13 March 2024 , 10:23
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A widow who asked for her husband's ashes to be turned into jewellery has been told by police his body was still in a freezer months after he was supposedly cremated, it is claimed.
Officers are seeking to confirm identities of the 35 bodies removed from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, East Yorkshire, during a raid, following "concern for care of the deceased" last week. The unnamed grieving woman was allegedly told she would need to identify her late partner's body eight months later.
The man's daughter and granddaughter have also been wearing jewellery they believed had been made from his "ashes", and are now distraught to learn it may not even be their loved one. A friend of the family said the police told the widow her husband could only have been frozen "under the direction of the coroner".
Cordons remain in place at the company's branches on Hessle Road and Anlaby Road in Hull, and in Beverley. A 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman arrested in connection with the investigation have been bailed, police said.
A total of 35 bodies were removed from the company's freezers (Hull Live / MEN Media)
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Speaking to the Times, the widow's friend said: "The widow is distraught. The family thought they had his remains, and are now asking ‘if it’s not him, then who is it?’ They are now grieving again, they have lost that closure that a funeral gives you. His widow has now been told by the police that she will have to go and identify the body of her dead husband – imagine that!”
Humberside Police said a "quantity of what we suspect to be human ashes" was also removed from the Hessle Road site. Humberside ACC McLoughlin encouraged anyone worried about the care of their late relatives to come forward, telling a press conference on Tuesday: “The dedicated phone line remains open and thus far we have received over 1,000 calls from concerned members of the public since Friday.”
“I would encourage anyone who has concerns about the service they have received from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors that have not yet contacted us to please contact us on the dedicated helpline.”
There are fears allegations could go back 13 years (HullLive/MEN Media)Other Legacy customers include Billie-Jo Suffill, 33, who lost her dad Andy Suffill, 52, just a few days after her brother in July 2022. She ays she "never received" her dad's ashes. The mum-of-three 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. I got ashes after my brother’s funeral. But now I don’t even know if they are his ashes and I never got any from my dad."
Earlier this week another mourner told the Telegraph she had been told by police her stepfather might be one of the bodies recovered. The family were given what they were told were his ashes several weeks ago. There are fears allegations against the funeral parlour could go back 13 years.