An inspection that found decomposing bodies in a hidden room of Pueblo Coroner Brian Cotter's mortuary wouldn't have happened if not for a new state law.

Inspectors have found "several bodies" behind a barricaded door at a mortuary operated by the Pueblo County Coroner, according to Pueblo County. That discovery happened during an annual inspection of Davis Mortuary by the state.

State inspectors in Colorado have uncovered a grim scene at a funeral home operated by a county coroner, where decomposing bodies were discovered behind a hidden door. Authorities revealed on Thursday that the coroner admitted he might have provided fake ashes to grieving relatives who had requested cremations.