PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — Multiple family members have filed a civil suit against the former Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter and associates.
The complaint, which was filed in a Pueblo County civil court, comes before criminal charges have been filed against Brian Cotter and his brother, Chris Cotter, who ran and operated the Davis Mortuary in Pueblo. The case is still under investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and was expected to take months before charges would be filed.
- Watch CBI's last press update regarding the investigation
The mortuary became the center of a CBI investigation after 24 bodies were discovered behind a hidden door after the Department of Regulatory Agencies inspected the building in August of 2025. The complaint was filed by 7 family members of victims allegedly found inside the mortuary.
The defendants in the case are:
- Cotter family funeral services
- Davis mortuary, inc.
- Davis mortuary
- Davis crematory
- The Cotter Family’s Davis Mortuary
- Pueblo Masonic Temple Annex Association, Inc
- Pueblo Masonic Temple Association
- Brian cotter
- Chris cotter
The suit is asking for a trial by jury for all the plaintiffs' claims. Among these are the complaints that the smell of decaying bodies, which had been in the mortuary for nearly 15 years, should have been noticeable and reported.
The building, which is also a Masonic Temple, was run by Brian Cotter for some time, as the complaint states he was the President of the Masonic Temple for some time from 2009-2010.
The lawsuit alleges medicaid fraud, stating that Brian and Chris Cotter accepted medicaid payments for the transportation of and cremation services rendered to one person who was found during the August inspection.
The suit also alleged that Brian and Chris Cotter would give families fake remains that were actually concrete, and the discovery of an infant's remains discarded in a box, where the other 23 bodies were also found.
The infant whom News5 is choosing not to identify right now out of privacy for the family had allegedly been in the mortuary for 13 years since the child's birth in 2012.
News5 will continue to follow the mortuary case as it progresses. For previous coverage, click here.
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