PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — The 10th Judicial District Attorney's (DA's) Office says the owners of Davis Mortuary, Christopher and Brian Cotter, have been arrested as of Thursday morning. They were booked into the Pueblo County Jail.
- Watch News5's latest coverage of their arrests below:
On Friday afternoon, a Pueblo County judge reduced both Christopher and Brian Cotter's bond from $1 million to $500,000 cash, surety, or property bond with enhanced supervision during the Cotters' advisement hearing.
- Watch News5's coverage of the court hearing, and hear from a family impacted by Davis Mortuary below:
The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office confirmed they posted bond and were released from jail Friday evening.
The judge said that the Cotters are not a community safety risk. Both of them will be in court again on Thursday, July 2.
Brian Cotter is the former Pueblo County Coroner and was the active coroner when improperly stored bodies were found in 2025.
- Hear from one family who trusted Davis Mortuary with their loved ones remains below:
24 bodies were found in summer 2025, hidden behind a concealed door in Davis Mortuary. Read more about the investigation here.
- Hear from another family who trusted Davis Mortuary with their loved ones remains below:
In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, the DA's office and CBI say that now 19 of the 24 bodies have been identified in the investigation. Their names have not been released at this time. They are still working to identify the remaining five bodies.
- Watch the press conference in its entirety below:
Brian and Christopher Cotter face the following charges:
- 125 counts of abuse of a corpse (class 6 felony)
- 9 counts of forgery (class 5 felony)
- 27 counts of theft (total)
- 9 counts of theft (class 5 felony)
- 9 Counts of theft (class 6 felony)
- 7 Counts of theft (class 1 misdemeanor)
- 2 counts of theft (class 2 misdemeanor)
- Watch News5's coverage of the investigation below:
The CBI says the remains of those who have been identified died between the years 2010 and 2012.
According to the CBI, the nine most recent identifications were made using Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG), which is a process involving a private lab to use public DNA databases.
According to the CBI, they are also continuing to investigate several containers of bones, cremains, and possible remains found in the Davis Mortuary.
The 10th Judicial District Attorney, Kala Beauvais, has previously said she can not file all appropriate charges for Brian Cotter, the former Pueblo County Coroner and Davis Mortuary co-owner, until the CBI finishes its investigation and turns the report over to her office.
The CBI says they cannot finish their investigation until all 24 bodies found have been identified.
Editor's Note: At KOAA News5, we only use mugshots if there is a community threat, if the crime has a broad impact, or if it will benefit public safety to show.
- We will not use mugshots on any platform – unless:
- The mugshot is for a wanted person
- If there could be other victims (Example: child predators)
- If the person could pose a future threat to the community (Example: Sexually Violent Predator designation)
- If the person is in a position of power
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