Boat captain hired to spread three people’s ashes kept them instead, Texas police say

A boat captain was arrested after human remains were found at his house, Texas authorities said.

The man was hired to take the cremated remains of three people and spread them offshore, the Port of Galveston Police Department said in a Thursday, Feb. 9, news release sent to McClatchy News. Instead, the ashes were found at the captain’s house, officials said.

The boat captain surrendered to police and was arrested by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Department on Feb. 8, authorities said. He is facing three charges of abuse of a corpse and is being held at Galveston County Jail.

According to the man’s Facebook, he worked as a charter boat captain from November 2020 to September 2022.

The charter boat company — which offers “Ashes at Sea” boat trips — confirmed the man’s employment to McClatchy News. He stopped working there in September, the company said.

“We have had no further contact with him after separation,” the company said in a statement.

Police began receiving reports about the incident in October, per the release. Officials did not specify when the captain was initially hired or how many families hired him.

When asked about the captain’s connection to the charter boat company, police said they had no further information to provide.

Galveston is about 50 miles southeast of Houston.

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