A WIDOW who had her husband’s ashes turned into jewellery was reportedly told by cops his body was found in a freezer at a scandal-hit funeral home.
Police removed 35 bodies from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors on Hessle Road in Hull following “concern for care of the deceased”.
PACops outside the Hessle Road branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull[/caption]
Police outside the Beckside branch on Saturday
PAPolice cordoned off three branches after reports of ‘concern for care of the deceased’[/caption]
The widow was allegedly told by Legacy she would have to identify the body of her dead husband eight months after she believed he had been cremated.
Three generations of women in the family, his widow, daughter and granddaughter have all been wearing jewellery made from his supposed “ashes”.
But they are now “distraught” to learn the ashes could be those of another person.
Officers told the unidentified woman that her late husband’s body had been found in a freezer the East Yorkshire funeral directors, after raiding the premises.
A friend of the family said: “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.
“Apparently, the police have told them that he could have only been frozen under the direction of the Coroner.”
The friend continued: “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!”
Cordons are in place at the firm’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.
Meanwhile, Billie-Jo Suffill, 33, lost her dad Andy Suffill, 52, just a few days after her brother in July 2022.
The family used the firm for the cremation but says she “never received” her dad’s ashes.
Fearing she may be impacted by the scandal, Mum-of-three Billie-Jo 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 a mourner told the Telegraph she had been informed by police that her stepfather may be one of the bodies recovered – despite the family being given what they were told were his ashes a month ago.
Humberside Police said a “quantity of what we suspect to be human ashes” was also removed from the Hessle Road site.
Police said that a hotline set up for the public to report concerns had received more than 1,000 calls since Friday.
Some fear the allegations against the funeral parlour could hit families going back 13 years.
A Coroner and the family should be informed if a body is to be kept frozen.
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.”
MEN MediaCops raided three locations leaving families and locals shocked[/caption]
PACops removed 35 bodies from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors[/caption]
PAPolice were seen around the back of the Hessle Road branch on Monday[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
