Embattled Pueblo County coroner Brian Cotter is facing calls to resign from state and local officials while investigators say the criminal investigation into 20 decomposing bodies found at his mortuary this week could take “a significant amount of time.”

Cotter has not resigned from his elected position and has not been arrested, officials from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Pueblo County district attorney and sheriff’s offices said at a Friday afternoon news conference.

State inspectors found at least 20 decaying bodies in a hidden room at Davis Mortuary in Pueblo during an annual inspection Wednesday. Cotter admitted some of the corpses had been there for 15 years and he may have given families fake ashes.

Gov. Jared Polis and Sheriff David Lucero called for Cotter’s resignation during the news conference but said there may be few, if any, other options to remove him from office outside of a recall election.

Day-to-day operations at the county coroner’s office are now being handled by the Fremont and El Paso county coroners, Lucero said. It’s not clear if Cotter intends to resign, he said.

“There’s not a system in place right now that allows for the removal of an elected county official,” Lucero said.

Investigating Cotter and his brother, Chris, could take a considerable amount of time, CBI Director Armando Saldate and District Attorney Kala Beauvais said Friday.

Nearly 500 people have called a state tip line for the case in the 24 hours since state officials announced the investigation, Saldate said.

“This is going to be a long and complex case. We have a lot of forensic evidence to process and a great deal of information to sort through from the public and in our initial findings,” he said.

Although identifying the remains is a priority, that process could take months, Saldate said.

“The state of some of the remains and the need for scientific confirmation such as DNA analysis means we must be thorough and deliberate to ensure accuracy,” he added.

Investigators were still searching the facility room by room on Friday, and state officials hope to have a confirmed number of victims in the case this weekend.

Although Cotter and his brother have not been arrested, police are not concerned they will flee the state, said James Martin, deputy chief of Pueblo police.

“Our officers have been in contact with Brian Cotter and his brother, Chris. They are not considered a flight risk at this time,” Martin said.

Polis also called for Cotter’s resignation in an emergency disaster declaration he signed Friday, which frees up state resources to respond to the “hazardous materials incident” at the mortuary. The governor described Cotter’s actions as “gross misconduct.”

The state Department of Regulatory Agencies suspended operations at Davis Mortuary on Wednesday after inspectors found the bodies during the first-ever state inspection of the facility.

Before Colorado lawmakers changed the state’s rules governing funeral homes and mortuaries last year, regulatory officials could inspect facilities only after receiving a complaint.

High-profile cases of Colorado funeral home owners letting bodies decay at room temperature for years, giving out fake ashes and illegally selling body parts put increased pressure on the legislature to tighten the state’s lax regulations.

Rep. Brianna Titone, who sponsored the 2024 bill, told The Denver Post she hopes this can be an example for other occupations that might need additional regulation.

“After all of the decades of having no regulations or inspections, we are finally able to right the wrongs that have been, and are still, going on,” Titone said in a statement. “I’m saddened to hear we are finding these violations, and I’m very sorry to the families affected. But I’m very grateful to see we are cracking down on bad actors in this essential service.”