A funeral home is not usually considered a crime scene. But the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, may become one of the biggest crime scenes—outside of a terrorist attack or natural disaster—in U.S. history.
On October 4th, nearby residents of the Penrose facility could smell an odor coming from the direction of the funeral home and called the sheriff’s office. When officers entered the funeral home, they were not prepared for what they saw.
Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper briefed reporters but only offered cursory information out of respect for the families of those found inside. “We are minimizing details to avoid further victimization to those families,” he said. Cooper also described the scene as “horrific.” As the news conference continued, an official count of 115 bodies was noted.
The Return to Nature Funeral Home is located near the intersection of Highway 115 and Highway 50, approximately 28 miles west of Pueblo. Its website advertises funeral services that include no chemical embalming. “Our Mission has (sic) ALWAYS been GREEN Burial,” its website advertises.
The case, Sheriff Cooper said, will be investigated by his agency, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. Cooper also said because of the magnitude of the case, that the State’s Coroners’ Offices would be involved as needed. The entire funeral home has been declared a crime scene and the area where the bodies were located, Cooper said, was “2,500 square feet.”
Because there are so many bodies that must be identified and families that must contacted, Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller said he expected the investigation to be lengthy. “This will be a very thorough and complete investigation. Decedents and families will be treated with the utmost care and respect.” Keller estimated that it could be “months” to complete the investigation.
Because of the state of the bodies and the manner in which they were stored, the funeral home has been declared a “hazardous scene.” One Fremont County coroners investigator experienced a rash after entering the facility. That person was immediately sent to the local hospital for exami- nation.
Families, the sheriff said, who contracted with the Return to Nature Funeral Home will be notified as soon as possible. But before that can happen, investigators will have checked fingerprints and dental and medical records of decedents.
Special Agent in charge of the Denver FBI office Mark Michalek said every possible tool to complete the investiga- tion will be used. “Specialized forensic and investigative support” from state and national agencies will be called in. Michalek said that other FBI field offices will also be called in if it’s believed it will help.
Among the investigative tools that will be used, said Michalek, will be “geospatial mapping.” Geospatial mapping is a technique to acquire the most specific data on the physical location of the crime scene.
At the proper time, the remains will be transferred to a secondary location where coroners offices can control the environment to limit further degradation and to be able to assist in the identification process, Michalek said.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is the lead agency in this case. As of last Friday, the bureau was releasing no information. “There are no updates on Penrose today,” said Susan Medina, Chief of Staff for the CBI. Medina said that any charges in this investigation will be at the discretion of the local District Attorney’s office.
The Sheriff’s Office said that it had spoken to operators of the Return to Nature Funeral home, and they had been cooperative. Sheriff Cooper also said that “one of the deputy coroners may have sustained a rash from exposure to the environment.” That individual was immediately sent to the local hospital.
In addition to natural funerals, the owner said that the facility was also used for taxidermy, the art of preparing and stuffing animals to a lifelike state.
Any additional information on the Return to Nature Funeral Home investigation will come from the CBI.
