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At least 189 bodies found decaying at a Colorado funeral home, up from 115, officials say

Oct 17, 2023, 4:53 PM

FILE - Crime scene tape. (Getty Images)...

FILE - Crime scene tape. (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

DENVER (AP) — The remains of at least 189 decaying bodies were found and removed from a Colorado funeral home, up from about 115 reported when the bodies were discovered two weeks ago, officials said Tuesday.

The remains were found by authorities responding to a report of a foul odor at the Return to Nature Funeral Home inside a decrepit building in the small town of Penrose, Colorado.

Efforts to identify the remains began last week with help from an FBI team that gets deployed to mass casualty events like airline crashes. Fremont Sheriff Allen Cooper described the scene as “horrific.”

Police find at least 115 bodies at Colorado ‘green’ funeral home under investigation

The discovery came after the owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home missed tax payments in recent months, got evicted from one of their properties and sued for unpaid bills by a crematory that quit doing business with them almost a year ago.

Colorado has some of the weakest rules for funeral homes in the nation with no routine inspections or qualification requirements for funeral home operators.

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At least 189 bodies found decaying at a Colorado funeral home, up from 115, officials say