State inspectors in Colorado have uncovered a grim scene at a funeral home operated by a county coroner, where decomposing bodies were discovered behind a hidden door. Authorities revealed on Thursday that the coroner admitted he might have provided fake ashes to grieving relatives who had requested cremations.
The shocking discovery was made on Wednesday at Davis Mortuary in Pueblo, approximately 110 miles south of Denver. Inspectors, who had noted a “strong odour of decomposition” upon arrival, found the bodies in a room concealed by a cardboard display. Brian Cotter, the mortuary owner and county coroner, had reportedly attempted to prevent access to the room, according to a document from state regulators.
The document further states that Mr Cotter informed inspectors some of the deceased had been awaiting cremation for around 15 years. This revelation led to the immediate suspension of the mortuaryâs registration, effectively barring it from operation.
The discovery led the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to launch a criminal investigation into the funeral home at the request of local authorities. They plan to hold a press conference Thursday afternoon.
A woman who answered the phone at the mortuary said it had no comment and declined to make Cotter available for an interview.
Cotter did not immediately respond to a message left with the coronerâs office.
Cotter and his brother bought Davis Mortuary in 1989, according to the businessâs website. It said the brothers brought with them an âold schoolâ way of operating that they learned from their father, who owned and operated funeral homes in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska.
For years, Colorado had some of the weakest rules for funeral homes in the nation, with no routine inspections or qualification requirements for funeral home operators. That allowed numerous abuses, including a pending case involving nearly 200 decomposing bodies that were found being stored at room temperature in a building in Penrose, Colorado, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Pueblo.
A sentencing of one of the funeral homeâs owners in that case on charges of corpse abuse is set for Friday.
Owners of another funeral home in Grand Junction, Colorado, were convicted of selling body parts and giving clients fake ashes.
In response to those and other cases, state lawmakers last year approved changes intended to tighten oversight, bringing Colorado in line with most other states. One requires regulators to routinely inspect funeral homes and give them more enforcement power. Another implements licensing for funeral directors and other workers in the industry. They would need to pass background checks and a national exam while possessing degrees and work experience.
Previously, funeral home directors in Colorado didnât have to graduate from high school, let alone have a degree.
