True Life Tuesday: Bella in the Wych Elm

This is another strange unsolved mystery. Unfortunately this one will probably never be answered.

On April 18, 1943 four young boys were searching for bird eggs in Hagley Woods in Worcestershire England. One of the boys climbed a wych elm tree. He looked down into the tree and saw a human skull. The boys were afraid because they were on the property illegally so they decided to not say anything. However, one of the boys later that night felt guilty and told his parents who contacted authorities.

When law enforcement made their search they found an entire skeleton. However, the left hand was missing and found buried nearby. A pathologist determined that the skeleton was that of a woman and that she had been dead for 18 months. She had some irregularities in her jaw so police were certain they would be able to easily ID her. Unfortunately even though they questioned dentists across the country no one knew who she might be. She was never identified and the skeleton has since been lost.

In 1944 graffiti appeared in Birmingham stating "who put Bella down the wych elm - Hagley wood". Similar messages written in the same hand were written in the area several times. The messages have appeared sporadically since the 1970's with the last one occurring in 1999. 

There were several theories as to who the woman was and the about the circumstances of her death. In 1945 professor Margaret Murray put forth a theory that the woman was a victim of a black magic ritual. Another theory was that a local sex worker named Bella was the victim. The best well known theory is that she was German actress names Clara Bauerle who was believed to have been a German spy. However, she was found to have died in Berlin on December 16, 1942.