Colorado funeral home owners apparently sought to cover up money problems by abandoning bodies

COLLEEN SLEVIN

DENVER (AP) — A judge says two Colorado funeral home owners apparently sought to cover up their financial difficulties by abandoning nearly 200 bodies that they had agreed to cremate or bury. The remains were instead stored in a neglected building, in many cases for years. Judge William Moller’s comments came Wednesday as he ruled the criminal case against one of the defendants can go to trial. He cited evidence from prosecutors in deciding that Return to Nature Funeral Home co-owner Carie Hallford can face trial on 260 counts of corpse abuse, money laundering, forgery and theft.