Widow had ‘husband’s ashes’ turned to jewellery but his body was later found in freezer at scandal-hit funeral home
13 March 2024, 08:41 | Updated: 13 March 2024, 09:03
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A widow who had her husband’s ashes turned into jewellery has been told that his body was found in a funeral parlour's freezer eight months after his death.
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The woman from Beverley, East Yorkshire was told by police that his body had been found in a freezer at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull during a police raid.
Officers said that she needed to identify his body eight months on from his death last July.
The widow “paid quite a bit” to make the ashes into crystal jewellery for herself and other family members, including her late husband’s daughter and grand-daughter, but is now questioning whose ashes they are.
A friend of the widow's family told the Telegraph: “They then paid quite a bit of money to have the ashes turned into crystal jewellery for his widow, daughter and grand-daughter to wear to remember him.
“But now they have found out that he wasn’t cremated and he has been in the freezer all this time.”
The friend said the family is “now grieving again” after losing the “closure a funeral gives you”.
Officers announced on Tuesday they had recovered 35 bodies and a "quantity of what we suspect to be human ashes” amid an investigation into the funeral parlour’s handling of the remains of the deceased.
Another grieving woman, Billie-Jo Suffil, 33, who lost her father Andrew and brother Dwane in the space of five days told MailOnline she’s convinced that her father’s coffin was empty when she said goodbye.
She said: “I never actually got to see my dad's body. I bet my dad was not even in the coffin – it was an empty coffin. I was kissing an empty coffin. When I think about it now it is disgusting.”
Humberside Police Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin said on Tuesday the deceased had been moved to a mortuary in Hull where they await formal identification.
Investigators are looking into concerns about the storage and management of the deceased at the company.
Humberside Police said 120 police staff are working on the case, which indicates "the sheer size and scale of the investigation".
They announced a hotline had been created for anyone who believes that they might have been affected and said over 1,000 calls have now been received.
A man, 46 and a woman, 23, have been arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position. They have since been released on bail.
A large number of police returned to the site on Tuesday, including forensics officers dressed in white protective suits and the maritime protection unit.
By lunchtime, eight police vehicles were parked at the premises, with a number of officers visible in and around the area.
Officers cordoned off three Legacy Independent Funeral Directors sites after the force received a report on Wednesday of concerns about the "storage and management processes relating to care of the deceased".
Residents reported police outside the firm's premises in Anlaby Road and Hessle Road, both in Hull, at about 3am on Thursday, Hull Live reported.
Officers were also seen at the branch in Beverley.
A direct line has been set up for anyone who may be affected.
Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin said on Sunday: "We can confirm that a man aged 46 and a woman aged 23 have been arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position and remain in police custody at this time.
"As part of our investigation, as of today (Sunday March 10), we can confirm 34 deceased people have now been respectfully transported from Legacy Funeral Directors based on Hessle Road to the mortuary in Hull for formal identification procedures to take place.
"Since the report on Wednesday March 6, cordons remain in place at all three Legacy Independent Funeral Directors premises.
"The dedicated phone line remains open and has received over 350 calls from concerned members of the public since Friday.
"We continue to encourage anyone who has used Legacy Independent Funeral Directors and has concerns to call us on 0800 051 4674 or 0207 126 7619 if you are calling from abroad.
"Each call we receive is being carefully handled and delicately assessed by a specialist team to ensure we have a thorough understanding of each family's circumstances.
"We will get back to each and every one of you as soon as we can.
"Please be reassured that my staff and officers are working around the clock to deal with the unprecedented inquiries generated as a result of this incident.
"Families affected continue to be supported by family liaison officers at what we appreciate is an extremely distressing time for all involved.
"These officers are also working closely with our partners to ensure that families are provided with the most appropriate care and support for their personal circumstances whilst our investigation continues."
Victim Support also has a dedicated telephone line - 0808 168 9111 - which is available to anyone who is experiencing distress or concern and would like advice and guidance.
