Overview
- The Cotter brothers were arrested and booked Thursday and each faces 125 counts of abuse of a corpse along with multiple forgery and theft charges and $1 million bonds.
- State inspectors discovered 24 bodies plus containers of bones, probable tissue and cremains behind a concealed door during an August 2025 inspection of Davis Mortuary, records show.
- Investigators transferred remains to the El Paso County Coroner and have positively identified roughly 18 to 19 of the 24 bodies using methods that include forensic genetic genealogy.
- Officials allege some families may have been given fake cremains and found many containers lacking proper identification, which has prompted civil lawsuits and complicated the probe.
- The case highlights changes to Colorado funeral-home oversight made in 2024 and officials warn that the CBI report and ongoing identifications will determine whether more charges are filed and how families are made whole.