Inspection Reveals 20 Decomposing Bodies in Colorado Coroner’s Hidden Room

Less than two years after nearly 200 decomposing bodies were found in a Penrose, Colorado funeral home, state inspectors have discovered a heartbreakingly similar situation in a facility privately operated by the Pueblo County, Colorado coroner. After noticing a foul odor during an annual inspection of Davis Mortuary in Pueblo on August 20, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) authorities opened a hidden door and found at least 20 bodies — some of which have been in storage for up to 15 years.

License has been suspended

According to multiple reports, three-term Pueblo County coroner and Davis Mortuary owner Brian Cotter has not yet been arrested and seems to be cooperating with authorities. He has admitted that some of the bodies have been in the room, the door to which was concealed by a cardboard display, since 2010 — five years before Cotter was first elected to the position of coroner.

“Upon entering the room behind the display, the inspectors found several bodies in various stages of decomposition,” DORA officials told The Pueblo Chieftain. “The appointed designee for the funeral home, Brian Cotter, told inspectors that the bodies were awaiting cremation and admitted that some bodies had been in the room for approximately 15 years. He also admitted that he may have issued next-of-kin fake cremains.”

DORA’s Office of Funeral and Mortuary Science Services suspended the license of Davis Mortuary on August 21, announcing that although DORA and the Pueblo Police Department will remain involved in the investigation, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will take the lead — just as they did with the Penrose Return to Nature Funeral Home case in October 2023. 

New regulations in action

It was the horrific Return to Nature discovery, which was precluded by several other high-profile funeral home and crematory scandals across the state, that finally led Colorado lawmakers to review their deathcare regulations, which had long been considered the most lax in the country. 

On May 24, 2024, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill HB24-1335 into law, giving DORA the authority to conduct scheduled routine inspections, even outside of business hours, in addition to strengthening licensing requirements for deathcare professionals and regulating relationships with body brokers. 

The August 20 inspection of Davis Mortuary was the first ever conducted at the facility.

On August 22, Gov. Polis declared a “disaster emergency” to mobilize the state’s mitigation and investigation resources to support the authorities in Pueblo County. He also openly called for Cotter’s resignation from his coroner position.

“I’m sickened for the families of the loved ones who are impacted by this unacceptable misconduct,” said Gov. Polis in a statement on the Colorado.gov website. “It is clear public trust has been lost and Mr. Cotter must resign as the Pueblo County Coroner immediately. He should be investigated and if warranted, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No one should ever have to wonder if their loved one is being taken care of with dignity and respect after they’ve passed, and Mr. Cotter must be held to account for his actions.”

Families are distraught

The exact number of bodies being stored in the unrefrigerated room has not been positively ascertained, nor have identifications been determined or shared with the families who entrusted their loved ones to Cotter and his employees over the last 15 years. Of course, those families are now questioning every aspect of their interaction with Davis Mortuary.

When former pathologist Patty Emerson lost her husband, Mel, in 2011, she selected Davis Mortuary to handle his cremation because of her longstanding working relationship with Brian Cotter and his brother. Emerson told CBS News that she is now “fearing the worst.”

“He could be one of those identified that’s been in this room decomposing all these years, and that is absolutely horrifying to me,” she said. “My second biggest fear is that the remains I have aren’t even his.”

Ethics in Cremation: A Colorado Case Study 

Public Trust and Funeral Service with Faith Haug at the CANA Convention 

WHEELING, IL— Research suggests that the public’s trust in institutions – schools, the government, organizations, and corporations – has fallen more than 20% in the last 50 years. And when bad actors damage that trust and cast doubt on a particular profession, what does recovery look like? Faith Haug, Director for the Mortuary Science Program at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, takes the stage at the Cremation Association of North America’s 107^th Annual Cremation Innovation Convention to discuss how practitioners, regulators, and the public navigated three recent cases in Colorado and found a path forward.  

From 2015-2023, three pivotal cases exposed significant gaps in regulations of funeral practitioners in Colorado. In her session at the CANA Convention, Faith Haug walks attendees through the events at Sunset Mesa Funeral Home, Bailey-Kent, and Return to Nature to discuss Ethics in Cremation: A Colorado Case Study. Her presentation will trace how these cases directly influenced Colorado’s funeral service laws and Code of Practice, focusing attention on the importance of ethical cremation practices and maintaining public trust.  

“We do things very differently from state to state, so there is not a lot of uniformity in regulation, licensing or even business practices. That leads to challenges,” says Faith. “Many options were presented to satisfy the regulatory agencies and the stakeholders that were invited to the process, and that’s the best you can hope for.” Her presentation will show how regulators, legislators, and industry leaders collaborated to create new protective measures. Concrete examples pulled from these cases illustrate how the public response has shaped consumer expectations and industry standards for cremation services. 

Faith Haug serves as Program Director and Faculty for the Mortuary Science Program at Arapahoe Community College, bringing 20 years as a funeral service professional to her role. As a licensed funeral director and embalmer, she combines practical industry knowledge with academic leadership. Faith is also consulted as subject matter expert for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs. During her CANA Convention session, she’ll draw from this range of experience to examine how public response to multiple high-profile Colorado cases has shaped consumer expectations and industry standards for cremation services for the entire profession. 

Each session at the CANA Convention is designed to place the client families’ experience at the heart of what we do: 

• In the keynote, Joan Fox, President of Inspired Solutions, asks Are You Creating or Killing Customer Loyalty?, and shares why customer satisfaction is an inadequate goal, how company culture and customer loyalty are connected, and what strategies measure customer loyalty to grow your business. 

• Two experts take the stage to share Data-Driven Digital Marketing Fundamentals with advice to build your business. Scott Jensen, Co-owner of FirstCall Marketing, offers Steps to Take to Know If Your Marketing is Working or Not. Then, Zack Moy, Co-founder/CTO of Afterword, guides you through The Efficient Funeral Home: A Data-Driven Look at Technology Implementation.  

• Succession planning and driving enterprise value should always be top of mind, so Jake Johnson, President & CEO of Johnson Consulting, will show how to Exit with Success: Succession Planning and Your Business. 

• In Historic Cemeteries Facing the Future, Regina Harrison, Director of Sales of Mount Auburn Cemetery, shares how to think creatively with options for cremation memorialization—whether you’re managing historic grounds or guiding families through end-of-life choices. 

• Barbara Kemmis, Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America and Chance Parker, Chief Research Officer of Fortitude Research + Marketing, present the Cremation Practitioner Benchmarking Study of insights into current practice and provides strategies to address future challenges. 

What could be better than what’s happening on the CANA stage? It might be the backdrop! The Convention hotel is the Arizona Biltmore which offers seven relaxing pools, five appealing shops featuring hand-curated pieces, three unique dining experiences, two picturesque golf courses, and one award-winning spa and salon – plus two iconic bars where you can revel in a tequila sunrise. You’re invited to explore, to discover, and to feel inspired by the colors, culture and the captivating energy of the Valley of the Sun. Make your reservation now at canarooms.com. 

To make the most of the resort experience, the CANA Convention schedule is revamped so you can enjoy all that Phoenix has to offer in the cool desert nights and mornings. First is a 9-hole scramble on The Estates Course at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club with an 8am shotgun start. Not a golfer? Take in the scenery with the Arizona Biltmore History Tour to explore the bold Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced architecture, get the scoop on historic celebrated guests, and view the meticulous restoration. Moving at a different speed? Put relaxation first and take a yoga class or book your appointment at the award-winning Tierra Luna Spa and Sol Garden. Or take advantage of the resort pools open around the clock. 

Understand the importance of ethical cremation practices and maintaining public trust with Faith Haug at CANA’s 107^th Annual Convention this August 6-8, 2025. Special rates are available for teams to learn, grow, and implement strategies together. Plus, the schedule is redesigned to ensure you can explore the Valley of the Sun in the cool mornings and evenings and fully savor the networking and learning in the air-conditioned Convention hall during the heat of the day. Visit cremationassociation.org/CANA25 to learn more and register today! 

About CANA 

Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization. 

In this very brief press release issued out of Toronto, Ontario, last weekend funeral home and cemetery operator Park Lawn Corporation announced that they had acquired two free-standing funeral homes in Colorado’s Western Slope.  The press release announced that they had purchased substantially all of the assets of Hood Mortuary located in Durango, Colorado and in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

When you look at the website of Hood Mortuary, which you can access here, it appears that these two funeral homes were under common ownership.

Jennifer Hay
Park Lawn CEO

Jennifer W. Hay, Chief Executive Officer of Park Lawn Corporation made these prepared comments in the press release, “We are pleased to deepen our Colorado presence through the strategic acquisition of the Hood businesses.  These outstanding businesses will allow us to better serve the communities of the Western Slope and will be an excellent addition to our existing portfolio of high-quality businesses in Colorado.” 

According to the press release, Park Lawn Corporation operates businesses in two Canadian provinces and 17 of the United States.

Park Lawn Leadership Changes —  This is the first press release we have seen from Park Lawn Corporation that lists Ms. Hay as the Chief Executive Officer.  For the last several years Mr. J. Bradley Green had been in that position.

I first learned in late April that Mr. Green was no longer with Park Lawn Corporation.  To date, at least that I can find on their website, the company has issued no public press release on Mr. Green’s departure nor Ms. Hay’s ascension to the top position at Park Lawn Corporation.  The last notice that we had on leadership changes at Park Lawn Corporation was a press release on September 10, 2024, about one month after the company was taken private.  Funeral Director Daily published this article on those personnel moves on September 12, 2024.

The Female Leaders — Jennifer Hay joins Lilly Donohue as CEO’s of two of the largest four funeral home and cemetery consolidators in North America.  Lilly Donohue has been, for the past couple of years, the CEO of Everstory Partners, a private company operating over 450 funeral home and cemetery locations in North America and Puerto Rico.

LIlly Donohue
Everstory CEO

While Everstory Partners and Park Lawn Corporation are now private companies and revenue numbers are somewhat hard to come by, I don’t think it is a stretch to suggest that Service Corporation International, Everstory Partners, Carriage Services, and Park Lawn Corporation are the four largest funeral home/cemetery businesses (by revenue) in North America.

On the topic of female leadership, here’s an article on the Lisa Baue led movement for women’s leadership in funeral service.  There is no doubt that the number of women in funeral service is greatly increasing and Hay, Donohue, and Baue have the opportunity with their positions to promote and increase female leadership in the profession.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

“Enough is Enough”: Colorado Lawmakers Announce Deathcare Licensing Bill

Colorado lawmakers announced a bipartisan bill on Monday that would reinstate licensing regulations for funeral directors. The bill is the first of three potential bills aimed at preventing atrocities like the November 2023 discovery of nearly 200 decomposing bodies in a Penrose, Colorado green burial storage facility.

“We are here today to declare that enough is enough in Colorado,” said State Senator Dylan Roberts, a Democrat from Colorado’s Eighth Senate District, according to a report by Denver’s ABC-TV affiliate. “Too many Colorado families have had to face the gruesome and unacceptable reality that their loved one’s remains have been mishandled, lost, improperly cared for, sold, and completely disrespected by bad actors in our state.”

Licensing is first step

The bill, which as of Tuesday afternoon had not been formally introduced, would create a licensing process that would require applicants to graduate from an accredited institution for mortuary services, complete a background check and serve as an apprentice for at least one year. Licensing would be required for virtually all deathcare-related positions, including funeral directors, cremationists, embalmers, and those offering natural organic reduction. 

If passed, the bill would go into effect in 2026. It would include an option for current deathcare operators who haven’t met the new requirements. The option would require a criminal background check and 6,500 hours of work experience to obtain a provisional license. That license would become a full license after two years with no disciplinary actions. License renewals would require applicants to retake short classes on the applicable law, ethics, and public health requirements.

A second bill that is expected to be introduced would require regular funeral home inspections, while a potential third bill would continue the regulation of nontransplant tissue banks for nine years. 

Joe Walsh, president of the Colorado Funeral Directors Association, seemed cautiously optimistic when commenting on the licensing bill, but added that licensing is just the first step in the right direction.

“Yeah we got the license, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to equate to perfection, unfortunately,” said Walsh. “The best way to do this is to improve and show that we are adapting, and adjusting and overcoming,”

Forty years too late?

Although Colorado requires licensing for deathcare facilities, it is the only state that does not require licenses for the individuals providing funeral services. Those regulations were deactivated in 1983 when the Colorado funeral board was eliminated by sunset laws.

“Since then, we’ve ended up being a dumping ground for funeral directors or practitioners throughout the country who have lost licensing in other states,” Michael Blackburn, the former president of the Colorado Funeral Directors Association, told CBS News in October 2023, just days after bodies were discovered at Return to Nature in Penrose, Colorado.

The owners of Return to Nature, Jon and Carie Hallford, were arrested in Oklahoma in November 2023 and extradited back to Colorado to face charges of theft, abuse of a corpse, money laundering, and forgery, which are all felonies. Both are now free on $100,000 bond each.

Last month Colorado authorities discovered a body decomposing in a hearse and 35 boxes of unidentified cremains at the former home of Miles Harford, a former Denver funeral director. After initially eluding police, Harford was arrested on suspicion of abuse of a corpse, forgery and theft, and has been released on his own recognizance with no bail or bond. Harford’s business, Apollo Funeral and Cremations Services, lost its license nearly two years ago, but it is believed that Harford was still operating as recently as August 2023.

These two travesties followed the January 2023 sentences of Megan Hess and her mother, Shirley Koch, former owners of Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors in Montrose, Colorado. Hess pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting, admitted to stealing bodies or parts of bodies from hundreds of victims from 2010 to 2018 and selling the parts to body brokers. She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Koch also pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.