Police have cleared a York funeral directors of all wrongdoing after a six-month investigation.
Officers made two arrests in June as part of a probe into allegations of theft and fraud into Hayley Owen Funeral Director on Boroughbridge Road.
But today the force said they found no evidence of dishonesty and the firm has been exonerated.
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A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “North Yorkshire Police can confirm that following an investigation into allegations of fraud and theft against a man and a woman from York who run a funeral directors, the criminal investigation has now concluded.
“The investigation did not find any evidence of dishonesty and the man, 53, and woman, 33, who were arrested in June, have been released from the investigation with no further action taken.
“North Yorkshire Police had a duty to investigate the allegations and conducted a very thorough investigation that was both complex and sensitive.
“Our thoughts and thanks are with the families who were directly affected by the investigation for their cooperation during what was a distressing situation for them.
“The outcome of the investigation has been shared with the City of York Council, who have provided support for bereaved families during the investigation.”
‘Extremely stressful’
Hayley Owen and Dave Barker of the firm issued a statement after the news was made official by North Yorkshire Police.
They said: “The past six months have been extremely stressful for both myself and Hayley, along with our staff members and close family and friends.
“The negative social media backlash (and trial by social media) has been upsetting especially as we were instructed not to respond, however we found comfort in all the positive feedback from a large amount of families.
“We are deeply saddened and sorry for the hurt and upset that these false allegations, made by two disgruntled ex-employees, may have caused our bereaved families during the police investigation, when we were not at liberty to contact any families.
“At no point have we closed our doors, and we have at all times remained highly professional, honest, caring and compassionate throughout what has been a very challenging period.
“Whilst we lost a little business initially, our previously unblemished reputation has fortunately carried us through. We have had many families stay loyal to us and would like to thank these wholeheartedly.
“We are determined to move forward from this and continue to provide the highest level of service that we always have.
“We want to express our thanks to our business colleagues and loyal customers for their support over the past six months which has made these difficult times a lot easier.
“As every December, we extend a warm invitation for families and friends to come into our office and leave a message in memory of a loved one on our Christmas memory tree.”