Two Colorado brothers, one a former county coroner, were arrested Thursday and accused of mishandling at least two dozen decomposing bodies and other human remains found behind a hidden door at a Pueblo funeral home.
According to a statement from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, former Pueblo County Coroner Brian Lee Cotter, 65, and Christopher Aaron Cotter, 60, each face 125 counts of abuse of a corpse. Authorities later said additional charges, including forgery and theft, were also filed. The brothers were taken into custody in Pueblo and jailed on $1 million bond. They were scheduled to make their first appearance in state court in Pueblo on Friday afternoon.
The investigation began after state inspectors visited Davis Mortuary in Pueblo last summer. The business, owned by the Cotter brothers, is located about 110 miles, or 177 kilometers, south of Denver. Inspectors said they encountered a “strong odor of decomposition” when they arrived and later found remains hidden behind a concealed door inside the mortuary.
Investigators said they have identified 19 of the 24 bodies recovered at the site, along with the remains of two additional people whose tissue was found in containers at the funeral home. Authorities alleged that the bodies and “numerous skeletal remains” had been kept in conditions that severely violated professional and ethical standards. They also said containers labeled as cremains, containing “human skeletal material,” were scattered and that many had no proper identification.
Brian Cotter is also accused of telling inspectors that he may have provided fake ashes to relatives who requested cremations. He resigned from his position as coroner in September.
“The evidence uncovered during this investigation reveals a complete disregard for the dignity of the deceased and the trust placed in Davis Mortuary by families in our community,” CBI Director Armando Saldate said in a statement. “We are committed to ensuring that those responsible for these actions are held accountable.”
The Pueblo discovery came during the first inspection of Davis Mortuary under regulations adopted in 2024 after earlier criminal cases involving Colorado funeral homes. For years, Colorado had among the loosest funeral home oversight in the country, with no requirement for routine inspections and no qualifications set for those operating such businesses.
That lack of regulation had already been linked to other major abuses, including a case in Penrose, Colorado, about 30 miles, or 48 kilometers, from Pueblo, where nearly 200 decomposing bodies were stored at room temperature inside a building.