A Colorado funeral home has allegedly hidden decomposing bodies that are years old, according to the New York Post. The authorities claimed they found around 20 of these decaying bodies inside a hidden room of Davis Mortuary in Pueblo.
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Funeral Home Caught Hiding Decomposing Bodies Over A Decade Old
This grim discovery on Wednesday, August 20, came to light after finding a door hidden behind a cardboard display. A document from state regulators claimed that Brian Cotter, one of the funeral home’s owners and the county coroner, asked inspectors not to go inside the room.
There was allegedly a “strong odor of decomposition” when inspectors entered the room. Cotter proceeded to tell inspectors that some of the bodies were awaiting cremation for about 15 years. He also claimed that they may have given families fake cremains of their relatives.
Colorado Bureau of Investigation director Armando Saldate III spoke about this horrific discovery in a press conference on Thursday. “This is a profound violation of trust and a heartbreaking betrayal of the families who entrusted their loved ones to this funeral home,” said Saldate.
“This is the day no one wants to see. We have received credible information that Davis Mortuary has been improperly storing human remains for years.”
Saldate then revealed that authorities don’t have an exact number for how many human remains they have stashed away. They also haven’t immediately removed the 20 bodies.
“Our top priorities are to respectfully and humanely process the scene, identify all the deceased, and notify their families and loved ones,” he continued. “This will take some time, unfortunately.”
Police have since suspended the funeral home due to the terrible findings. A summary of its suspension from DORA’s Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services explained its reasoning.
The funeral home “engaged in willfully dishonest conduct and/or committed negligence in the practice of embalming, funeral directing, or providing for final disposition that defrauds or causes injury or is likely to defraud or cause injury,” it said.
Authorities have not arrested Cotter. They have also yet to file any charges, but the investigation continues, so this could change.
The New York Post mentioned how Colorado is one of the weakest states for routine funeral home inspections. This isn’t a new funeral home either. Cotter and his brother, Chris, have owned the funeral home since 1989. Not only that, but their father owned and operated several funeral homes himself.