Colorado state inspectors have found approximately 24 decomposing bodies hidden behind a door at a funeral home in Pueblo, Colorado, during a routine check on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. The discovery was made at Davis Mortuary, co-owned by Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter.
Inspectors encountered the bodies in a room concealed by a cardboard display. Cotter had asked the inspectors not to go into this area, as per state regulatory documents. Upon entry, officials noted “a strong odor of decomposition.”
Cotter confessed that some of the bodies had been awaiting cremation for up to 15 years and admitted to potentially providing families with fake cremated remains. The precise number of bodies remains unconfirmed as investigators have not yet tallied or moved all the remains.
Sam Delp, director of the Division of Professions and Occupations in the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, stated that investigators were careful not to disturb the scene to obtain an accurate count. Although a refrigeration unit appeared to be present in the room, bodies were stored in a regular room, leaving the functionality of the equipment unclear.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has taken control of the criminal investigation, drawing on experience from a similar case in the past. Director Armando Saldate characterized the situation as a significant breach of trust by the funeral home.
The state has suspended the license of Davis Mortuary, citing improper storage of human remains and posing a public health hazard. This suspension halts the funeral home’s operations in Colorado.
This inspection marked the first under new regulations established after Colorado’s 2024 funeral home reform law. Previously, inspections only occurred following complaints, and Davis Mortuary had no complaints on file.
Cotter, a three-term Republican who has served as Pueblo County coroner since 2014, has not been arrested. No charges have been made as the investigation is ongoing, according to 10th Judicial District Attorney Kala Beauvais. Cotter and his brother Chris have owned the funeral home since 1989, and their father previously ran funeral homes in Kansas, Nebraska, and southern Colorado.
This finding occurs as Colorado seeks to enhance oversight of its funeral industry after multiple scandals. The state formerly had some of the nation’s most lenient regulations, with no routine inspections or qualification requirements for operators.
This case follows another significant funeral home abuse case in Colorado at Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, about 30 miles from Pueblo. In that instance, nearly 200 decomposing bodies were found stored at room temperature. Jon Hallford, an owner, was in court on August 22 for 191 counts of corpse abuse.
In court, a judge rejected a plea deal for Hallford after families expressed their suffering since learning their loved ones’ bodies had been left to decompose.
The unusual decision to deny the agreement—which proposed a 20-year prison sentence—followed compelling testimony from relatives advocating for harsher penalties.
One testimony came from Crystina Page, who shared that her 20-year-old son, David Jaxon Page, was shot by police during a mental health crisis in 2019. She carried an urn she thought contained his ashes, unaware they were not his.
Hallford is already facing incarceration after admitting to federal fraud charges. With the plea deal now rejected, the state criminal case effectively restarts. Hallford may withdraw his guilty plea and proceed to trial, or retain the plea and allow the judge to decide his sentence. He is due back in court on September 12.
Investigators from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, some of whom were involved in the Return to Nature case, executed search warrants at Davis Mortuary on Thursday. Colorado State Patrol hazardous materials operators assisted with evidence collection.
Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero announced that neither Cotter nor his brother has been arrested as the investigation continues. Officials stressed the importance of gathering complete information before interviewing the funeral home operators.
Following the discovery, Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham, county commissioners, and Sheriff Lucero signed a joint emergency declaration Thursday evening to secure state resources for managing deaths in Pueblo County during the investigation.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has established a tip line for families who may have concerns about their loved ones’ remains being handled by Davis Mortuary. For information, please call 719-257-3359 or email cbitips@state.co.us.
