A jaw bone, probably belonging to a young man, was unearthed by a schoolboy playing on Putney Embankment, an inquest heard on Tuesday.
The boy, Patrick MacAuley, was using a metal detector on the embankment by the Hurlingham Yacht Club, when he saw the bone in the sand, on February 20 this year.
A statement from the boy - who said he often used the detector on the embankment when visited the club with his dad, who is a club member - was read out at Westminster Coroner’s Court.
In the statement he said he was on the embankment during school half term when he saw a bone in the sand and kicked it loose.
His statement said: “When I picked it up I saw the teeth and I knew it was a jaw bone, so I took it to my dad.”
Scientists said the bone, which was from the lower part of the jaw and came complete with three teeth, probably belonged to a young man.
The court heard scientists could not date the bone easily, but established it was “old”, mainly due to its colouration.
Dr Paul Knapman said DNA data from the bone was run through a police database of missing persons, but did not reveal any match.
He said: “I am recording an open verdict for the very good reason that we don’t know how it came to be there.”
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