Police have identified more than 160 families connected to human ashes which have been found inside a funeral parlour at the centre of a probe into improper care of the dead.
Humberside Police said they began visiting families last week as part of the huge inquiry into the remains found at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull.
Due to the high heat used to destroy the bodies, no DNA evidence was able to be recovered from the ashes so the families were traced through paperwork.
It comes after police also recovered 35 bodies from the company’s Hessle Road site along with the ashes in March.
Officers searched the site, along with others on Anlaby Road and in Beverley following a report of concern about the storage and management of the bodies.
Martin Stone’s mother Susan was one of the bodies discovered at the funeral home in March
Officers at Humberside Police have started to visit 163 families in relation to ashes recovered from Legacy Funeral Directors in Hull. Pictured: A police officer stands outside the company in March
Police recovered 35 bodies from its Hessle Road site along with a quantity of ashes in March
Since detectives announced their investigation into the firm, hundreds of families across Hull and East Yorkshire have been left questioning whether they have the ashes of their loved ones, with some saying they have been told they definitely have the wrong remains.
One of the bodies discovered at the site belonged to much-loved 78-year-old grandmother Susan Stone.
Her son Martin Stone, 52, told the Mail her body should have been cremated.
But the family got a phone call from Humberside Police to inform them that Mrs Stone’s body was still in the Legacy building with her name tag attached seven weeks later.
It was too decomposed to be identified and dental records were required to carry out the formal process before she was eventually cremated.
The furious father-of-two at the time said: ‘I just wanted to get revenge because of what happened to my mum, it’s disgusting.
‘I was fuming. Her body had been there for seven weeks. It had just been dumped there and wasn’t even in a freezer.’
Other grieving relatives have spoken of their torment after police received more than 1,000 calls as part of an alleged scandal at the funeral directors.
Susan Stone’s, 78, (pictured) body was still in the Legacy building with her name tag attached seven weeks after her death
A picture shows a branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull on March 13
A 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman have been released on bail, pending further inquiries. Pictured: A branch of the funeral parlour in Hull on March 13
Flowers have been left outside the Hessle Road branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull on March 13
Flowers pay tribute to the deceased which have been placed outside the Hessle Road branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors on March 13
Following the discovery of the bodies, 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.
Meanwhile other families affected by the alleged scandal included Billie-Jo Suffill, a mother of three from Hull, who said she felt ‘physically sick’ after not receiving her father’s ashes.
The 33-year-old lost 52-year-old Andrew Suffill in July 2022, and her brother Dwane Suffill, 34, five days later.
She said: ‘I got ashes back from my brother’s funeral. But now I don’t even know if they are his ashes. I never got any from my dad and now I never will.’
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper in March: ‘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, it is disgusting. It’s like something out of a horror movie.’
Billie Jo Suffill is pictured next to her father Andy. She previously said she felt ‘physically sick’ after not receiving her father’s ashes
Billie Jo is pictured with her brother Dwane, 34, who died five days after her father
Billie Jo is pictured kissing her father’s coffin. He passed away on July 9 2022. She told the Daily Mirror newspaper in March: ‘I bet my dad was not even in the coffin – it was an empty coffin’
Humberside Police confirmed more than 120 police and civilian staff were working on the ‘extremely complex and sensitive investigation’ in March.
Now the force have confirmed that they have begun the process of visiting 163 families in regards to returning the ashes that were recovered from the Hessle Road branch.
Working alongside Hull City Council and East Riding Council, telephone calls have been made to book in face to face meetings with families concerned.
In April, the police confirmed that they would not be able to identify the ashes.
Speaking at a press conference at the time, Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin said that while the ashes were properly cremated, DNA had been degraded by high temperatures making it impossible to recover.
The officer added the news would be devastating for loved ones while adding that more than 700 families have been contacted to update them and offer support.
Police outside the Beckside branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull after reports of ‘concern for care of the deceased’ on March 9
On its website Legacy promised ‘the best service and care available’. Pictured: The police investigate the company on March 9
Police officers stood outside the Hessle Road branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull on March 9
Following the discovery, more work has been carried out using documentation found with individual ashes at the location to potentially identify and locate next of kins – resulting in the 163 families now being contacted.
Richard Shaw, from Woodmansey, near Hull, used the funeral home for his wife Rita’s cremation in October 2023. In December, he was given an urn by the company containing what he was told were her ashes.
But in March he was one of the families who learned that his loved one’s ashes were not in the urn but had been found in a mortuary at Hull Royal Infirmary.
Mr Shaw said to the BBC about the latest development: ‘I have to believe these latest ashes are Rita’s or I’ll go crackers.
‘I am very angry.’
Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin said today: ‘Over the last two weeks, my officers have been making contact with the families identified as part of the investigation.
‘This has been to provide an update as to the ashes recovered and to also arrange personal meetings with them, to offer further support and discuss in detail the process that has taken place and the options available to them.
Richard Shaw said to the BBC about the latest development: ‘I have to believe these latest ashes are Rita’s (his wife’s) or I’ll go crackers’
Police cars outside the Hessle Road branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull on March 9
‘We have waited to provide this update publicly until initial contact could be made, as understandably the families are our priority and the information is personal and private to them.
‘The meetings began last week and will take time to complete, with both my officers and support staff from Hull City Council and East Riding Council in attendance, to offer care and assistance to families.
‘Some families may want to receive the ashes, and others may not, there is no right or wrong answer and the impact and affect it will have will differ for each individual family, but it should not be underestimated and we will do all we can to support those throughout what is an incredibly difficult time.
‘If you have not received a call from us in regards to the ashes recovered, but you have concerns or feel impacted by any element of the ongoing investigation, support is available via Victim Support’s 24-hour independent helpline on 0808 281 1136, and I would you encourage to please get in touch.
‘Again, as always, I want to thank the families and everyone in our communities for their understanding as we continue this complex investigation, and we will endeavour to provide answers and updates as and when we are able to.’
Following the police cordon of Legacy Independent Funeral Service’s sites in March, MailOnline revealed the accounts for the company were overdue and the company has received its fifth public warning that it faces a ‘compulsory strike-off’.
Its accounts remain overdue.
On its website Legacy promised ‘the best service and care available’.
The firm stated: ‘Established in 2010, we have grown from our original Anlaby Rd Branch to incorporate a further 2 branches, including our funeral home in Beverley, East Yorkshire and our latest branch on Hessle Road, Hull. Our structure allows us to provide a dedicated and unsurpassed personal service.
‘As an independent Funeral Director, we are able to create a unique farewell for loved ones, with more flexibility and less constraint than our competitors. With such breadth of experience, you and your family are assured the best service and care available.’
A 24-hour Victim Support helpline – 0808 281 1136 – has been set up for anyone affected by the investigation.
