Pueblo County commissioners are asking the state for more money to deal with the fallout following the discovery of 24 decomposing bodies behind a hidden door at Davis Mortuary.

According to their meeting agenda last week, the Board of County Commissioners voted to send a letter to Gov. Jared Polis, asking to raise the funding cap from $1 million to $1.5 million.

Officials say costs are much higher than expected for things, which include:

• DNA testing

• autopsies

• outside coroner services

The state previously allocated $300,000 in assistance. The case remains under investigation with no arrests made.

Six bodies have been identified, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said earlier this month. They were reportedly sent to the mortuary between 2010 and 2012.

Davis Mortuary has been under summary suspension since state officials discovered the bodies inside a hidden room at the funeral home on Aug. 20 during a mandatory inspection, which only recently became authorized after a bill was signed into law during a legislative session in 2024.

At the time of the discovery, co-owner Brian Cotter allegedly told inspectors that some of the remains had been decomposing inside the mortuary for 15 years and that some next-of-kin were given fake ashes.

Cotter and his co-owner and brother, Chris Cotter, have not been arrested for the alleged crimes.

The Gazette contributed to this story.