Jackie Barnes, 58, scattered what she thought were her mum’s ahses beside those of her dad, only to be later told they belonged to someone else – and has now removed her husband’s ashes from her home
A grieving widow caught up in a funeral care scandal has removed her husband’s ashes from her home, fearing they may not be his.
Jackie Barnes, 58, had already endured shocking anguish after E Milne Independent Funeral Directors mixed up her mother’s remains with those of a stranger. She unknowingly scattered what she thought were her mum Margaret’s ahses beside those of her dad Thomas, only to be later told of the devastating mistake. Now the trauma has left Jackie doubting whether the urn returned to her after the death of her husband Danny, four years ago, truly holds his remains. Struggling for peace of mind, she made the decision to remove the ashes from her home in Dumbarton, Scotland, as she fights for closure.
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Jackie said: “Danny and I had been together for 30 years and I had thought having his ashes in the house would be a comfort. That was the case until the terrible mistake was made with my mother’s ashes, which destroyed any confidence I had in the funeral company.”
Jackie said that after the E Milne scandal blew up, she felt traumatised every time she looked at the urn, the Daily Record reports. She said: “I felt I had no way of knowing if the remains were his or another stranger’s.”
After speaking to a family member, Jackie agreed it would be best for her to regard the ashes as Danny’s. She said: “I scattered the ashes at the cemetery and I have been trying to come to some kind of peace with myself. But it has not been easy.”
Last year, police wrote to Jackie to say her mum’s remains had been found in an urn at E Milne offices. This week, Police Scotland said an “unprecedented” investigation was under way, with more than 70 direct victims in Glasgow and Dunbartonshire. Jackie said: “I hope those responsible are brought to justice.”
Police say 18 lots of ashes were recovered, with five yet to be identified. Two women, aged 37 and 55, and a 56-year-old man were arrested in connection with the inquiry and released pending further inquiries.