Nearly 200 decomposing bodies were discovered in a Colorado funeral home, leading the owners to plead guilty to corpse abuse.

The owners of a Colorado funeral home have pleaded guilty to corpse abuse after being accused of piling hundreds of bodies in room-temperature conditions inside a dilapidated building and giving loved ones concrete instead of ashes.

On Friday, Jon and Carie Hallford, the owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, admitted guilt to 191 charges of corpse abuse.

In court, prosecutor Rachael Powell stated, "The corpses were scattered on the ground, arranged on shelves, positioned on gurneys, stacked on top of one another, or simply accumulated in rooms."

She stated that their loved ones were "forever outraged" and some of the families were present during their guilty plea.

Crystina Page, whose son passed away in 2019, stated outside the courtroom on Friday: "My son's body was left in an inoperable fridge for four years, with rats and maggots feasting on his face. Now, every time I think of my son, I am reminded of Jon and Carie, and this painful memory will not fade away."

The Hallfords were accused of theft, money laundering, and forgery, but their charges were dropped with their plea bargains.

The couple used $882,300 in COVID relief funds for expenses such as vacations, cosmetic surgery, car purchases, and tuition for their child.

Under the plea deal, Jon Hallford could face up to 20 years in prison, while Carie Hallford could serve between 15 and 20 years.

In April, six individuals who opposed the plea bargains, claiming the suggested sentences were inadequate, will have the opportunity to present their views prior to being sentenced.

If the judge rejects the plea deal, the case may still proceed to trial.

In October, the Hallfords admitted guilt to one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud for their misuse of funds.

In 2019, accusations were made against the building, and after neighbors reported a foul smell emanating from it, the improperly stored bodies were discovered.

The location was overrun with insects and the corpses were piled on top of one another, some too decomposed to be recognized.

Following the gruesome discovery, Colorado has tightened funeral home regulations.

This report was contributed to by Greg Wehner of Planet Chronicle Digital and the Associated Press.