More than 20 bodies up to 15 years old found at coroner’s mortuary, CO cops say

A Colorado coroner faces calls to resign after authorities uncovered more than 20 decaying bodies at a funeral home he owns with his brother, officials reported.

The bodies were found at the Davis Mortuary, “a business owned by Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter and his brother Chris Cotter,” the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in an Aug. 25 news release.

The bodies, some of which may be up to 15 years old, will require months to identify due to their condition and poor records kept at the business, officials said. Brian Cotter told authorities some of the bodies had been awaiting cremation, according to the release.

“To identify the deceased, investigators will use dental x-rays, fingerprints, and DNA samples,” the agency said in the release.

The mortuary’s license has been suspended but no arrests have been made, officials said.

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, investigators served search warrants at the homes of the two owners, the bureau said in a news release. The funeral home has been closed.

Investigators recovered a total of 24 bodies from Davis Mortuary along with “multiple containers of bones and multiple containers of probable human tissue representing an unknown number of deceased individuals,” the agency said.

Brian Cotter told investigators that fake cremains may have been given to some families of the deceased, investigators said in an earlier news release.

Gov. Jared Polis has called for Brian Cotter’s resignation from his post as county coroner, but he has not stepped down, authorities said in another news release. He also declared a disaster emergency to mobilize state resources.

“I’m sickened for the families of the loved ones who are impacted by this unacceptable misconduct,” Polis said in the release.

The Colorado Coroner’s Association has removed Brian Cotter from his post as secretary of its board.

More than 840 families have contacted investigators about the mortuary as of Monday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said.

Pueblo County is about a 120-mile drive south from Denver.

This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 12:30 PM with the headline "More than 20 bodies up to 15 years old found at coroner’s mortuary, CO cops say."