The owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home are expected to appear in court on Thursday and enter not guilty pleas to their state-level charges.

Jon and Carie Hallford face 286 criminal charges stemming from the discovery of 189 bodies improperly stored at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose.

Return to Nature Funeral Home came under a multi-agency investigation in October after reports of a complaint about a foul odor in the area. Investigators said they found more than 180 bodies in various states of decomposition inside the building that were not properly stored. The two were arrested in Oklahoma in November 2023.

Both Jon and Carie Hallford last appeared in court for their state-level case in March, where their attorneys informed the court of their intention to enter not guilty pleas at the next court date in anticipation of setting a trial date of Oct. 14.

Since their last state-level case appearance, both the Hallfords have since picked up new charges at the federal level.

In April, Jon and Carie Hallford appeared in federal court in Denver and pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of wire fraud. Due to the new federal charges Jon Hallford is now being held on a no-bond hold pending the outcome of his federal case despite being released on a $100,000 bond in his state-level case.

Carie Hallford is currently on house arrest and remains out on bond in her state-level case.

Both Jon and Carie Hallford are expected to enter not guilty pleas to all 286 charges on Thursday.