Horrified residents discovered human remains just metres from a children’s playground in south-east London over the weekend.
The grim discovery was made during a community clean-up event in Lewisham on Saturday, April 13, when a jaw and fragments of an arm were spotted in bags of gravel delivered to the Church Grove estate.
Police were called to the scene at around 2.08pm after members of the community-led Church Grove project raised the alarm.
Officers confirmed the remains are of "interest" and believe they could be non-recent. A crime scene remains in place while investigations continue.
The discovery was made during a community initiative aimed at building a new play area for local families. According to witnesses, the body parts were uncovered while residents were spreading gravel — with one person reportedly seeing a jaw fall from a bag.
Parents living nearby were left shaken by the incident, with one mother describing the horror of children playing just feet away from the remains.
“Tiny kids were playing right next to literal bits of human arm,” she told The Sun. “You see this stuff on the news, but it was right outside our front door.
“It’s so much more immediate, you just never think something like this will happen so close to you. We are extremely shaken, I think the whole community is.”
Her husband added: “It was just crazy, it is usually very wholesome vibes here. We all pitch in and grow our vegetables in the shared eco garden — it’s just mind-boggling, completely shocking.”
The mother said she had only recently given birth and was struggling to come to terms with what had happened. “I’ve literally just had a baby, it’s absolutely terrifying. We moved here to be safe, we just don’t know what to do.”
No arrests have been made, and detectives are continuing to work to identify the remains.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "On Saturday, 12 April police were called at 14:08hrs to Church Grove, SE13 following reports that human remains had been unearthed in a garden.
"There have been no arrests at this stage and officers are working to establish an identity, although the remains are thought to be non-recent. Enquiries are ongoing and a crime scene remains in place."
Church Grove is home to a community housing project run by the Rural Urban Synthesis Society, which is committed to creating sustainable, community-led neighbourhoods and affordable housing across London.
