PENROSE, Colo. — A step towards closure for people who trusted a funeral home in Penrose with their loved ones. Demolition of the Return to Nature Funeral Home started on Tuesday after months of delays. The building is located along Highway 115 in Fremont County.
In October of last year, investigators found 190 bodies improperly stored inside. On Tuesday, the Fremont County Coroner, Randy Keller, said there are still 17 bodies they are trying to identify. He said the goal is to identify every loved one from the facility, but the process could take months.
Owners Carie and Jon Hallford could face life in prison following 15 federal criminal charges on top of 260 state charges.
Former 4th Judicial District Attorney, Dan May, said the courts could 'stack' sentences. One federal count could mean 20 years in prison alone.
"The more charges that are brought and the more we learn about the families, the more likely, if convicted, the judges are going to be sentencing in higher ranges," said May.
May said the federal government takes longer to investigate before charging crimes than the state. That means it is more likely trial would bring back a guilty verdict and a longer sentence.
"[Federal] sentences really mean a harsh sentence, when they give ten years, it really means ten years," said May.
KOAA News5 has a full timeline of the developing events of the Return to Nature Funeral Home. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is running point on the demolition.
On Tuesday morning, crews started by strapping off parts of the roof on the south side of the building. Throughout the day, they slowly tore down more of the ceiling and walls on the east, west and south sides of the building.
The demolition officially began on Tuesday and many of the victims' families came to see it come down. Officials in Fremont County held a ceremony to help give families of those victims closure and peace.
“The beginning of the demolition today hopefully marks a day of closure and the continued healing for all the victims associated with this horrific event,” said Keller.
Randy Keller, Fremont County Commissioner Kevin Grantham, and a pastor gave speeches honoring all those who were impacted. They said they hope this ceremony and demolition of this building would help bring peace and closure to the victims' families.
“We get to take one important step toward healing the deep wound that is on your spirits and on the soul of this community,” said Grantham.
Families of the victims mistreated by the Return to Nature Funeral Home gathered outside the building for the honoring ceremony.
“Today, we take the step together to save the wound on the souls of you and the families, as well as that of this entire county and community and we are not alone in this,” said Grantham.
Many of the family members embraced one another and held photos of their loved ones.
“My daughter was a fun 24 year old,” said Angelika Stedman, who's daughter, Chanel, passed away in 2019. “This building was the last time I saw my daughter’s body. We had her service here."
It was not easy for Stedman to come back to Penrose.
“...It's very hard, but I hope with the demolition of this building, maybe it will set some of these souls free too,” said Stedman.
She and other families watched as the first roof tiles of the funeral home were torn off.
The EPA began spraying down the entire building and area with disinfectant and they are monitoring the air quality. It has been deemed that there is no health risk posed to the public.
“It's all our prayers that with the demolition of this building comes the end of the beginning of the shock and the dawn of healing in this community and in your spirits and families,” said one pastor.
Stedman said she doesn't know if she will ever find closure, but she hopes this area could be dedicated to her daughter and all of the other victims.
“I would love to see a memorial here. Absolutely. Because I think we need to remember that this happened, and we need to prevent these things from happening again with the legislator and some laws that are finally starting to come in place, but a lot of work has to be done there,” said Stedman.
According to the EPA, the demolition will take 10 days. Once this building is disinfected and torn down, all of the materials will be transported and disposed of at the Otero County Landfill.
Investigation into 115 bodies continues at Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose
State records: Penrose funeral home owner attempted to conceal improperly stored remains
Coroner: Some remains in Return to Nature Funeral Home investigation were 'several years old'
Class action lawsuit filed against Return to Nature where 189 remains were discovered
'I want to help,' one women encourages Return to Nature Funeral Home victims, to reach out to her for support‘
I'm losing him all over again’: Widow fears husband a victim in funeral home investigation
Authorities in Oklahoma arrest owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home
Owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home appear in El Paso County Court
Judge agrees to unseal arrest papers for one of the Penrose funeral home owners
Judge reduces bond for funeral home owner accused of improperly storing 190 bodies
Return to Nature Funeral Home owner bonds out of El Paso County Jail Tuesday
Co-owner of Penrose funeral home released on bail Monday night, families react
One of the owners of the Return to Nature Funeral in court today
Jury trial expected for Return to Nature funeral home owners, arraignment hearing postponed
Penrose funeral home owners facing federal charges, accused of misusing COVID relief money
____
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
