Mackenzie Stafford
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) says that four out of the 24 bodies reportedly found inside a hidden room of Davis Mortuary have been identified.
13 Investigates was the first to break the story that Davis Mortuary and owners Brian and Chris Cotter were under investigation. Records say bodies in various states of decay were found during an inspection.
READ MORE: Pueblo County Coroner accused of hiding bodies in secret room at his privately-owned funeral home
According to Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) documents, inspectors said they noticed a door was hidden by a cardboard display at the funeral home. When they went to remove the display, inspectors say Brian Cotter asked them not to go inside, according to DORA’s records.
In the following days, the CBI said they also found several containers of “probable” human tissue and multiple containers of bones.
While the funeral home is privately owned, Brian Cotter was the Pueblo County Coroner. He recently resigned following our reports.
The investigation into Davis Mortuary has left many families who used their services questioning whether they actually have their loved one’s remains. DORA records say that Cotter reportedly told inspectors that he “may” have given family members of the deceased fake cremated remains.
13 Investigates spoke with a Pueblo woman who says that her husband’s remains have been identified as one of the bodies located. The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KRDO13 that victim advocates did respond to her home on Monday.
“I am very angry at him. I’m very angry that this could happen. I feel very deceived and betrayed. And now you have to figure out who you can trust all over again. And that’s not easy,” said Patty Emerson.
Patty Emerson lost her husband, Melvin, better known as Mel, in 2011. She says he battled kidney cancer for years, and when he passed, she says Brian Cotter came to her home to pick up her husband’s body.
“When he came to my home to take my husband’s body to the mortuary, he looked me in the eye and thanked me for trusting him with this final act. And so I just feel a great sense of betrayal. I just, it’s just unfathomable to me how this happens,” explained Emerson.
She says when she went to make her husband’s arrangements two days later, Cotter told her she could no longer see his body. Emerson tells 13 Investigates that as the news started to unfold, she had a sneaking suspicion that it might be her husband left in the mortuary. She said she had no cremation certificate or coin.
“I had a pretty good idea that they had probably identified my husband as being one of the removed from Davis Mortuary. And so it was like high anxiety and kind of the realization starting to hit, because you kind of tell yourself, like, this doesn’t happen to you. You know, this happens to other people. You never think things like this will happen to you,” shared Emerson, “And so then they, an officer from the Pueblo Police Department, and a lady from the Fremont County coroner’s office, and a lady who works with the ACOVA with the sheriff’s department, which is kind of like the victim’s advocate kind of thing. They all three showed up at my house, so I knew for sure.”
Emerson said she was overcome with dread at the news she was expecting and the idea of having to repeat it to their children.
“I just looked at him and I said, ‘You found him, didn’t you?’ And they said, ‘Yes.’ And to be honest, it was almost like being told the first time that he had passed away. And my first thought, of course, was my children. I had to tell them all over again about this. You know, when he passed away the first time, they were both fairly young, and they could only understand at their age level. They were at three and 12. They’re 17 and 26 now. And so in many ways, especially with my son, this is his first loss. Like really having that feeling of what it’s like to have to hear these things,” said Patty Emerson.
Emerson said her husband, Mel, was one of the kindest, caring and loving people. Emerson also explained to 13 Investigates that she knew Cotter in passing. She worked at an area hospital and would see him on occasion. She said it makes her question everything she thought she knew about the Cotter family.
“I think it’s like one of the biggest disrespectful things that you can do to people. My husband was a wonderful person, and even if he wasn’t a wonderful person, even if he was someone who had no family to claim him, he’s still a human being. And as human beings, I think we’re entitled to certain things. And I think one of those certain things is that when you take care of loved ones and make the final decision that you can make for them on this earth, that the person you are talking to should take that as a sacred right that they have been given. And this man did not do that. You know, in his resignation letter as Pueblo County Coroner, he said he was doing that as a final act for the Pueblo community that he dearly loved. And I find that hard to believe because if he loved this community and the people so much here, why would he do this to them?” questioned Emerson.
If she could say anything to Brian Cotter, she said she would question how he handled the death of his own wife.
“His wife passed away a few years ago. How did he treat her? Or how did whoever handled her services and preparation of her body treat her compared to the way he treated my husband and the way he treated all of those other people that they found in his funeral home? And shame on you,” Emerson continued, “I don’t know who took care of his wife, but I’m sure he probably made sure they did right by her. Well, meanwhile, he’s doing this to the community of Pueblo and to hundreds of families in this town. And my heart hurts for every single one of them, because even though the answer I got was hard to hear, I have an answer. And I know when I get the remains back, it’s going to be my husband. It’s not going to be whatever it was he pushed off on me and told me they were cremains of my husband. And so I at least have an answer. And my heart hurts for the people that don’t, and for the people that are going to have to hear the same words I heard yesterday.”
Emerson said her family plans to have another memorial service for her husband, Mel, to honor his life.
She encourages other families to speak up and share their stories.
“I’m sure everybody else has similar stories about their loved ones, and I hope they have the opportunity to tell those stories. I think our voices need to be heard collectively, and I just encourage anybody in this situation, don’t let this be a news story that fades away as time goes by. Don’t let people forget this happened. Don’t let people forget that these are real, live human beings who this involved. And there are extended families and many, many people that it has affected, and it should not be forgotten,” urged Emerson.
To read all of our reports on this case, click here.
The dedicated victim assistance line for the Davis Mortuary investigation is (719) 257-3359. Information can also be sent via email to CBITips@state.co.us. The CBI has created a questionnaire to assist with the investigative process for families who may have sought out services at Davis Mortuary.
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Different age-progressed sketches and images of Christopher Abeyta. 
