La Marque boat captain accused of keeping ashes that were meant to be spread at sea

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A charter boat captain hired to spread ashes at sea is accused of keeping the cremated remains in his Galveston-area home, according to documents.

According to a report shared by our partners at the Houston Chronicle, Cody Christopher Kenny of La Marque is charged with three counts of abuse of a corpse without legal authority.

Kenny reportedly worked for a company that hosted ceremonies to spread ashes at sea.

In October 2022, the Galveston Police Department received reports that Kenny was hired to take the cremated remains of three people offshore and spread them, as per the families' wishes. Later, someone reported discovering the remains in Kenny's home in Jamaica Beach.

As a result of the findings, three warrants were issued for Kenney's arrest on Feb. 1. Just seven days later, on Feb. 8, Kenney surrendered without incident to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office.

Court filings did not say why Kenny allegedly kept the ashes.

His bond was set at $5,000 on each count.