Man and woman arrested in connection to East Riding funeral directors investigation

There are currently police cordons in place and officers in attendance at three funeral service premises across Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire, following a report received of concern for care of the deceased.

The report is in relation to Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, which has branches in Hull, Beverley, Hessle and Anlaby.

ACC Thom McLoughlin said: “We received a report on Wednesday, March 6, expressing concern about the storage and management processes relating to care of the deceased in these locations.“Since the initial report was made on Wednesday, 6 March, teams of highly skilled detectives and specially trained staff from Humberside Police have been working closely with partner agencies, including Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and His Majesty’s Coroner.“We can confirm that a man, aged 46 and a woman, aged 23 have been arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position and remain in police custody at this time.“As part of our investigation, as of today (Sunday 10 March), 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.“Since the report on Wednesday, March 6, cordons remain in place at all three Legacy Independent Funeral Directors premises.“The dedicated phone line remains open and has received over 350 calls from concerned members of the public since Friday. We continue to encourage anyone who has used Legacy Independent Funeral Directors and has concerns to call us on 0800 051 4674 or 0207 126 7619 if you are calling from abroad.“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. 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.“Families affected continue to be supported by family liaison officers at what we appreciate is an extremely distressing time for all involved. These officers are also working closely with our partners to ensure that families are provided with the most appropriate care and support for their personal circumstances whilst our investigation continues.”Victim support also has a dedicated telephone line which is available to anyone who is experiencing distress or concern following this report and would like advice and guidance. This is available by dialling 0808 16 89 111.ACC Thom McLoughlin said: “On behalf of all of our police officers and staff, our thoughts remain with all families that have been affected because of this incident.“I know many families will need and want much more information and we will continue to release updates as soon as we are able but cannot jeopardise the ongoing investigation in any way.“May I take this opportunity to remind the public to show the upmost respect and privacy for any bereaved families and their loved ones within our community.”Visit https://mipp.police.uk/operation/16HQ19P01-PO1 to submit information through the Humberside Police Major Incident Portal (MIPP).