Key Facts

• Carie Hallford and her ex-husband ran a funeral home called Return to Nature in Colorado Springs and Penrose.
• Authorities found about 200 decomposing bodies and fake ashes being given to customers.
• Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years in state prison; she had already received 18 years in a related federal fraud case.
• Her ex-husband received a 40-year sentence for corpse abuse.
• The Hallfords charged customers over $1,200 but did not properly cremate many bodies.
• Their actions revealed Colorado’s lack of funeral home regulation, which led to new state laws requiring inspections and licensing.
• Similar funeral home scandals in Colorado had previously included selling body parts and keeping bodies improperly.
• Carie Hallford said she was abused and manipulated in her marriage and apologized during sentencing.