Authorities in Colorado are investigating how a funeral home was able to operate for years with at least 115 decaying bodies stored inside, even as its financial and legal troubles piled up.
The Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, was shut down in early October 2023 after neighbors complained of a foul odor coming from the building. When police entered the funeral home, they found dozens of bodies in various stages of decomposition, some of which had been there for months.
The funeral home's owner, Megan Hess, has been charged with multiple counts of abuse of a corpse. She has pleaded not guilty.
The discovery of the decaying bodies has raised serious questions about the Colorado Funeral Homes Board, which is responsible for regulating the state's funeral homes. The board has no routine inspections and does not require funeral home operators to have any qualifications.
"This is a tragedy," said David Smith, a former funeral home director and now a consultant. "These families trusted Megan Hess with the care of their loved ones, and she failed them miserably."
Smith said that the Colorado Funeral Homes Board needs to be reformed. He called for routine inspections and stricter requirements for funeral home operators."The board needs to be more proactive in protecting the public," Smith said.
The Colorado Funeral Homes Board has acknowledged that it needs to improve its oversight of the state's funeral homes. The board has said that it is working on developing new regulations, including routine inspections.
In the meantime, the families of the deceased are left to grapple with the knowledge that their loved ones were not treated with respect."I'm so angry," said one woman whose father's body was found at the Return to Nature Funeral Home. "I can't believe that this was allowed to happen."
The investigation into the Return to Nature Funeral Home is ongoing. It is unclear how long Hess was able to operate the funeral home with decaying bodies inside. It is also unclear how many families were affected.
The Colorado Funeral Homes Board has said that it is committed to helping the families of the deceased. The board has set up a hotline for families who have questions or concerns.
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