Multiple decomposing bodies were discovered behind a hidden door in a Pueblo funeral home run by the county coroner during an annual inspection, state officials said.
When inspectors arrived Wednesday at Davis Mortuary, the funeral home operated by Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter, they noticed “a strong odor of decomposition,” according to documents released by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Inspectors removed a cardboard covering from a hidden doorway inside the funeral home and found several bodies in “various states of decomposition,” the documents stated.
Cotter was first elected as Pueblo County coroner in 2014, according to his page on the agency’s website. His current term is set to end in 2027. He also sits on the Colorado Coroners Association’s Board of Directors.
Cotter is the appointed designee for Davis Mortuary at 128 Broadway Ave. in Pueblo, according to state documents. The business was registered in Colorado on Jan. 8, 2010 — four years before Cotter was first elected to his coroner position.
As of Thursday afternoon, the funeral home had cleared its “About Us” page from its website.
The Pueblo County coroner first tried to claim that the bodies were awaiting cremation, but later told inspectors that some had been in the room for roughly 15 years, according to state documents. He also admitted he may have issued fake cremains to some of the bodies’ next-of-kin.
The funeral home is under investigation for willful dishonest conduct, negligence and fraud, among other charges, the documents stated. As of Wednesday, its operations were suspended pending investigation.
Cotter’s business took custody of more human remains than it had capacity for, state officials said.
That means the bodies weren’t treated or stored properly, with the funeral home failing to embalm, refrigerate, cremate, bury or entomb the remains within 24 hours of taking custody, according to the suspension documents.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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