‘We have work to do’: Pueblo County appoints new coroner pending background check
Courtesy of Greg Grahek
Pueblo County residents will soon see Gregory Grahek in their county coroner’s office after he was appointed to fill the seat left vacant after Brian Cotter’s resignation.
Grahek’s appointment, which is pending a background check, comes after 24 bodies and containers of remains were improperly stored in the funeral home Cotter and his brother co-owned.
The Pueblo County Board of Commissioners approved the measure on a vote of 2-1 during their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, according to Gazette news partner KOAA. Grahek was one of five finalists.
In a letter addressed to the residents of Pueblo County on Tuesday, Grahek stated he plans to earn their respect and trust in “this very important position.”
Four of the 24 decomposing bodies found at Davis Mortuary identified
“I will work hard, and with all of the sensitive scenarios that will come my way, I will approach them all with empathy and professionalism,” Grahek wrote. “We have work to do in Pueblo County, and I’m here to bring back the honor and trust that this position deserves.”
Greg Grahek
The new appointee also made commitments to:
- always operate with heart
- make “pragmatic changes” “for the sake of the greater good” based on community and professional feedback
- bring a “wealth of administrative skills” to the position
- prove his appointment is what the community needs at this time
A LinkedIn account with Grahek’s same name based in Pueblo County showed he earned an acute care and family nurse practitioner master’s degree from Colorado State University in Pueblo.
Grahek also earned a doctor of nurse practice from Regis University in Denver, according to the page.
The page states Grahek’s work experience is:
- A position at IPC The Hospitalist Company, currently known as IPC Healthcare, from Sept. 2007 to Dec 2011
- A medical consultant at Haven Behavioral Healthcare in Pueblo from sometime in 2014 to May 2016
- An internal medicine clinic nurse practitioner at Adult Medicine Specialists, P.C. in Pueblo from sometime in 2010 to March 2020
- A primary care nurse practitioner at Heritage Internal Medicine in Pueblo from March 2020 to the present
Discovery at Pueblo mortuary renews concerns over state's funeral home industry
“I will work hard, and with all of the sensitive scenarios that will come my way, I will approach them all with empathy and professionalism,” Grahek wrote in the letter. “We have work to do in Pueblo County, and I’m here to bring back the honor and trust that this position deserves.”
Four of the 24 decomposing bodies found at now at Davis Mortuary, co-owned by brothers Brian and Chris Cotter, have been identified, authorities announced last week.
Family notifications are underway, and no identification details will be made public out of respect and privacy of the families, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.
The bureau said that further identification of the bodies found at Davis Mortuary could take a “significant” amount of time.
Since the grisly discovery, the business, which was bought in 1989 by the Cotters, has been under summary suspension.
The Cotter brothers are under criminal investigation and have yet to face charges. Officials said in a press conference on Aug. 22 that charges may only come after the investigation is completed, which could take months.
Pueblo County coroner resigns, suffered cardiac event after bodies found