PENROSE, Colo. — Authorities searching a funeral home in Penrose, Colorado, found dozens of improperly stored bodies earlier this week, investigators said.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday night that deputies were called to 31 Werner Road in Penrose about a suspicious incident. When deputies arrived, they learned that the building belonged to the Return to Nature Funeral Home.
The following day, a search warrant was executed with investigators from the sheriff’s office, the Fremont County Coroner’s Office and the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. KKTV reported that the FBI was also involved in the investigation.
The Return to Nature Funeral Home performs “green” burials, according to The Associated Press, meaning that burials are performed without embalming chemicals or metal caskets.
Officials said at a news conference Friday that there is no health risk to the public, the AP reported.
The Fremont County coroner said that the investigation started because members of the community reached out about an odor that was coming from the building, KKTV reported. Once authorities made their way through the building, they found dozens of bodies that were stored improperly.
Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller said that it became a “hazardous scene” because of how the bodies were stored, KKTV reported. Keller also said that authorities were in the process of removing the bodies from the facility.
“This is going to be a very, very lengthy process,” Keller said, according to KKTV. “The loved ones at this facility will be treated with the utmost care and respect.”
The owner of the funeral home allegedly tried to conceal the improper storage of remains. He reportedly claimed that he was doing taxidermy, according to a suspension letter that was sent to him by Colorado state regulators, according to the AP.
It was also learned that the facility had been unregistered for about 10 months after the owner “let it expire” last November, the AP reported.
Police said Friday they found at least 115 bodies at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado.
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 6, 2023
The mortuary, which provides “green” burials without embalming chemicals or metal caskets, is under investigation for handling remains improperly. pic.twitter.com/Bs4IbGVjVu
At least 115 bodies were found at the funeral home, investigators said, according to the AP.
Authorities asked that family members whose loved ones used the Return to Nature Funeral Home contact officials.
As of Friday morning, no arrests have been made, KKTV reported.
“It is not clear if a crime has been committed, that is a focus of the investigation at the state and federal level,” FBI spokeswoman Vikki Migoya said, according to the AP. Investigators said that they have gotten into contact with the operators of the funeral home and they are cooperating with the investigation.
