Two brothers in Colorado, including a former county coroner, were arrested and charged with 125 counts of abuse of a corpse for allegedly mishandling at least two dozen decomposing bodies and other human remains. The remains were discovered behind a hidden door at Davis Mortuary in Pueblo.
Brian Lee Cotter, 65, the former Pueblo County Coroner, and his brother, Christopher Aaron Cotter, 60, were arrested Thursday and jailed on $1 million bond each. They were scheduled for their initial court appearance Friday afternoon.
The discovery occurred last summer when state inspectors visited Davis Mortuary, owned by the brothers, and detected a strong odor of decomposition. Investigators found numerous skeletal remains and containers labeled as cremains that contained human skeletal material. The conditions were described as grossly violating professional and ethical standards.
Brian Cotter allegedly admitted to inspectors that he may have provided fake ashes to families seeking cremations. He resigned as coroner in September.
Investigators have identified 19 of the 24 recovered bodies, along with the remains of two other individuals whose tissue was found at the mortuary. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation stated that the evidence revealed a "complete disregard for the dignity of the deceased and the trust placed in Davis Mortuary by families."
The Pueblo incident came to light during the first inspection of Davis Mortuary under new regulations adopted in 2024. Colorado previously had some of the least stringent oversight of funeral homes in the nation, lacking requirements for routine inspections or qualifications for operators, which had led to other abuses, including the discovery of nearly 200 decomposing bodies at room temperature in a separate incident in Penrose, Colorado.