A man who was caught up in the centre of the Hull funeral parlour scandal spoke of the shock when his grandmother's coffin covered in thick black mould and blood.
Tristan Essex had taken ashes home from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors of what he thought was his grandmother Jessie Stockdale, for whom he had cared seven years before her death.
However, after contacting a helpline that had been set up for potential victims, he was told by officers that they believed his grandmother’s body was still in the funeral home.
Humberside Police announced last month that it had recovered 35 bodies from the funeral parlour and some unidentified ashes.
An investigation has been launched into Legacy Funeral Directors in Humberside
PA
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s File on 4, the 24-year-old said: "It felt like my heart had dropped into my stomach. We’d said it must be wrong, the ashes are there on the fireplace, they’re just sat right there. I’ve been talking to them as if it was my grandma and we don’t even know who’s in this ashes box.
"When I saw the coffin my heart just stopped. He’d made no efforts at making her presentable – just seeing how her hair’s just wet, her face didn’t look the same, she looked so uncomfortable.
"Her head just tilted forward, her fingers had gone black, the entire coffin was just engulfed in a black thick mould. Her coffin looked as if it had been submerged in water and it had actually soaked up the moisture.
"Then on the frills of the coffin there was blood just splayed, clearly for everyone to see. She just looked poorly treated. I just left, I was speechless."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
An investigation has been launched into Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull
PA
Speaking at a press conference in Hull earlier this month, assistant chief constable Thom McLaughlin, of Humberside Police, said they have received a "significant number of calls" over suspected financial and fraudulent activity.
He said: “Our specially-trained family liaison officers continue to support and update the families of the 35 deceased and we have also been in touch with a number of families regarding the ashes recovered from the premises.
“In addition, we have had a significant number of calls that relate to suspected financial and fraudulent activity.
“I have dedicated specialist investigation teams carrying out numerous inquiries and following up on various leads and information.”
Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin
PA
Another victim, a 35-year-old woman speaking under the pseudonym "Louise", said she did not have a chance to say goodbye to her terminally ill mother because the funeral home told her that the body had already started to decompose.
A 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman remain on bail after being arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position.
GB News has approached Legacy Independent Funerals for comment.