A grandfather has claimed he was given his wife’s ashes but found out she hadn’t been cremated until several weeks later.
Peter Welburn paid $2,400 for his wife Shirley’s funeral and claims he received her ashes on December 23, but was told this week his wife wasn’t cremated until January 16 the following year.
He said he went to Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, in Hull, UK, which is currently at the center of a police investigation.
Cops have launched an investigation after receiving reports of “concern for care of the deceased”. They later said 35 bodies and a quantity of ashes had been removed from the site.
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Mr Welburn said his wife’s funeral was held on December 19 at the premises, reports the BBC.
“We had what we thought were Shirley’s ashes around the Christmas tree because she loved that time of year and wanted her to be close to the kids and grandkids,” he said.
“But whose ashes are in a wooden box in my living room? They’re obviously not Shirley’s. I want answers.”
Shirley passed away on November 25, at age 72. Mr Welburn says the director of Legacy told him to use another crematorium 60 miles away as it was cheaper.
However, he was only told this week his wife was cremated on January 16th this year.
The grandfather said he didn’t receive a certification for the cremation so rung them up to find out the truth.
Mr Welburn said: “It’s only my family, the kids and grandkids, that are keeping me going.”
Mr and Mrs Welburn were married for 33 years and had four children.
In a statement, Humberside Police said: “Given the complexities and scale of the investigation and the number of people affected, we are not in a position to comment on individual circumstances. However, we are continuing to explore numerous lines of inquiry, and where people have been identified as victims, we will be supporting them.”
Leeds City Council said in a statement: “Leeds City Council appreciates this is an extremely distressing time for all involved.
“Officers from our bereavement services team are assisting with the ongoing investigation, and we will continue to help all relevant authorities in any way we can.”
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 by police as part of the investigation.
They remain on bail as cops continue inquiries.
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