The weird investigation into the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, Hull

[cupid_stunt]

This has been puzzling me, since the police raided the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, on Friday, removing 35 bodies from their premises to another mortuary in the city, and arresting a 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman, who are both on bail now, on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position.

Very little detail has been released so far, but in a press conference earlier today, two odd things came out, firstly that they are working on identifying the bodies they have removed, as I would have thought there would be clear documentation with every body.

Secondly, they have removed a “quantity” of suspected human ashes, WTF have they been doing, saving on crematorium costs?

Clearly something serious has been going on, because more than 120 officers and police staff, some from other areas of the country, are working on the case.

All very weird.

Hull funeral directors inquiry: Two bailed as ashes recovered

Two bailed in police inquiry into Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[moochedit]

Yeah i saw that. Very odd. No idea what is going on.

 

[moochedit]

The pair were in custody on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position.

Were they burying/cremating "extra" bodies?

 

[Plumdaff]

Hull mate suggests they were locally notorious for non payment of debts and rumours are that they faked cremations to avoid fees for transporting the deceased and families were left waiting for ashes etc that never arrived.

 

[moochedit]

Probably won't release any info until the trial (if there is one).

 

[Silas Loom]

There is speculation about families being given the wrong ashes, but that is a natural fear for people to have when a funeral director is being accused of malpractice.

 

[moochedit]

Hull mate suggests they were locally notorious for non payment of debts and rumours are that they faked cremations to avoid fees for transporting the deceased and families were left waiting for ashes etc that never arrived.

If they didn't cremate them then what did they do with them?

 

[Silas Loom]

Hull mate suggests they were locally notorious for non payment of debts and rumours are that they faked cremations to avoid fees for transporting the deceased and families were left waiting for ashes etc that never arrived.

But what would they have done instead? Doubled up bodies in coffins? Cremation is always going to be the cheapest disposal option, surely?

 

[cupid_stunt]

If they didn't cremate them then what did they do with them?

But what would they have done instead? Doubled up bodies in coffins? Cremation is always going to be the cheapest disposal option, surely?

As per the OP, the police have removed a “quantity” of suspected human ashes, from their premises.

 

[Silas Loom]

As per the OP, the police have removed a “quantity” of suspected human ashes, from their premises.

Very unclear how that is relevant to accusations of “faked” cremations. It would be more germane if the ashes were suspected not to be human.

Unless you could identify unique dna from multiple humans in one urn, I suppose. But surely that wouldn’t be possible. Any biochemists here with a view on whether dna would be viable for testing after cremation?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Could be that they cremated multiple bodies at once to scrimp on costs. But then how would anybody know?

/wild speculation

 

[cupid_stunt]

Here's the police press conference.

 

[Spymaster]

Weird AF.

I'm hoping it's a modern day Burke and Hare outfit and they were selling the bodies for something gruesome.

 

[elbows]

Companies house records show that they've nearly been struck off multiple times in recent years.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Weird AF.

I'm hoping it's a modern day Burke and Hare outfit and they were selling the bodies for something gruesome.

Like gelatine.

 

[Spymaster]

Like gelatine.

Or sex.

 

[Silas Loom]

Should this thread be merged with the kebab one?

 

[Indeliblelink]

Weird AF.

I'm hoping it's a modern day Burke and Hare outfit and they were selling the bodies for something gruesome.

The bloke they arrested has a touch of Hilary Briss about him, hope he wasn't selling "special stuff" to the local butchers.

 

[Silas Loom]

Anyway, it’s a blow to my general theory that independent funeral directors are always preferable to the ones that have been swallowed up by soi-disant Dignity, or the Coop.

 

[Indeliblelink]

Hull mate suggests they were locally notorious for non payment of debts and rumours are that they faked cremations to avoid fees for transporting the deceased and families were left waiting for ashes etc that never arrived.

This woman is saying she never got her father ashes.
Weirdly the police are asking if he had any identifying tattoos .

Daughter 'wants answers' after Hull funeral home investigation

Billie-Jo Suffill says she never received her dad's ashes from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[marshall]

Or sex.

lol, I thought that, all very Hollywood Babylon (the chapter 'Fan Worship and Necrophilia'), quite a market for it back in the day.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Very unclear how that is relevant to accusations of “faked” cremations. It would be more germane if the ashes were suspected not to be human.

Unless you could identify unique dna from multiple humans in one urn, I suppose. But surely that wouldn’t be possible. Any biochemists here with a view on whether dna would be viable for testing after cremation?

Sorry, not sure how I quoted you, I was replying to moochedit, basically pointing out they were cremated.

What I found odd was them saying they removed a “quantity” of suspected human ashes, which implies a lot, whereas from my experience ashes are normally available to collect in a day or two, they don't tend to have loads knocking about the place.

They could have been saving on crematorium fees, by doubling-up bodies, but I would expect the crematorium staff would notice that fairly quickly. Hence my very wild speculation that they could have been carrying out their own 'in house' cremations.

 

[Plumdaff]

But what would they have done instead? Doubled up bodies in coffins? Cremation is always going to be the cheapest disposal option, surely?

I don't think anyone's suggesting that they had a foolproof long term plan.

 

[Silas Loom]

I don't think anyone's suggesting that they had a foolproof long term plan.

Step 1: Fail to cremate bodies
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!

 

[Plumdaff]

Step 1: Fail to cremate bodies
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!

No business owner has ever made terrible or criminal decisions to solve an immediate cash flow issue or to avoid a bill.

 

[quimcunx]

Very unclear how that is relevant to accusations of “faked” cremations. It would be more germane if the ashes were suspected not to be human.

Unless you could identify unique dna from multiple humans in one urn, I suppose. But surely that wouldn’t be possible. Any biochemists here with a view on whether dna would be viable for testing after cremation?

There are usually bits of bone still after cremation that get ground up. No idea if viable dna could be extracted.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

This is becoming a massive investigation. What the fuck has gone on?

 

[quimcunx]

Sorry, not sure how I quoted you, I was replying to moochedit, basically pointing out they were cremated.

What I found odd was them saying they removed a “quantity” of suspected human ashes, which implies a lot, whereas from my experience ashes are normally available to collect in a day or two, they don't tend to have loads knocking about the place.

They could have been saving on crematorium fees, by doubling-up bodies, but I would expect the crematorium staff would notice that fairly quickly. Hence my very wild speculation that they could have been carrying out their own 'in house' cremations.

Lots of people don't collect the ashes for ages. We're coming on 2 years for my mum's. Partly because dad has decided it's all just a mix of loads of people's, which we are assured is not the case.

 

[quimcunx]

I would have thought onsite cremation would be unlikely as it would be noticed pretty quickly of they were just slinging them on a bonfire out back.

 

[dylanredefined]

Messed, up one funeral/ cremation and then things spiralled. So bodies piled up. Police are probably looking to see if they tried to make money getting rid of bodies for criminals. Or just trying to work out who all the bodies are.