Builders renovating the London home of Sir David Attenborough made a discovery they never expected. While digging in the back garden in October 2010, they uncovered a human skull buried beneath the soil.
The home had been purchased by the natural historian in 2009. Renovation work began the following year, leading to the shocking find that quickly drew the attention of police.
After forensic analysis, investigators confirmed the skull belonged to Julia Martha Thomas. She was a widow murdered in 1879 in a case long known as the Barnes mystery.
Thomas was killed by her housemaid Kate Webster in her Richmond home. Webster strangled Thomas, pushed her down the stairs, and dismembered her body in an attempt to hide the crime.
While most of Thomas’s remains were recovered shortly after the murder, her skull was never found. The case remained incomplete for more than a century.
According to police records and historical court documents, Webster later buried the skull near the Thames before fleeing the country. She was eventually arrested, tried, and executed in 1879.
The skull discovered at Attenborough’s property was located less than a mile from the original crime scene. Experts believe it was moved during construction work in the late nineteenth century.
A coroner reviewed the new evidence after the discovery. The official verdict was unlawful killing, with the cause of death listed as asphyxiation and head injury.
British police confirmed the identification using forensic analysis and historical records. The case is now considered formally closed after 131 years.
Sir David Attenborough was not connected to the crime. A spokesperson said he cooperated fully with authorities and was informed of the historical significance of the discovery.
The Metropolitan Police described the case as an unusual example of modern forensics resolving a Victorian era mystery. More details can be found in official reporting by BBC News.
Historical court records from the period are also documented by the Old Bailey Online, which preserves trial transcripts from nineteenth century Britain.
The discovery has renewed public interest in one of London’s most infamous murders. It also highlights how long buried evidence can still bring closure, even after more than a century.