(Photo: by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images) Women walk past a fuming chimney of a crematorium at a cemetery in Kyiv on November 12, 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Officials said Tuesday that at least 189 people's remains had been retrieved from a funeral parlor in Colorado, up from the initial estimate of roughly 115 when the decomposing and inadequately kept bodies were discovered two weeks ago.
Authorities investigating a report of an "abhorrent smell" at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in the small town of Penrose, roughly 100 miles south of Denver, discovered the remains inside a dilapidated structure, according to CBS News.
On October 13th, all the remains were taken from the site, but officials warned that while the identification process goes on, the figures may alter once again.
The count has been updated as customers' relatives get more anxious about what happened to their loved ones who have passed away. As soon as the remains are identified, according to local officials, family members will be notified.
The study, which started last week with assistance from an FBI unit sent to mass fatality incidents like airplane accidents, has no set completion date.
Randy Keller, the coroner for Fremont County, stated that he wanted to provide families with accurate information "to prevent further victimization as they continue to grieve."
A Long Identification Process
Keller has previously stated that the identification process may take many months, with a focus on demonstrating respect for the deceased and their families.
Fremont Sheriff Allen Cooper characterized the situation as horrifying, but officials have not provided any further information about what was discovered inside the funeral parlor.
The corpses were discovered on Oct. 4 after authorities used a search warrant to access the abandoned funeral house. The scent, according to the neighbors, has been present for days.
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Missing Funeral Home Owners
According to public records and interviews with people who worked with them, the owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home had recently missed tax payments, were evicted from one of their properties, and were being sued for unpaid bills by a crematory that stopped doing business with them almost a year ago.
The director of the state office of Funeral Home and Crematory registration spoke with owner Jon Hallford over the phone a day after the odor was detected.
An order from state officials dated October 5 states that he attempted to hide the inappropriate storage of remains in Penrose, admitted to having a "problem" there, and claimed he conducted taxidermy there.
It has been impossible to get in touch with Hallford, his wife Carie, or Return to Nature. The funeral home has not responded to any of the several texts we've sent asking for feedback. Both the company phone and a voicemail left on Tuesday went unanswered.
Law enforcement officials said that the owners were cooperating in the days after the discovery as detectives worked to identify any criminal conduct.
Even as its financial and legal issues grew, the firm, which provided cremations and "green" funerals without embalming fluids, continued to operate.
In Colorado, green burials are permitted, but anybody who is not buried within 24 hours needs to be properly chilled.
More than 120 families have contacted law enforcement about the case as of last week, concerned that their loved ones may be among the remains. The process of identifying the remains might take weeks and involve collecting fingerprints, locating medical or dental records, and DNA testing.
Authorities discovered the remains inside a 2,500-square-foot structure that resembled and measured a typical one-story house.
With no regular inspections or licensing requirements for funeral home owners, Colorado has among of the lowest regulations for funeral homes in the country.
Before more than 10 months had passed after the Penrose funeral home's registration lapsed, there is no evidence that state authorities visited the location or got in touch with Hallford.
Last year, state legislators granted inspectors the right to investigate funeral facilities without the owners' permission, but no additional funding was given for more frequent inspections.
Related article: Colorado: Green Funeral Reeks After Improperly Storing Hundreds of Corpses; FBI Helps With Investigation
