20 bodies 'or so' found rotting in 'regular room' at coroner's private mortuary, has been storing them and sending fake ashes to mourners for years: Officials

A region coroner successful Colorado has been accused of stowing bodies wrong his backstage mortuary for years — with "around 20 oregon so" being recovered by authorities "in conscionable a regular room" — successful assorted stages of decomposition, officials say.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has confirmed to Law&Crime that authorities are presently weighing transgression charges against Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter aft the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies' (DORA) Division of Professions and Occupations conducted an yearly inspection astatine Davis Mortuary successful Pueblo connected Wednesday and recovered the bodies.

A press conference was held Thursday by CBI, the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office and different section officials, during which they described however Cotter and his brother, Chris Cotter, allegedly kept the decomposing remains wrong their mortuary for years successful a country with nary refrigeration oregon due equipment. The mortuary was co-owned by the Cotter brothers and mislaid its crematory licence successful November 2024, per officials.

CBI Director Armando Saldate III and DORA Division Director Sam Delp said it was a "deeply disturbing and tragic situation" for everyone involved, including the authorities inspectors who made the gruesome find.

Cotter and his member allegedly told the inspectors they "believed the bodies ranged astir 20 oregon so," according to Delp. "The investigators did not marque introduction into the country wherever the bodies were specifically stored," helium told reporters. "They were capable to spot them from the doorway. In bid to truly measure however galore were successful the room, they would of had to person started moving them around, which is not what we wanted them to do."

Love existent crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life transgression stories delivered close to your inbox.

Delp said that the statements made by Cotter and his member were that they "believed" the bodies could "be arsenic aged arsenic 15 years." The country they were successful was located down a doorway that was hidden from presumption by a cardboard display, according to CBI officials. Asked however they were stored, Delp told reporters, "The country was conscionable a regular room."

Authorities sent retired a property merchandise with CBI officials connected Thursday, announcing the disturbing find and a "summary suspension" of Cotter's backstage ceremonial location license. It included details astir however the bodies were recovered and an mentation of what helium said to investigators.

"The appointed designee for the ceremonial home, Brian Cotter, told inspectors that immoderate of the bodies had been awaiting cremation for astir 15 years," the CBI merchandise says. "He besides admitted that helium whitethorn person fixed next-of-kin fake cremains."

The Pueblo Police Department called in CBI investigators to instrumentality implicit the transgression probe based connected its anterior acquisition with different headline-grabbing lawsuit successful Colorado — the Return to Nature Funeral Home arrests — wherever mortuary owners were caught successful 2023 illegally storing astir 200 bodies and doling retired fake ashes.

State officials person suspended the licence for Cotter's backstage ceremonial location indefinitely. Cotter, who is an elected authoritative successful Pueblo, volition stay connected arsenic the region coroner for the clip being.

"He is presently inactive the coroner close now," Saldate said. "We are exploring done ineligible means….trying to get proposal connected however we proceed."

State officials accidental they are presently alert of wherever Cotter is arsenic of Thursday, but his brother's whereabouts are unknown. Both were contiguous astatine the inspection Wednesday.

"That is thing we are tracking down," Saldate said.