Pueblo leaders issued a joint statement Aug. 23 calling on Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter to resign amid a criminal probe into his funeral home.

Gov. Jared Polis demanded the immediate resignation of the Pueblo County coroner, who’s accused of “gross misconduct” and giving fake cremains to families. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies’ Division of Professions and Occupations reportedly found several bodies in various stages of decomposition at Davis Mortuary in Pueblo.

Colorado's governor called for the Pueblo County coroner to resign on Friday following the discovery of at least 20 decomposing bodies in a hidden room concealed by a cardboard display at Davis Mortuary in Pueblo.