FUNERAL PROBE
Devastating update on horror funeral home investigation after bodies and ashes removed by cops
Horrified relatives kissed empty coffins and wore jewellery they wrongly believed contained their loved ones' ashes
POLICE investigating a funeral home where 35 bodies and suspected human ashes were found today released a devastating update.
Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull is at the centre of a probe after cops raided three of its sites over reports of concerns for the "care of the deceased".
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But Humberside Police today confirmed they cannot identify people from the ashes due to the high temperatures required for cremation.
Chief Constable Thom McLaughlin said: "This will of course be devastating news for the families and loved ones and they have my heartfelt condolences."
Police revealed they had received 2,000 calls from worried loved ones following the raids.
A 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position.
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They have since been released on bail pending further inquiries.
Horrified relatives spoke of their concerns following the probe - including one woman who fears she kissed an empty coffin at her dad's funeral.
Billie-Jo Suffill, a mum-of-three from Hull, said she felt “physically sick” after not receiving her father’s ashes.
She added: "I bet my dad was not even in the coffin – it was an empty coffin.
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“I was kissing an empty coffin. When I think about it, it is disgusting.
“It’s like something out of a horror movie.
“I wonder if this will stop at 35 bodies. I think my dad is one of them.”
Richard Shaw was told ashes he believed were of his late wife Rita were not actually hers and a widow was asked to identify her husband's body eight months after she thought he had been cremated.
Three generations of the same family had been wearing jewellery made from what they thought were his ashes.
However, they later found out the man was still in a freezer at the funeral home.
All 35 bodies recovered from the parlour in Hessle Road have now been identified.
Timeline of funeral probe
March 6 - Humberside Police receives report "expressing concern about the storage and management processes relating to care of the deceased"
March 8 - Cordons put in place and officers attend at Legacy's three premises - two in Hull and one in nearby Beverley
March 9 - Officers arrest a 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman at Heathrow Airport
March 10 - 34 bodies removed from Legacy's premises in Hessle Road, Hull, and taken to the city's mortuary
March 12 - Police revise number of bodies removed to 35 as well as human ashes. Two people arrested are bailed
March 15 - Families of all 35 deceased contacted. Specialists from the National Crime Agency are drafted in. Police say they have received more than 1,500 calls from the public
March 28 - Victim Support launches a helpline for families affected by the investigation
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