Police found 190 rotting corpses, including those of babies and foetuses, inside derelict funeral home, a court has heard

Among almost 200 bodies found dumped inside a derelict funeral home were those of babies and foetuses, a court has heard. Warning: Graphic.

It took almost 10 days for all of the 190 bodies to be removed.

Warning: Graphic

The rotting corpses of almost 200 people stored at room temperature in a mismanaged funeral home were found covered in flies and sitting in a pool of bodily fluids, a court has heard.

Children, babies and foetuses were among the dead found at Return to Nature, an undertakers in the US state of Colardo ran by Carie and Jon Hallford.

The horror discovery was made after locals complained of a rancid smell coming from a disused building.

Police in the small town of Penrose were greeted with unimaginable scenes when they searched the premises on October 4, including stacks of partially covered corpses, swarms of flies and maggots, and a pool of bodily fluids 15cm deep.

The 190 remains were all stored at room temperature in a disused and derelict building on the 1.9 acre site.

Horrifying details have been revealed about the discovery of almost 200 rotting corpses inside a funeral home in the US state of Colorado. Picture: CBS

Andrew Cohen, a Federal Bureau of Investigations agent tasked with combing the scene, said bags of concrete were also found, noting that many families received urns filled powder in lieu of the cremated remains of loved ones.

The FBI determined that 23 of the bodies date back to 2019 and another 61 were from 2020.

“It looked like something you’d like to forget but can’t,” Mr Cohen told a court hearing yesterday.

It took almost 10 days to remove all of the bodies, some of which had been stored in “makeshift refrigeration units” that weren’t working.

The court was shown disturbing photographs from the scene, including the floor of a room that Mr Cohen was normally a white cream colour but had been stained dark brown.

Investigators had to put down cardboard to avoid slipping on the thick decomposition fluids, he added.

In another room, he said the presence of “countless” insects, including maggots, was so extensive that the plain-coloured carpet appeared patterned.

One photo showed a bag that become untied, leaving bodily remains to spill out.

The court was also shown stills from a functional CCTV surveillance system inside the funeral home, showing Jon Hallford surrounded by decomposing bodies in the month before the discovery.

The couple face hundreds of charges following the gruesome find.

Analysis of the company’s financial records showed an account of hardware store Home Depot in Jon Halford’s name, Mr Cohen said.

Over several years, he allegedly purchased almost a ton of concrete powder although Mr Cohen pointed out there were no construction projects of that scale that took place.

Following the initial discovery, the Hallfords fled the state before being arrested the following month in Oklahoma.

They were charged with a range of offences, including the abuse of corpses, forgery, theft and money laundering.

They opened the business in 2017, offering ‘green’ burials without the use of embalming fluids as well as cremations.

It promised grieving families “a natural way of caring for your loved one with minimal environmental impact”.

Authorities believe financial distress was the motive for mistreating the bodies, noting they had been sued by suppliers for missed payments totalling US$120,000 (AU$179,000) and had amassed a hefty tax bill.

Mr Cohen also revealed that one of the corpses found inside the funeral home was that of an Army first class sergeant, whose family believed they had been buried at a veterans’ cemetery.

But when investigators exhumed the coffin, remains of a person of a different gender were found, he told the court.

It took almost 10 days for all of the 190 bodies to be removed.

In court last week, prosecutors revealed that Jon Hallford had been worried about being caught for years, with a 2020 text message to his wife reading: “My one and only focus is keeping us out of jail.”

The couple had also discussed ways of getting rid of the bodies, including digging a bit and burning them, prosecutors alleged.

In one, Jon Hallford wrote: “Options: A, build a new machine ASAP. B, dig a big hole and use lye. Where? C, dig a small hole and build a large fire. Where? D, I go to prison, which is probably going to happen.”

And in another alleged message, he displayed an apparent nonchalance towards their mounting crimes, relaying a dinner order to his wife.

“I want to take a shower as soon as I get back because while I was making the transfer, I got people juice on me. Want the double cheeseburger, lettuce, wrapped with everything minus tomatoes, please,” the message read.

The couple opened the business in 2017 promising to provide eco-friendly burials and cremations.

The FBI said it has relied on DNA, fingerprints and dental records to identify the corpses. Several dozen bodies remain unidentified.

Crystina Page, whose 20-year-old son David died in 2019, told reporters the discovery had left her haunted and traumatised.

“For four years, I’ve marched all over this country with this urn believing it to be my son,” Ms Page said.

“My son has been laying there rotting for four years. It’s the most horrendous feeling I’ve ever had in my life.”

Another victim, Lisa Ostly, was in court for yesterday’s hearing and later told local outlet Denver 7 News she hired Return to Nature after the death of her father Bruce in 2022.

“He lived with me for the last three years,“ Ms Ostly said. “I loved my dad very much, and he knew that. And I was with him in his last hours, and I slept with my head on his hand overnight in the hospital before he passed, and I held his hand.

“And all my kids called him and told him what a great impact he had on their lives, just being curious and being gentle. He was just a very special man, and they don’t make them like that anymore.

“I’m numb. I’m furious. I’m all the things. They had his body for 10 months, and it should have been dust. And they just had it oozing all over everything else. It’s just disgusting.”

Some of the corpses date back to 2019, a court heard yesterday. Picture: ABC

In coming days, the building where they were discovered will be demolished by local officials.

This is not Colorado’s first case involving shocking funeral home mismanagement, with two operators of a separate business serving prison sentences for illegally selling body parts, and another mortician behind bars for unlawful cremation, Associated Press reported.