EPA updates timeline for demolition of Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose
PENROSE, Colo. (KRDO) - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided an update on its plan to demolish the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose.
The EPA said Thursday that the demolition date is now anticipated to be the last week of February 2024. The agency said once the demolition begins, they expect it to take approximately 10 days, weather permitting. An exact date is not known at this time.
Following its assessment of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, the EPA said it determined demolition of the building is necessary to safely remove all medical, biological, and hazardous materials found in the building. The cleanup will be conducted under the direction of EPA’s Emergency Response personnel and its trained hazardous materials contractors.
The owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, Jon and Carrie Hallford, are accused of storing nearly 200 bodies, including fetuses, infants, and adults according to the FBI, inside the funeral home in Penrose. The FBI said the bodies were stored in various ways, including wrapped in plastic, bodybags, stored in cardboard boxes and plastic totes.
The Hallfords are facing more than 200 felony charges.
Find the latest from the EPA here: Penrose Funeral Home
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