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46m ago

Decomposing Bodies Found Behind Hidden Door at Pueblo Funeral Home Run by County Coroner

The discovery followed the facility’s first routine inspection under Colorado’s new funeral-home oversight law.

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The body of one of two suspects is loading into the coroner's van after they were shot and killed at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Garrison Street in Lakewood, Colorado, on April 30, 2024. Thornton police had initiated pursuit of the suspects in a vehicle lacking license plates, trailing them for several miles before they crossed into Lakewood. According to police reports, one individual in the pursued vehicle disembarked and fired shots at Thornton officers. Subsequently, both suspects exited the vehicle, with one brandishing a firearm. Law enforcement officers responded by fatally shooting both suspects. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
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Overview

  • State inspectors reported a strong odor, removed a cardboard display concealing a doorway, and found several bodies in various stages of decomposition at Davis Mortuary in Pueblo.
  • Owner and Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter told inspectors the bodies were awaiting cremation, said some had been there for about 15 years, and admitted he may have given families fake cremains.
  • Regulators immediately suspended the mortuary’s registration and ordered operations to stop, alleging willful dishonesty, negligence, fraud, and storage beyond refrigerated capacity.
  • The Colorado Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal investigation at the request of local authorities, with multiple agencies coordinating and no charges announced as of Thursday.
  • Officials said the Aug. 20 inspection was the first annual check mandated by House Bill 24-1335, enacted after prior Colorado funeral-home scandals including the Return to Nature case.