The Mystery Of Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm

      On April 18, 1943, in the middle of World War II, four boys out hunting for bird eggs in Birmingham, England discovered a human skeleton inside the trunk of a hollowed out wych elm tree. Police were able to uncover an almost complete skeleton along with a gold ring and a few fragments of clothing.  Forensic analysis estimated the body was female, around thirty-five-years-old, and had been dead for approximately eighteen months.  There was no identification.  Police checked with local dentists because the Jane Doe had extensive dental work done, but they were not able to find any matches.  The Birmingham police had a mysterious Jane Doe cold case on their hands.

     The case got even more mysterious when in the middle of the night someone painted a graffiti message on a wall in Birmingham that read: "Who put Bella down the wych elm?"  Since 1943 the mysterious message has appeared several times around the Birmingham area.  Because of this strange message police and the public assumed the Jane Doe was named Bella.  But who was she?  Who killed her?  And who was leaving the graffiti messages about her?  

     In the early 1950's a local journalist wrote several articles about "Bella" hoping to spur someone into coming forward who could unlock the mystery.  Soon a letter arrived at the newspaper.  It was written by a woman who called herself "Anna".  She said the victim was Dutch and had arrived illegally in England around 1941.  The letter said the person responsible for killing "Bella" was insane and had since died.  Authorities encouraged "Anna" to come forward.  The journalist later claimed that "Anna" was actually a woman called Una Hainesworth.  The journalist claims he was present when police interviewed Una.  The journalist claims Una told them her husband, Jack Mossop, was responsible for killing "Bella" and putting her in the wych elm.  Mossop went insane after the killing and died in a mental hospital.  Not everyone was convinced that Una was telling the truth.  The case remained open, so police must not have taken her story too seriously either.

     There are many who believe "Bella" was a part of a German spy ring operating in Birmingham at that time.  It was World War II and there were several munitions' factories in the area that German spies were reportedly interested in.  One spy had allegedly been apprehended near Birmingham, so this theory seemed plausible to a lot of people.  They speculate this is why no one reported her missing or claimed her remains.  There are others who think the death of "Bella" was the work of witchcraft.  Putting a body in a tree trunk was allegedly a common practice in witchcraft.  

     Who wrote the mysterious graffiti messages?  Was it "Bella's" killer?  Was it someone who knew her and knew what happened to her but couldn't come forward?  With the mystery still lingering in 2014 researchers at Queen Mary University in London used a probabilistic technique called a Bayesian Network to attempt to shed new light on the decades old case.  They concluded there was a 99% likelihood that her death was criminal and a 97% likelihood that "Bella" was not British. They found a 33% chance that Jack Mossop killed her and a 25% chance that "Bella" was a spy.  In 2018 new technology helped produce a photograph of "Bella", finally giving her a face to go with the name.  The image was released hoping someone would come forward who might have known her.  As of this writing no one has claimed her.  The mystery of who put Bella in the wych elm remains.  

 Accident Or Assassination: The Death Of Dag Hammarskjold

     Shortly after midnight on September 18, 1961 a plane carrying the Secretary General for the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold, and fourteen others crashed in a forest in Northern Rhodesia.  An investigation found pilot error to be the likely cause of the crash.  But rumors of foul play began immediately.  So, was it a tragic accident?  Or did someone want Dag Hammarskjold dead?

     Hammarskjold was the son of Sweden's former Prime Minister and began his diplomatic career at a young age.  He first joined the United Nations in 1949 as a delegate from Sweden.  In 1953 he was elected Secretary General of the U.N.  Hammarskjold was known for his success in diplomacy.  He successfully negotiated the release of U.S. soldiers being held captive by China at the end of the Korean War.  

     At the time of the crash Hammarskjold was deeply involved in the conflict in Africa involving Belgium mining companies and Soviet backed Republic of the Congo.  The Republic of the Congo had recently become an independent nation.  Shortly after their independence was declared, the mineral rich southern province of the Congo known as Katanga seceded from the country, causing a violent conflict.  Katanga separatists were being backed by Belgium who wanted rights to the valuable minerals.  To fight the separatists, Congo's first elected President, Patrice Lumumba, sought help from the Soviet Union.  Lumumba was assassinated in early 1961.  It was rumored that Belgium and the American CIA were behind the assassination.

     Hammarskjold was reportedly on his way to a meeting with Katanga leaders in hopes of negotiating a cease fire when his plane went down.  Hammarskjold's body was reportedly not burned like the other bodies on the plane.  This led some to question if an already dead Hammarskjold was placed in the wreckage.  Another suspicious finding was an ace of spade playing card found in the collar of Hammarskjold's shirt.  What was it doing there?  Some thought this could be a calling card from an assassin.  Even former American President Harry Truman added fuel to the fire of suspicion when two days after the crashed he commented," he was on the point of getting something done when they killed him."  Locals on the ground reported seeing fire in the sky, leading some to think the plane was shot out of the sky.  A 1962 U.N. investigation was inconclusive but could not rule out the possibility of sabotage or attack.  

     Most people think Hammarskjold was killed because he would have brought about peace in the Congo and conflict was so much more profitable.  As far as who the guilty party could be, the finger has been pointed at both sides.  It could have been the Soviet backed Congo, or it could have been the Katanga separatists backed by Belgium and the west.  Murder was certainly not off the table because Patrice Lumumba had already been assassinated months earlier.  A 2018 investigation of the crash failed to produce a definitive conclusion but stated, "it appears plausible that an external attack or threat may have been a cause of the crash."

     What do you think?  Was the plane crash nothing more than a tragic accident?  Or was Dag Hammarskjold assassinated?