KRDO13 Investigates: State orders Southern Colorado funeral home to shut down
CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) - KRDO13 Investigates has uncovered new state enforcement action against a southern Colorado funeral home; the latest in a series of cases raising questions about oversight in the funeral care industry.
The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) has issued a cease-and-desist order against Wilson Funeral Home in Cañon City, stating the business operated without a valid state registration after its license expired in November 2024.
According to the order, state regulators determined the funeral home continued offering funeral services and holding human remains despite the expired registration.
Wilson Funeral Home is located roughly 20 minutes from the site of the former Return to Nature facility in Penrose -- the focus of a sweeping KRDO13 Investigates report in 2023, when nearly 200 bodies were found improperly stored. In that case, along with investigations into another funeral home, Davis Mortuary, exposed significant gaps in oversight and accountability within Colorado’s funeral care industry.
DORA records show Wilson Funeral Home’s registration expired at the end of November 2024. The cease-and-desist order states that investigators found the funeral home continued operating after that date, including maintaining a refrigeration unit and holding human remains, despite not having an active license as required under state law.
Under the order, Wilson Funeral Home was directed to immediately stop offering funeral goods and services. The business has the right to request a hearing within ten days of the order being issued on January 16, 2026.
As part of this investigation, KRDO13 Investigates reviewed Fremont County financial records and spoke with Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller, who confirmed his office had an agreement with Holt Family Funeral Homes, the company that owns Wilson Funeral Home, to store bodies at the Wilson facility.
Keller said the agreement lasted for several years, including during 2025 -- a period when Wilson Funeral Home’s registration had already expired.
KRDO13 Investigates found Fremont County paid at least $7,500 in taxpayer funds to Holt Family Funeral Homes during that unregistered period, based on Board of County Commissioners bills for approval and county payment records. However, much of that money was spent for services not related to Wilson Funeral Home.
Keller told KRDO13 Investigates he was unaware the funeral home’s registration had expired at the time and said he never experienced any issues with the refrigeration unit. He confirmed the coroner’s office stopped using Wilson Funeral Home in January 2026, the same month the state issued the cease-and-desist order.
Keller also said the county has since obtained its own facility, which he says eliminates the need to lease additional refrigeration space and will save taxpayer money.
The general manager for Holt Family Funeral Homes, including Wilson Funeral Home, is Michael Hendry. Hendry previously spoke with KRDO13 Investigates following the Return to Nature investigation, expressing shock and anger over the conditions discovered at the Penrose facility.
KRDO13 Investigates has reached out to Hendry for comment regarding the cease-and-desist order and the findings related to Wilson Funeral Home. Hendry shared the following statement with KRDO13 Investigates' Paige Reynolds:
"The license for Wilson Funeral Home lapsed in 2024 due to a 146% increase in the cost of registering a funeral home. We had not met families at Wilson since 2020 and only held services there, and the Fremont County Coroner’s Office was using the refrigeration at that location. We were told that to be considered a funeral home, you had to have either preparation facilities or refrigeration. While Wilson does have refrigeration, it was being rented to the Fremont County Coroner’s Office, so the funeral home had no use of that refrigeration unit. Because of the fact we had no preparation facilities and no access to our refrigeration, we interpreted that to mean it should have been classified as a storefront facility and did not need to be registered as a funeral home. We were told in 2025 that the guidelines have changed, and now if you offer funeral services in addition to having Preparation facilities and or refrigeration, would qualify as a funeral home. At Wilson, we only hold services there, and once the Fremont County Coroner’s office stopped renting our refrigeration, we shut it off. On January 16, 2026, we received a Cease and Desist notice from DORA for the operation of our Wilson Facility. At this point, we had already shut the refrigeration down due to the Coroners' Office no longer using it. So, we have no preparation facilities, no refrigeration,n and we have no place to meet families to offer funeral goods and services. We used Wilson, like any church, to hold memorial services. DORA did a final inspection and decided that even though we do not have any of the following items, we should still be considered a funeral home. While we understand and even appreciate the efforts of DORA, we do feel this particular decision was an overreach because we were only holding services at the Wilson location. After their determinatio,n we submitted the paperwork and payment to be reestablished as a funeral home on January 21, 2026. Still pending as of February 4, 2026." -Michael Hendry
KRDO13 Investigates will continue tracking developments in this case and examining how state oversight and county practices intersect in the funeral care industry.
Holt Family Funeral Home has several other businesses with active registrations. Questions about future services at Wilson Funeral Home should be directed to them.
If you have something we should know, email 13investigates@krdo.com.
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