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Corpse abuse cases force changes on Colorado’s scandal-plagued funeral industry
State officials said the new rules follow cases that exposed hidden bodies, fake ashes and repeated abuse in a poorly regulated industry.
- On Friday, Carie Hallford faces sentencing for corpse abuse after helping her ex-husband, Jon Hallford, hide nearly 200 decomposing bodies at their Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs.
- This case, the most egregious of several funeral home scandals, forced Colorado lawmakers to mandate routine inspections and adopt industry licensing, ending years of virtually unregulated operations.
- Sam Delp, who directs the state's Division of Professions and Occupations, acknowledged Colorado previously lacked basic regulations: "We were the only state in the country that didn't regulate them."
- Industry reforms are making a difference, with customers now more cautious after years of scandal coverage. Matt Whaley, president of the Colorado Funeral Home Directors Association, said families increasingly request to be present during cremations.
- State officials acknowledge these changes position Colorado "in the middle of the pack" compared to other states, though funeral professionals emphasize the long work ahead to rebuild trust one family at a time.
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Associated Press News+14 Reposted by 14 other sources
Corpse abuse cases force changes on Colorado's scandal-plagued funeral industry
A former funeral home owner who helped her ex-husband hide nearly 200 decomposing bodies while giving families fake ashes faces sentencing after pleading guilty to corpse abuse.
·United States
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Video: Corpse abuse cases force changes on Colorado’s scandal-plagued funeral industry
State officials and industry representatives say reforms adopted by Colorado lawmakers are making a difference after a search found nearly 200 decomposing bodies at the Return to Nature funeral home in 2023. (AP Video by Thomas Peipert) Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Read more: https://apnews.com This video may be available for archive licensing via https://newsroom.ap.org/home
Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution60% Center
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources are Center
60% Center
L 40%
C 60%
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