Who Put Bella in the ‘Witch’ Elm?

On April 18 1943, four local boys were out looking for bird nests on a property in Hagley Woods, England when they came across a large wych elm tree. One of the boys scaled the tree and when he glanced down the hollow trunk, he found something none of them was expecting – a human skull. 

When police investigated the scene, they uncovered the complete skeleton of a woman but were unable to determine her identity. Eight months later, mysterious graffiti started appearing around the town to suggest that someone knew exactly who the victim was. It read: “Who put Bella down the wych elm?”