A county coroner in Colorado is facing accusations of keeping bodies within his private mortuary for years—with authorities discovering “around 20 or so” bodies “in just a regular room,” at differing stages of decomposition, officials report.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation informed Law&Crime that criminal charges are being considered against Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter, following an inspection by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies’ (DORA) Division of Professions and Occupations at Davis Mortuary in Pueblo, during which the bodies were discovered.

A press conference was held Thursday by CBI, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, and local officials, detailing how Cotter and his brother, Chris Cotter, allegedly stored the decomposing bodies for years in a non-refrigerated room. The Cotter brothers, who co-owned the mortuary, lost their crematory license in November 2024, according to official statements.

CBI Director Armando Saldate III and DORA Division Director Sam Delp described the incident as a “deeply disturbing and tragic situation” affecting all involved, including the state inspectors who discovered the grim scene.

Allegedly, Cotter and his brother informed the inspectors they “believed the bodies ranged around 20 or so,” according to Delp. “The investigators did not enter the room where the bodies were kept,” he explained to reporters. “They could see from the doorway. To determine exactly how many bodies were inside, they would have needed to move them around, which was not our directive.”

Delp said that the statements made by Cotter and his brother were that they “believed” the bodies could “be as old as 15 years.” The room they were in was located behind a door that was hidden from view by a cardboard display, according to CBI officials. Asked how they were stored, Delp told reporters, “The room was just a regular room.”

Authorities sent out a press release with CBI officials on Thursday, announcing the disturbing discovery and a “summary suspension” of Cotter’s private funeral home license. It included details about how the bodies were found and an explanation of what he said to investigators.

“The appointed designee for the funeral home, Brian Cotter, told inspectors that some of the bodies had been awaiting cremation for approximately 15 years,” the CBI release says. “He also admitted that he may have given next-of-kin fake cremains.”

The Pueblo Police Department called in CBI investigators to take over the criminal investigation based on its prior experience with another headline-grabbing case in Colorado — the Return to Nature Funeral Home arrests — where mortuary owners were caught in 2023 illegally storing nearly 200 bodies and doling out fake ashes.

State officials have suspended the license for Cotter’s private funeral home indefinitely. Cotter, who is an elected official in Pueblo, will remain on as the county coroner for the time being.

“He is currently still the coroner right now,” Saldate said. “We are exploring through legal means….trying to get advice on how we proceed.”

State officials say they are currently aware of where Cotter is as of Thursday, but his brother’s whereabouts are unknown. Both were present at the inspection Wednesday.

“That is something we are tracking down,” Saldate said.