COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - A Colorado Springs woman facing six counts of felony forgery for allegedly repeatedly forging her deceased parents signatures on mail-in ballots, appeared before a judge on Thursday.

The charges against Sarilu Sosa-Sanchez, 59, follow a CBS4 investigation last fall into ballots being cast in the name of dead voters.

Sosa-Sanchez's mother, Sara, died in 2009. She was a registered Republican. But CBS4 found ballots were cast in her name in general elections in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Miguel Sosa -- also a registered Republican -- died in 2008 but records uncovered in the CBS4 investigation showed a vote cast in his name a full year after his death.

The broadcast report prompted El Paso County authorities to launch a criminal investigation, which led to the forgery charges.