Hull funeral directors inquiry: Vigil at Hull Minster for affected families

A vigil is to be held for all those affected by a police investigation into a funeral director in Hull.

Detectives said they have identified all 35 bodies removed from the Legacy funeral directors' site after a report of "concern for care of the deceased".

Two people arrested on a number of offences were released on bail pending inquiries by Humberside Police.

The Bishop of Hull said a "vigil and lament" at Hull Minster on 23 March would "honour our lost loved ones".

Few details about the investigation have been disclosed but officers said they were also examining a quantity of ashes recovered from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors' Hessle Road site.

The force said it had received more than 1,500 calls from people who had used the company and were concerned about their loved ones' remains.

The Bishop of Hull, Dr Eleanor Sanderson, said a service starting at 19:00 GMT, would "offer prayer and silence, and the opportunity to light a candle for a particular loved one or as a sign of support for all those distressed or worried by the unfolding story of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors".

"We are sacred to God in life and death," she said. "The church continues to be available and to work with the Humberside Police and support agencies to ensure [that] the dignity and honour of those who have died and those who love them are upheld."

More than 30 people attended a vigil held on Friday afternoon outside the Hessle Road premises, where floral tributes were laid and candles set out in the shape of the number "35".

Organiser Karen Day said she used the company for the cremation of her parents in 2016 and 2019 and their "ashes were spread together, some made into jewellery, some [scattered] in the rose garden at the cemetery and some [put] in a little urn at home.

"I do want people to know [that if those ashes belonged to] someone else's family, they have been loved and respected as if they were my own."

Officers cordoned off three Legacy Independent Funeral Directors' sites after the force received a report on 6 March of concerns "in relation to the storage and management and processes of the deceased people within those premises".

Cordons have since been lifted at the premises in Hessle Road and Anlaby Road in Hull, and Beckside in Beverley, but "a scene guard" remained in place at the Hessle Road branch.

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. They have since been released on bail while police inquiries continue.

The force said its dedicated helpline numbers remain open.

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