A state inspection of a private funeral home owned by the Pueblo County coroner, during which several decomposing bodies were allegedly discovered in a concealed room, wouldn’t have happened if not for new laws passed in Colorado in recent years.
Davis Mortuary, co-owned by Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter and his brother, Christopher Cotter, was suspended from operating by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies on Aug. 21 after state inspectors allegedly found improperly stored bodies in various stages of decomposition in a hidden room of the mortuary.
The criminal investigation into the Cotters and Davis Mortuary is in its early stages. No arrests had been made, no charges had been filed, and Brian Cotter remained the county’s coroner as of Aug. 21.
DORA officials told the Chieftain in an email that in 2024, the office was given expanded inspection authority, along with the requirement to conduct routine, periodic inspections as part of House Bill 24-1335.
The bill came after multiple cases of mismanagement and mistreatment of human remains at various Colorado funeral homes, including a 2024 case in which the cremated remains of at least 30 people were discovered at a house owned by the owner of Apollo Funeral and Cremation Services in Littleton, and a 2023 case in which over 200 bodies were removed from Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose.
Sam Derp, director of DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations, said in an Aug. 21 press conference that the division obtained the authority in state statute to conduct inspections in 2022, “but those inspections originally were only based upon complaints received, and this facility (Davis Mortuary) has not received any complaints.”
Derp said HB 24-1335 created the requirement for inspections, and that he established the division would conduct those inspections “at least once per year.”
He said the Aug. 20 inspection of Davis Mortuary was the first performed at that location under the new law.
“We're grateful for the Colorado General Assembly for passing the increased inspection authority that allowed us to complete this inspection and detect this issue,” Derp said.
He said that while "the discovery is tragic, it shows that the new legislative effort is working, and we will continue to support the efforts to locate problems within this industry.”
What the state inspection found
Inspectors from the office of Funeral Homes and Mortuary Science Services within DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations conducted the inspection at Davis Mortuary, located at 128 Broadway Ave., on Aug. 20.
When inspectors entered the mortuary, they noted a strong odor of decomposition and a door hidden by a cardboard display, DORA officials said in an emailed statement to the Chieftain.
"Upon entering the room behind the display, the inspectors found several bodies in various stages of decomposition," DORA officials said. "The appointed designee for the funeral home, Brian Cotter, told inspectors that the bodies were awaiting cremation and admitted that some bodies had been in the room for approximately 15 years. He also admitted that he may have issued next-of-kin fake cremains."
A summary suspension for Davis Mortuary issued by DORA’s Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services on Aug. 21 stated the mortuary “engaged in willfully dishonest conduct and/or committed negligence in the practice of embalming, funeral directing, or providing for final disposition that defrauds or causes injury or is likely to defraud or cause injury.”
“Davis Mortuary failed to embalm, refrigerate, cremate, bury, or entomb human remains within twenty-four hours after taking custody of the remains,” the suspension order stated. “Davis Mortuary took custody of more human remains than the funeral establishment has the capacity to refrigerate and maintained custody of human remains for more than twenty-four hours.”
Families who utilized Davis Mortuary and have concerns about the handling of their loved ones' remains are encouraged to contact the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's victim assistance line at 719-257-3359 or through email at [email protected].
More on this story: '20 or so’ decomposing bodies reported in hidden room of Pueblo coroner’s mortuary
Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at [email protected] or on X, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news; subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Probe that found bodies in hidden mortuary room was first under new law
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