--- title: Human Bone Found in Pair of Socks Purchased at Primark description: A police investigation is underway after a Primark customer discovered what is believed to be a human bone inside a pair of socks. canonical: https://time.com/5513238/human-bone-primark/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-25T18:47:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:57:06.764Z og:title: Human Bone Discovered in New Pair of Socks by Unlucky Customer og:description: "The bone does not appear to be a result of recent trauma" og:url: https://time.com/5513238/human-bone-primark/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Human Bone Discovered in New Pair of Socks by Unlucky Customer twitter:description: "The bone does not appear to be a result of recent trauma" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Free Human Bone Discovered in New Pair of Socks by One Unlucky Customer > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=add8538b-b58d-494f-99a0-c5fb24ca524c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=add8538b-b58d-494f-99a0-c5fb24ca524c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=add8538b-b58d-494f-99a0-c5fb24ca524c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=add8538b-b58d-494f-99a0-c5fb24ca524c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 25, 2019 6:47 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jan 25, 2019 6:47 PM UTC A police investigation is underway after a [Primark](http://money.com/money/4048190/primark-us-stores-fast-fashion/) customer found what is believed to be a piece of [human bone](http://time.com/3869712/bone-strength-modern-man/) inside a [pair of socks](http://money.com/money/5047685/best-socks-smartwool-brand-running/) purchased at a store in Colchester, England. [According to the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/25/police-investigate-human-bone-found-in-primark-socks-colchester), Essex Police said that the shopper bought the socks from the Irish clothing retailer on Dec. 10 before reporting the alleged discovery on Jan. 2\. A police spokesman said that the incident did not appear to involve foul play. “Detectives are continuing to investigate following the discovery of what is believed to be part of a human bone in a pair of Primark socks,” the spokesman said. “The bone does not appear to be a result of recent trauma and had no skin or other particles surrounding it. We are liaising with the store who, in turn, are speaking to their suppliers for more information on this incident. Inquiries are ongoing.” Primark has reportedly already apologized to the customer who found the item for “any distress caused” and carried out an investigation at the factory where the socks were made. “No evidence of any kind exists to suggest that any incident has occurred in the factory, so it is highly probable that this object was placed in the socks by an individual for unknown reasons,” a Primark spokesman said. “Primark has been the subject of isolated incidents in the past which have subsequently been found to have been hoaxes.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5513238/human-bone-primark/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5513238/human-bone-primark/"},"headline":"Free Human Bone Discovered in New Pair of Socks by One Unlucky Customer","datePublished":"2019-01-25T18:47:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:57:06.764Z","description":"\"The bone does not appear to be a result of recent trauma\"","url":"https://time.com/5513238/human-bone-primark/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Retail","Bizarre","Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5513238/human-bone-primark/","name":"Free Human Bone Discovered in New Pair of Socks by One Unlucky Customer"}}]}] ```