Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Friday called on the county coronner to resign after state inspectors found at least 20 decomposed bodies behind a hidden door in a funeral home he possessed.
Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter told inspectors from the State Department of Regulatory Agencies that some of the authorities have been expecting cremation for about 15 years, according to a document from the state regulators. Cotter also told them that he may have given a fake ash to families who want their close cremated.
The inspectors found a “strong smell of decomposition” during a check on Wednesday of the Davis Morg in Pueblo, about 110 miles (177 kilometers) south of Denver, and found the bodies in a room hidden behind a cardboard display. Cotter asked the inspectors not to enter the room, according to the documents.
Polis said Cotter undermines public confidence from how he handles the bodies and should resign immediately. Pueblo County sheriff David Lusero also called for Kotter’s resignation at a press conference on Friday.
“No one should ever wonder if their beloved person takes care of dignity and respect after they have passed, and Mr. Cotter must be kept to take into account his actions,” Polis said.
The Governor has no authority to remove a chosen employee from office. If Cotter does not resign, voters could submit a petition for download elections to remove it.
Cotter did not respond immediately on Friday to email and telephone messages, looking for a comment on calls for his resignation.
Cotter has not been arrested. Pueblo County District Prosecutor Kala Kala Bowiv said that no charges would be filed until the investigation “slow and thoroughly” was completed.
Investigators are still looking for the property at Hazmat Gear and collect evidence to create a criminal case and to start identifying the victims, said Armando Saldat III, Director of the Bureau for Investigation in Colorado. He said the desk received more than 500 calls from people who believe that their loved ones may be among the deceased.
“We know that families are desperately looking for information,” Saldate said. “This will be a long and complicated case. We have a lot of forensic evidence of processing and a lot of information to arrange from the public.”
Colorado Long had minimal supervision of funeral homes, which allowed numerous abuses. In one case, nearly 200 decomposed bodies were found, stored at room temperature in a Penrose building, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Pueblo.
The discovery in Pueblo happened during the first inspection of the Davis morgue conducted under state laws adopted last year to tighten the supervision of the Colorado funeral industry. Before the change, funeral homes can only be inspected if a complaint has been filed against them. State regulators said the Davis morgue had no previous complaints.
Cotter was selected as a district coroner in 2014, and his current deadline will end in 2027. He and his brother Chris buy a Morga of Davis in 1989 after learning from their father, who owns and manages funeral homes in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska, according to the Morga website.
A lawyer at the National Association of Funeral Directors, Chris Farmer, said the discovery in Pueblo’s funeral home suggests that the increased supervision of the Colorado industry was working.
“These inspectors must be praised to find remains behind” hidden doors, “says Farmer, chief advisor to the industry group. “There are over 250 funeral homes and cremators in Colorado … It will take some time to inspect them all.”
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The Associated Press writer Matthew Brown has contributed to the reporting from Billings, Montana.