Colorado mortuary owners arrested following discovery of decomposing hidden bodies

The owners of Davis Mortuary in Pueblo have been arrested, accused in connection with the investigation that was sparked by last year's discovery of decomposing bodies behind a barricaded door at the mortuary. Brian Lee Cotter, 64, and Christopher Aaron Cotter, 60, were taken into custody on Thursday morning.  

Both men are facing 125 counts of abuse of a corpse, nine counts of forgery, as well as multiple counts of theft. All but two counts filed are felonies. 

Cotter is accused of hiding 24 bodies behind a barricaded door at the mortuary, which he operated during his time as the county coroner. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said of those bodies had been there for over 15 years and were in "various stages of decomposition." 

According to the 10th Judicial District Attorney's Office, in addition to the 24 bodies initially found, there are many remains and bones. Through the investigative process, officials concluded there are 125 total victims. Nineteen of the 24 bodies recovered have been identified. 

Investigators said two identities were recently obtained that were human tissues not part of the intact bodies discovered. The tissues were found in buckets in the mortuary from a newer period, investigators believe, possibly 2016-2017.

The discovery happened during an annual inspection of Davis Mortuary by the state, and the mortuary has since been shut down. The CBI claimed Cotter also issued fake cremains to some families.  

It was  August of last year when inspectors found the bodies at the mortuary operated by Cotter, the then-Pueblo County Coroner. Cotter submitted his resignation with an effective date of Sept. 2, 2025.

In November 2025, some families who said the remains of their loved ones were found inside Davis Mortuary filed a lawsuit against Cotter and the Pueblo Masonic Temple, which owns the building where the mortuary was located.

On Thursday, investigators said that around the end of March of this year, the Division of Insurance advised investigators that there seemed to be a substantial number of preneed contracts made with the mortuary that were not properly put in a trust, which translates to alleged misappropriation of funds. That is why the charges include theft. 

A judge set the bond for both men at $1 million cash surety.