The Return to Nature Funeral Home, a green funeral service company in Colorado, is under investigation after authorities discovered hundreds of corpses improperly stored.
Officials said they were alerted to the funeral service's location in Penrose, Colorado after residents complained that the establishment was reeking of foul stench.
Colorado Green Funeral Found Storing Hundreds of Corpses Improperly
The Return to Nature Funeral Home, which specializes in green burials, is being investigated by the Fremont County Sheriff's Office. The investigation is being assisted by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.
When authorities arrived at the scene, they discovered over 115 dead bodies improperly stored at the Colorado funeral building. Unfortunately, officials said that identifying all the corpses would take months to complete.
During a press conference on Friday, Oct. 6, officials said that the improperly stored corpses at the Return to Nature Funeral Home created a hazardous scene.
"Without providing too much detail to avoid further victimizing these families, the air of the funeral home where the bodies were stored was horrific," explained Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper.
Since the issue is quite serious, Colorado Governor Jared Polis decided to issue a local disaster emergency to make state resources available to investigators.
Authorities said that it is unclear whether the discovered corpses were intended for cremation or burial. However, the official website of the Green Funeral Home confirmed that they already halted their cremation services in July.
"There have been a lot of questions and concerns expressed by the community, especially those families who entrusted their loved ones to this funeral home," explained Cooper via Yahoo News.
He added that their main priority right now is to focus on the families of the dead bodies.
Read Also : China Surging COVID-19 Deaths Overwhelm Funeral Homes Prompting To Give Families Only 10 Minutes To Mourn
What Return to Nature Funeral Home Clients Should Do
The Associated Press reported that family members getting the Return to Nature Funeral Home services or if their deceased loved ones are already in the green funeral service provider should contact the sheriff's office and other investigators.
Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller already warned that the ongoing investigation could be a very long process since they need to conduct forensic identification, such as getting the DNA and fingerprints of the affected corpses.
As of press time, the FBI is sending additional investigators. These include a technical hazardous response team and a disaster recovery team.
The FBI promised that family members would receive a notification and further assistance once the dead bodies were identified.
