I rushed home after builders made terrifying discovery – I thought it was a wind-up… then my garden became a crime scene

A COUPLE’s terrifying discovery under their patio turned their garden into a crime scene as police suspected a potential murder. Ross and Claire Sledger were having an extension built at their home in Wye, Kent, in 2019 when builders unearthed human bones on site. A couple found human bones underneath their patio that turned their garden into a crime scene Credit: SWNS Ross and Claire Sledger were having an extension built when builders made the grisly discovery Credit: Jam Press/Ross Sledger These included a femur, two skulls, ribs and part of a pelvis, with fragments of a humerus and finger bones also uncovered. Ten police officers scrambled to the house to investigate what they initially feared was a murder scene. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Mr Sledger, 49, says the couple moved out of their home while officers carried out excavation works for three days. “Builders were doing our extension and Claire called me to say they’ve found some bones and my first thought was it was someone’s pet,” he recalled. Cops scrambled to the house in what they initially thought was a murder scene Credit: SWNS Several human bones were found including a femur and two skulls Credit: SWNS “A builder had actually found several, but it wasn’t until we saw a femur which raised alarm bells as you could see it was human. “By the following day we had 24/7 observation on the site because they thought it could be a murder scene. “Police were just sieving top soil, but when you have five police cars outside your house in a little village word did get around quite quickly. “We ended up leaving the house so those investigating could get on with it. We went to a friend’s house and that’s when we were told on the phone they found a second body on the third day.” Most read in The Sun Six years on, the bones were revealed to be Anglo-Saxon and are thought to be about 1,000 years old. A service was held at St Gregory and St Martin Church in the village where the bones were laid to rest in the graveyard. More than 25 people attended the service at St Gregory and St Martin Church, which began with the singing of William Blake’s Jerusalem. Reverend Ravi Holy, rector of the church, confirmed the identities of both bodies remain unknown, but said villagers should still have the opportunity to pay their respects. “Ross and Claire are a lovely couple in the village and it was obviously a shock to them,” he said. “But once we knew more information and discovered they were Anglo-Saxon bones, we wanted to do something and that’s why we’ve had the service. But they were later revealed to be from the Anglo-Saxon period and around 1,000 years old Credit: SWNS The couple’s garden now after the terrifying discovery in 2019 Credit: SWNS “I’m absolutely delighted with the turnout and how it’s gone. Everyone who lives in Wye is generally proud of living here and they enjoy their history.” Local historians say Bridge Street had been developed for housing in the 1930s, and a number of skeletons were found during that work. Mrs Sledger, 48, who runs The Sawyers bar in Bridge Street, says their neighbour had also discovered a sword and other bones shortly after the 2019 discovery. When asked how she feels about the bones being laid to rest, she said: “It’s taken a long time to discover what they were and whether they were going to be archived. “It’s been a lovely service and knowing the bones will be in the churchyard is nice so everyone can pay their respects here, rather than at our house.” Comment now