Return to Nature co-owners Jon and Carie Hallford are not expected to appear at a state court hearing Friday morning, according to an email sent to families.

The funeral home in Penrose, about 35 miles southwest of Colorado Springs, came under a multi-agency investigation in October 2023 after complaints about a foul odor in the area. Investigators said they found nearly 190 bodies in various states of decomposition that were not properly stored.

Originally, the couple were slated to appear in court on Friday for a sentencing hearing after the couple pleaded guilty last year to 190 counts of abuse of a corpse last year.

However, those plans dissolved earlier this year when Carie Hallford revoked her guilty plea in federal court, delaying the process for the couple to be sentenced in state court.

At a hearing in October, both Hallfords pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of wire fraud, with the remaining 14 counts to be dismissed as part of the plea agreement if accepted by the court.

In March, Carie Hallford withdrew her plea after Judge Nina Wang found the agreements to be “not in the public’s best interest” and informed the Hallfords that there may be new terms, according to court documents. Jon Hallford decided to keep his guilty plea.

Carie Hallford is now set to go to trial in her federal case on Sept. 8, according to previous Gazette reporting.

The state plea agreements, if accepted, would see Jon Hallford sentenced to 20 years in prison while Carie Hallford faces a sentencing range of 15 to 20 years in prison. On the state level, if the plea agreement is accepted, all other charges will be dismissed.

According to an email sent to families obtained by The Gazette, Jon and Carie Hallford waived their appearances for Friday’s status conference.

Sentencing in the state case is unlikely to proceed until a resolution is reached in their federal case.