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Three people who have been arrested in connection with this incident have been released on police bail.
Our investigation is continuing.
We have launched an investigation into a witnessed burial of ashes at Lincoln Crematorium following a report that the ashes of a person who had been cremated were not handled in accordance with the family’s wishes.
Our investigation currently centres around one individual whose ashes could not be located yet the burial ceremony went ahead, witnessed by family members. It relates only to Lincoln Crematorium.
The exact circumstances of what has happened, especially around the specific nature of the witnessed burial of the ashes itself, is forming part of our investigation.
We are working with the City of Lincoln Council, which operates the Crematorium, to understand more about what has happened.
As part of that ongoing investigation, we have made three arrests today (Monday, 29 July): a 52-year-old man, a 38-year-old man, and a 46-year-old woman. They have been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and both men also on suspicion of fraud by false representation.
All three are in custody and will be questioned by detectives.
We, along with City of Lincoln Council, have met with the family affected to explain what we are investigating. The family is at the forefront of this, and will be supported by specially-trained officers as the investigation progresses, and given details for Victim Services which can help to support people through policing investigations.
Chief Superintendent Kate Anderson said: “We know what a distressing case this will be for the family affected, and they are the people we are keeping in our minds as we progress this investigation. They wish to deal with this matter as privately as possible, and we ask that those wishes are respected by media and others who might want to talk about the case online. We also realise how upsetting it will be for others who have lost loved ones to hear about this investigation, and we are doing everything we can to build the broader picture of understanding around what has happened, and our officers continue to examine all the circumstances around this case. I know how many questions there will be around this case, and as soon as we have more information that we can share, we will do so. While our detectives investigate, my ask of you is that you do not to speculate about what has happened.”
The City of Lincoln Council has requested an urgent inspection of the facility by the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities, and has launched its own internal investigation separate to the policing one.
The authority is also leading on the assistance to members of the public who have concerns about the Crematorium and will be able to advise on the ongoing support they can offer in these circumstances. Please visit the council website where there are details of the support available, messaging from the council in relation to their investigation, and details for their dedicated adviceline. As the Crematorium is still operating as usual, so we would kindly ask that people who may have questions do make use of that Council helpline and do not attend the Crematorium in person so services are not disrupted.
The City of Lincoln Council statement can be found here: Lincoln Crematorium public information – City of Lincoln Council