing bodies, the Hallfords spent lavishly, according to court documents. That included purchasing a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti worth over $120,000 combined, along with $31,000 in cryptocurrency, luxury items from stores like Gucci and Tiffany & Co., and laser body sculpting.

One of the recovered bodies was that of a former Army sergeant first class who was thought to have been buried at a veterans’ cemetery, said FBI agent Andrew Cohen.

When investigators exhumed the wooden casket at the cemetery, they found the remains of a person of a different gender inside, he said. The veteran, who was not identified in court, was later given a funeral with full military honors at Pikes Peak National Cemetery, he said.

The corpse abuse revelations spurred changes to Colorado’s lax funeral home regulations.

The AP previously reported that the Hallfords missed tax payments, were evicted from one of their properties and were sued for unpaid bills, according to public records and interviews with people who worked with them.

In a rare decision, state District Judge Eric Bentley last year rejected previous plea agreements between the Hallfords and prosecutors that called for up to 20 years in prison. Family members of the deceased said the agreements were too lenient.