UK - Two arrested, 34 bodies removed during investigation into funeral directors, Hull, 10 March 2024

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  • Humberside Police has received more than 1000 phone calls to a dedicated helpline which was set up on Friday.
  • 120 Humberside Police staff as well as national colleagues are working on the investigation.
  • *advertiser censored* Ch Cons Thom McLoughlin confirms that a man and woman arrested on suspicion of fraud and prevention of a lawful burial have been released on police bail with conditions.
  • *advertiser censored* Ch Cons Thom McLoughlin said the force is "pursuing extensive lines of enquiry" including "specialist search and forensic teams" carrying out searches at various business premises linked to the suspects detained at the weekend.
  • *advertiser censored* Ch Cons Thom McLoughlin confirms that between Friday morning, 8 March, and the evening of 9 March the force has now recovered a total of 35 deceased.
  • He said the bodies have been "respectfully transported to a mortuary in Hull and formal identification procedures are now taking place.
  • "In addition, we have also recovered a quantity of what we expect to be human ashes and we are in the process carefully recovering all of those ashes and taking those to the mortuary."
  • *advertiser censored* Ch Cons McLoughlin makes a direct statement to families affected. He said: "My heart goes out to you all.
  • "I can only imagine how distressing this is and how upsetting this will be for you and your families.
  • "I know that you will want and need much more information than I can give you today but as we progress through the investigation I want to reassure you that we will provide you updates as soon as we can."
  • *advertiser censored* Ch Cons McLoughlin said he will make a "personal commitment" to "do everything possible" give families answers.
 
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What a distressing situation for the relatives, the link below shows pictures from Legacy's Facebook Page. It looks like they can host the whole funeral process (excluding cremation) including chapel of rest and chapel for the funeral service. There is a photo with the stand which holds the coffin with the curtains behind. After the funeral service I presume they open the curtains and the coffin moves through. The relatives then presume their loved one continues off to the crematorium for their final journey. Perhaps Legacy just aren't sending the deceased off to the crematorium although they've obviously been paid to do so, I think I read they were in financial difficulties. Log into Facebook
 
Widow may be victim of body swap after police find body in freezer


Widow may be victim of body swap after police find body in freezer


A grieving widow who had her husband's ashes turned into jewellery has been told police have found his body in a funeral directors' freezer.

The woman from Beverley, East Yorkshire, was told by police they had found the body of her late husband, who died in July 2023, following a raid on Legacy International Funeral Directors in Hull.

She and other members of the deceased man's family, including his daughter and grand-daughter, 'paid quite a bit' to have the ashes turned into crystal jewellery and are now questioning whose remains they are wearing.
 
elliefant said:
Widow may be victim of body swap after police find body in freezer


Widow may be victim of body swap after police find body in freezer


A grieving widow who had her husband's ashes turned into jewellery has been told police have found his body in a funeral directors' freezer.

The woman from Beverley, East Yorkshire, was told by police they had found the body of her late husband, who died in July 2023, following a raid on Legacy International Funeral Directors in Hull.

She and other members of the deceased man's family, including his daughter and grand-daughter, 'paid quite a bit' to have the ashes turned into crystal jewellery and are now questioning whose remains they are wearing.
Click to expand...
This is heartbreaking.

And this is why I always ensure in these cases to refer to the deceased as victims, no matter how they died.

They, and their families, had postmortem rites they wanted to carry out. To bring closure, to help grieving, to show respect.

Every single victim and their families had been denied that process by the very people they paid to help them do that, and that is obscene.

MOO
 
elliefant said:
Widow may be victim of body swap after police find body in freezer


Widow may be victim of body swap after police find body in freezer


A grieving widow who had her husband's ashes turned into jewellery has been told police have found his body in a funeral directors' freezer.

The woman from Beverley, East Yorkshire, was told by police they had found the body of her late husband, who died in July 2023, following a raid on Legacy International Funeral Directors in Hull.

She and other members of the deceased man's family, including his daughter and grand-daughter, 'paid quite a bit' to have the ashes turned into crystal jewellery and are now questioning whose remains they are wearing.
Click to expand...
That is just awful.

I don't get what the funeral parlour was trying to achieve? Taking money for cremations but keeping the bodies? Surely sooner or later they'd run out of room? It's disgusting that they would even think to do something like that
 
www.theguardian.com

Grandmother thought to have been cremated may be among Hull funeral home bodies, family told

Exclusive: Granddaughter say she feels ‘physically sick’ after being given news by police
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
www.independent.co.uk

Heartbroken widow who received husband’s ashes told his body was found in freezer

Another woman believes her father’s coffin was empty ahead of his funeral service
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
www.bbc.co.uk

Hull funeral directors inquiry: 'I stare at my wife's ashes wondering if it is her'

Families report "sleepless nights" after 35 bodies and ashes were removed from a funeral director.
www.bbc.co.uk
 
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The Legacy funeral directors' site on Hessle Road used to be the site of "Heavenly Services", another controversial funeral home which shut after the owner Simon Woolston "died" from a "sudden and acute illness" on 11 October 2021. After his "death" it turned out the company was about to be dissolved and he was the suspect in a massive fraud in which many families lost deposits -there were also concerns about how he treated the bodies and many had also struggled to get their ashes back. This was all covered by the Hull Daily Mail. Despite owning a funeral company, there was no funeral announced for him and police then closed the investigation stating he had been the only suspect. Locally, there were rumours that he had never died and had fled to Thailand. This is apparently a different company but use the same building. All a bit weird, isn't it?
 
JustTryingToHelp said:
The Legacy funeral directors' site on Hessle Road used to be the site of "Heavenly Services", another controversial funeral home which shut after the owner Simon Woolston "died" from a "sudden and acute illness" on 11 October 2021. After his "death" it turned out the company was about to be dissolved and he was the suspect in a massive fraud in which many families lost deposits -there were also concerns about how he treated the bodies and many had also struggled to get their ashes back. This was all covered by the Hull Daily Mail. Despite owning a funeral company, there was no funeral announced for him and police then closed the investigation stating he had been the only suspect. Locally, there were rumours that he had never died and had fled to Thailand. This is apparently a different company but use the same building. All a bit weird, isn't it?
Click to expand...
The Sun have picked up on the Heavenly Services case, the police have said in response that they do not believe the two cases are connected "at this stage".
www.thesun.co.uk

Cops at centre of funeral home probe were investigating 2nd parlour

COPS at the centre of a “truly horrific” funeral home fraud probe were also investigating a second parlour, we can reveal. Officers recovered 35 bodies and a quantity of human ashes dur…
www.thesun.co.uk www.thesun.co.uk
 
The above has just (after my post, probably a coincidence) been covered by The Sun. Humberside Police claim the two are not linked....

EDIT: ha Silverlink had not seen your post when I posted this.

www.thesun.co.uk

Cops at centre of funeral home probe were investigating 2nd parlour

COPS at the centre of a “truly horrific” funeral home fraud probe were also investigating a second parlour, we can reveal. Officers recovered 35 bodies and a quantity of human ashes dur…
www.thesun.co.uk www.thesun.co.uk
 
While allowing the police to do their investigations on the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors case, I would very much like to see a sleuth on the allegedly deceased former Heavenly Services owner Simon Woolston. Many people in Hull do not believe he died, he was a conman and fraud (see Companies House) and faking his own death would be right up his street. Whether or not he was connected to Legacy in any way (on record he wasn't but he faced some similar allegations), the whole thing is extremely bizarre.
 
Some background reading on the previous funeral director tenant of the same building as Legacy (Heavenly Services), here:

www.hulldailymail.co.uk

'Disgraceful' Heavenly Services to be investigated by police

Fraud investigators called in after heartbroken daughter left with nowhere to bury her dad
www.hulldailymail.co.uk www.hulldailymail.co.uk

www.hulldailymail.co.uk

Heavenly Services customers 'unlikely' to get their money back

Insolvency firm Auker Rhodes says assets recovered would go to creditors
www.hulldailymail.co.uk www.hulldailymail.co.uk

www.hulldailymail.co.uk

Police update in Heavenly Services investigation

Officers had investigated whether any fraud had been committed but the only suspect was the business owner who had died
www.hulldailymail.co.uk www.hulldailymail.co.uk

www.hulldailymail.co.uk

Daughter's agony as funeral director holds dad's ashes 'hostage'

She fears her dad will be 'stuck in a cupboard somewhere'
www.hulldailymail.co.uk www.hulldailymail.co.uk

www.hulldailymail.co.uk

Tributes paid to Heavenly Services funeral boss after sudden death

'A man with a huge heart and massive amounts of fun and laughter'
www.hulldailymail.co.uk www.hulldailymail.co.uk
 
JustTryingToHelp said:
The Legacy funeral directors' site on Hessle Road used to be the site of "Heavenly Services", another controversial funeral home which shut after the owner Simon Woolston "died" from a "sudden and acute illness" on 11 October 2021. After his "death" it turned out the company was about to be dissolved and he was the suspect in a massive fraud in which many families lost deposits -there were also concerns about how he treated the bodies and many had also struggled to get their ashes back. This was all covered by the Hull Daily Mail. Despite owning a funeral company, there was no funeral announced for him and police then closed the investigation stating he had been the only suspect. Locally, there were rumours that he had never died and had fled to Thailand. This is apparently a different company but use the same building. All a bit weird, isn't it?
Click to expand...
That would be a huge coincidence if that's the case. JMO.
 
The Hull Daily Mail is now reporting on The Sun's report. Surprised it took the HDM this long to write about Heavenly Services. They did the original stories, but they hardly have any local journalists left now.

Wrongly, the HDM declare as certain the two cases aren't linked. Humberside Police simply state the investigation is early and they haven't found a connection "at this stage". But why would they? There wouldn't necessarily be obvious evidence

Watch this space, I guess. However, they do state Simon Woolston "died from Covid". This is news to me, I'm not sure it was announced previously how he died. Was only said to be a "sudden and acute illness". I would be interested to know if he died in hospital (which would suggest he is dead) or elsewhere, and what the death certificate states.

www.hulldailymail.co.uk

Legacy Funerals investigation 'unrelated to fraud probe at second firm'

Heavenly Services was investigated by Humberside Police in 2021 but the owner died from Covid
www.hulldailymail.co.uk www.hulldailymail.co.uk
 
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