Hull funeral directors: 35 bodies recovered and 'human ashes' discovered
Grieving relatives wonder if they've received the right remains, and whose ashes they are wearing in their jewellery
Hundreds of mourners fear they may have been given the wrong ashes by a funeral parlour in Hull, in a case that has left locals "reeling".
A 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of preventing a lawful and decent burial, following reports of "concern for care of the deceased" at the Hull branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, said police. They have been released on bail while the investigation continues.
Earlier, police said they had been investigating a "truly horrific incident" at the funeral home. Officers removed 35 bodies from the premises, along with suspected human ashes. Since then, more than 1,000 people have phoned the dedicated police hotline with concerns about their loved ones, police said on Tuesday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What's happened?
Police raided and cordoned off three Legacy Independent Funeral Directors sites last Wednesday (two in Hull and one in Beverley), after receiving a report of concerns about the "storage and management processes relating to care of the deceased".
One of the premises in the village of Anlaby had been vandalised and "trashed" two days prior, one witness told The Guardian.
The 35 bodies were recovered from the Hull branch between Friday and Saturday, and have been "respectfully transported" to a mortuary in Hull for formal identification procedures, said Humberside Police. Retrieval of suspected human ashes is ongoing, along with searches of "various business premises that are linked to the suspects who were detained".
Police haven't publicly referred to any specific individuals. But The Telegraph said a grieving widow was told that her late husband's body was "in a freezer" at the funeral home rather than having been cremated as the family had believed.
A friend of a family from Beverley said they had "paid quite a bit" to have their loved one's ashes turned into crystal jewellery, and are now wondering whose remains they are wearing.
Another woman told the paper that police said her stepfather, Danny Middleton, may be one of the bodies recovered from the branch. Emma Osborne said she was given what she was told was Middleton's ashes a month ago, after Legacy carried out his funeral. The family is now waiting for the body to be formally identified. "I have no words," she told The Telegraph.
A grieving daughter told the Daily Mail of her concerns following her father's death in 2022. She said that at the time she had not been allowed to see her father's body, and now fears the worst. She wonders whether her dad was "not even in the coffin" and she was "kissing an empty coffin", which she finds "disgusting".
What is the law?
The arrested pair were held in custody on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, which is a common law offence, "triable only on indictment", which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and/or a fine, said the CPS.
They are also suspected of fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position. They have now been released on bail.
Who has said what?
Deputy Chief Constable Dave Marshall and Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin from Humberside Police said the "lengthy" and "intricate" investigation is at a "critical" point.
That more than 120 police staff are working on the case reflects the "sheer size and scale of the investigation", they said.
A woman whose husband's cremation was organised by the funeral home told Sky News she felt "genuinely numb". "It's like being in sinking mud," Louisa Millington told the broadcaster. "I can't cry, I can't get angry… I just don't know what to think."
People are "reeling", said the MP for Hull West and Hessle, Emma Hardy. They're "incredibly shocked", with a sense of "how could this have happened".
What next?
The funeral home appeared to have had its branding removed from its branch in Beverley on Tuesday.
The shop's sign had been taken down, revealing the name of a "previous, unconnected", business, said the Daily Mirror.
The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management has called for funeral directors to be regulated, reported The Times.
"In a sector that is unregulated and competitive, there is room for standards to slip," it said. Ministers should consider "regulation and inspection" to "ensure that bereaved people can have the reassurance they expect and deserve".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - reflections in the pond, riding shotgun, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Do youth curfews work?
Today's big question Banning unaccompanied children from towns and cities is popular with some voters but is contentious politically
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The new powers to stop stalking in the UK
The Explainer Updated guidance could help protect more victims, but public is losing trust in police and battered criminal justice system
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
A Mexican cartel is trapping unsuspecting tourists in a timeshare scam
Under the Radar Thousands of people have reportedly fallen victim to the scams over the last few years
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Can the Met Police heal its relationship with the Black community?
In depth Police chiefs accused of not doing enough to address reported institutional racism
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Chile revisits the mysterious death of poet Pablo Neruda
Under the radar Pinochet critic died days after military coup in 1973 and traces of deadly toxin have since been found in his remains
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Clapham attack: a 'wake-up call'?
Talking Point The shocking case may prove the British asylum system is broken but it has also been exploited for political purposes
By The Week UK Published
-
Brianna Ghey: should killers have been named?
Talking Point Teenagers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe now face 'life of inescapable notoriety'
By Jamie Timson, The Week UK Published
-
Bronson Battersby: a toddler's tragic death
Talking Point The two-year-old died of starvation when he was left alone following his father's fatal heart attack
By The Week UK Published