Lucy Ness was informed by police that the ashes she had treasured for three years following a miscarriage were not her baby's, and may have been animal remains. Ness experienced the miscarriage just before her 12-week scan on April 20, 2021.
She and her partner, Callum Ellerby, were told their baby was cremated on May 10, 2021. The day after the cremation was reportedly meant to take place, Robert Bush, from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, contacted Ness to collect the ashes, which she did. The ashes were presented in a white china urn with a teddy bear emblem.
In court, prosecutor Chris Paxton KC stated that "the ashes that Lucy was given could not have been those of her baby." While Paxton did not specify they were of animal origin, Ness told the BBC that police had informed her they were animal remains. "How can somebody with a duty of care do this to my family?" Ness questioned.
In March 2024, Humberside Police began investigating Legacy Independent Funeral Directors. Following this announcement, Ness contacted a helpline set up for concerned individuals. Officers then informed her that the ashes in her possession could not be those of her baby. According to Ness, police explained they had checked crematorium records and found that Bush had collected the baby's ashes on May 13, two days after presenting the urn to Ness and Ellerby.
Ness stated that the experience has impacted her mental health, saying, "I have felt very up and down."