COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Derrick Johnson buried his mother’s ashes beneath a golden dewdrop tree, fulfilling her wish to rest near her grandchildren. But everything changed on February 4, 2024, when the FBI contacted him during his eighth-grade gym class.
The call was alarming: 'Are you the son of Ellen Lopes?' a woman asked. Johnson was informed that an agent would be flying out to explain an incident involving the funeral home he had entrusted with his mother’s remains, known as Return to Nature.
After an uneasy search online, he discovered horrifying reports: hundreds of bodies mishandled, some deteriorating in horrific conditions. Johnson felt sick, overwhelmed by the news.
FBI agents visited him the following week, confirming his worst fear—his mother was one of 189 bodies hoarded by the Hallfords, owners of Return to Nature.
The scandal triggered an overhaul of funeral home regulations in Colorado as authorities learned that the Hallfords had not only provided fake ashes to grieving families but also defrauded federal programs out of $900,000 during the pandemic.
The Hallfords were arrested, facing charges of corpse abuse, but justice felt elusive for the families affected, who discovered that the ashes they had cherished were not those of their loved ones but rather rubbish. Johnson vowed to testify at Hallford's sentencing, demanding accountability for a betrayal that left him dealing with trauma and anger.
As Johnson processed the tragedy, he reflected on his relationship with his mother, who had shown kindness and love throughout his life, and he couldn't shake the tormenting thoughts of the conditions her body had endured post-mortem. Driven to seek justice, he spoke of his journey through grief and healing in the wake of betrayal, as the scandal laid bare the failures of a system meant to provide peace in death.
The call was alarming: 'Are you the son of Ellen Lopes?' a woman asked. Johnson was informed that an agent would be flying out to explain an incident involving the funeral home he had entrusted with his mother’s remains, known as Return to Nature.
After an uneasy search online, he discovered horrifying reports: hundreds of bodies mishandled, some deteriorating in horrific conditions. Johnson felt sick, overwhelmed by the news.
FBI agents visited him the following week, confirming his worst fear—his mother was one of 189 bodies hoarded by the Hallfords, owners of Return to Nature.
The scandal triggered an overhaul of funeral home regulations in Colorado as authorities learned that the Hallfords had not only provided fake ashes to grieving families but also defrauded federal programs out of $900,000 during the pandemic.
The Hallfords were arrested, facing charges of corpse abuse, but justice felt elusive for the families affected, who discovered that the ashes they had cherished were not those of their loved ones but rather rubbish. Johnson vowed to testify at Hallford's sentencing, demanding accountability for a betrayal that left him dealing with trauma and anger.
As Johnson processed the tragedy, he reflected on his relationship with his mother, who had shown kindness and love throughout his life, and he couldn't shake the tormenting thoughts of the conditions her body had endured post-mortem. Driven to seek justice, he spoke of his journey through grief and healing in the wake of betrayal, as the scandal laid bare the failures of a system meant to provide peace in death.
