‘Green’ Colorado Funeral Home Improperly Storing Hundreds of Bodies Sparks Disaster Declaration From Governor

Colorado's governor issued an emergency disaster declaration after more than a hundred bodies were found improperly stored at a "green" funeral home following an investigation into complaints of a "putrid" odor coming from the building, according to a report.

At least 115 bodies have been found so far this week at the Return to Nature Funeral Home near Colorado Springs following complaints of a foul odor, according to KOAA. The discovery led Gov. Jared Polis to make a verbal emergency disaster declaration on Thursday.

The declaration "provides resources from the state to support the investigation and the clean-up of the facility. The declaration is a requirement in the process to begin supporting our local jurisdictions," Gov. Polis' office said in a statement sent to the local news station on Friday.

It will direct the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to provide resources through the state Emergency Operations Center as part of the extensive investigation involving multiple agencies, the outlet reported.

Among the agencies involved are the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, as well as the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.  

Return to Nature specializes in services that offer burials "WITHOUT the use of harsh embalming chemicals, metallic, plastic or unnatural items," its website says.

Green burials are legal under Colorado law but state code requires that any body not buried within 24 hours must be properly refrigerated.

Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller at a press conference on Friday said the cleanup of the funeral home could take months. 

"This is going to be a very, very lengthy process. Forensic identification through fingerprints, medical or dental records, or possibly DNA will need to be completed," Keller said, according to KOAA. 

Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said officials will erect tents and fencing before cleaning the scene and beginning the process of identifying the bodies to protect families of the dead.

"Our priority and our focus is on the impacted families," he said at a news conference, the Denver Gazette reported.