Human remains improperly stored at funeral home with environmentally friendly burials

A funeral home offering environmentally friendly burials is under investigation after it was discovered that human remains were being improperly stored, according to authorities.

Deputies from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado were dispatched to the Return to Nature Funeral Home based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Tuesday in reference to a suspicious incident, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release on Thursday.

“Upon their arrival deputies learned that the building was owned by the Return to Nature Funeral Home based in Colorado Springs Colorado,” police said. “On October 4, 2023, FCSO investigators, the Fremont County Coroner’s Office, and the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies executed a search warrant on the property and determined that human remains were improperly stored inside the building.”

Authorities did not disclose what the funeral home was doing with the human remains but did confirm that they are working with the Fremont County Coroners’ Office, he Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the case.

“Green Burial is a natural way of caring for your loved one with minimal environmental impact. Green Burial aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions and the preservation of habitat, WITHOUT the use of harsh embalming chemicals, metallic, plastic or unnatural items,” the website for the funeral home says. You can still view your loved one who is NOT embalmed. Embalming is NOT a law. In the state of Colorado within 24 hours the body must be either embalmed or placed in a regulated temperature controlled environment, meaning under refrigeration, dry ice, etc...”

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is asking that family members of decedents who utilized the Return to Nature Funeral Home please send an email to 23-1941@fremontso.com.

A press conference regarding the details of this case is scheduled to be held at the Fremont County Sheriff's Office on Friday at 10 a.m.

This is an active investigation with resources being brought in from several different agencies and no further information will be released at this time.