Suspected human ashes were discovered at the funeral parlour in Hull where 35 bodies were removed in a police raid last week.
In an update on Tuesday afternoon, Deputy Chief Constable Dave Marshall and Assistant Chief Constable Thom McLoughlin from Humberside Police said they are pursuing “extensive lines of inquiries” in a “lengthy” and “intricate” investigation.
They said they had received 1,000 calls of concern regarding the case.
Two people – a man aged 46 and a woman aged 23 – had been arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position. They have since been released on bail.
The 35 bodies have been “respectfully transported” from one of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors’ three branches to a mortuary in Hull for formal identification procedures to take place after concerns were raised about “storage and management processes relating to care of the deceased”.
Police had raided all three branches – two in Hull and one in Beverley.
Legacy Independent Funeral Directors is a family-run business established in 2010, according to its website. It has yet to comment publicly.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.