GALVESTON, Texas — A Galveston boat captain who was hired to spread the ashes of three people offshore has been arrested after police said the ashes were found in other places.
Cody Kenney has been charged with three counts of abuse of a corpse. He was released on a $15,000 bond.
According to court records, Kenney worked as a boat captain for Galveston Deep Sea Fishing Charters. The business gets frequent requests to spread ashes over water for families who have cremated their loved ones, records say.
Most of the ceremonies are done with family and friends of the deceased, but according to court documents, some are done alone by Captain Kenney during a chartered fishing trip.
On Oct. 13, 2022, the owner of Galveston Deep Sea Fishing Charters got a phone call from an employee of a funeral home who said the remains of a man were found in the garage of Captain Kenney's former crew member, records show. Captain Kenney reportedly signed for those remains on Jan. 26, 2022.
On Oct. 19, 2022, the owner of Galveston Deep Sea Fishing Charters found the remains of two more individuals on each one of his boats, according to court documents.
A warrant was issued for Kenney's arrest on Feb. 1. He surrendered to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office a week later.
The owner told KHOU 11 he offered to conduct the burial-at-sea ceremonies for those impacted for free, but the families declined.