Two arrested in funeral home investigation

Two people have been arrested and 34 bodies removed from a funeral directors in Hull which police are investigating.

A man of 46 and woman of 23 were arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position, Humberside Police said.

Police said the deceased had now been transported from one of Legacy Funeral Directors’ branches to a Hull mortuary.

A cordon remains in place at all three premises.

Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin said: “As part of our investigation, as of today we can confirm 34 deceased people have now been respectfully transported from Legacy Funeral Directors based on Hessle Road to the mortuary in Hull for formal identification procedures to take place.”

He added that affected families continued to be supported by family liaison officers and that the thoughts of Humberside Police were with them, particularly on Mother’s Day.

A dedicated phone line remains open and has received more than 350 calls from members of the public since Friday, police added.

“Each call we receive is being carefully handled and delicately assessed by a specialist team to ensure we have a thorough understanding of each family’s circumstances,” ACC McLoughlin said.

“We will get back to each and every one of you as soon as we can.

“Please be reassured that my staff and officers are working around the clock to deal with the unprecedented enquiries generated as a result of this incident.”

Humberside Police said it had received a report on Wednesday of “concern for care of the deceased”.

Legacy Funeral Directors has branches in Hessle Road and Anlaby Road, both in Hull, as well as Beckside in Beverley.