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?  

Who Killed Roger Craig?

     On the afternoon of May 15, 1975 former law enforcement officer Roger Dean Craig was found shot to death at the age of thirty-nine.  It immediately looked like a suicide with a weapon and note found near the body.  However, many pointed out that Craig had reportedly survived several attempts on his life in recent years.  This led many to speculate that Craig's death was a murder disguised as a suicide.  Who was Roger Craig and who wanted him dead?  

     Roger Craig was born in Wisconsin in 1934 and ran away from home when he was twelve.  He worked on a series of farms across the midwest before making his way to Texas.   Roger served in the Army in the early 1950's and settled in the Dallas area afterwards.  Roger began working for the Dallas County Sheriff's Department as a deputy in the late 1950's.  Roger was named Man of the Year by the Sheriff's Department in 1960 for his role in apprehending a jewelry thief.  

     Like most law enforcement personnel in Dallas, Roger was on duty on November 22, 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated in a motorcade in downtown Dallas.  Deputy Craig reportedly ran toward the grassy knoll area when the shots rang out, as did several other people.  He began trying to secure the scene, noting that a few cars in the parking lot behind the grassy knoll area were attempting to leave.  Deputy Craig reportedly saw a young man run from the Texas School Book Depository building and get into a light green Rambler station wagon.  Craig found this to be suspicious and wanted to stop the car.  Apparently, traffic prevented Craig from getting to the car in time to stop it before the Rambler fled the chaotic area.  Later in the day Deputy Craig saw the same young man again.  This time the young man was in police custody at Dallas P.D.  Deputy Craig was relieved that the suspicious young man had been apprehended and he relayed the story of seeing the man flee the assassination scene in the green Rambler to his superiors.  

     The young man in custody was identified as twenty-four-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald.  According to Craig, Oswald admitted to him in front of Captain Will Fritz that the Rambler belonged to Mrs. Paine and Oswald said not to drag her into it because she hadn't done anything wrong.  Mrs. Ruth Paine was the woman that Oswald's estranged wife lived with.  After the events of that weekend unfolded and Oswald ended up dead while in police custody, Deputy Craig was reportedly told that he had to be mistaken about seeing Oswald get into the Rambler.  The official investigation showed Oswald boarding a bus when he left downtown Dallas after the shooting not getting into a car so Craig had to be mistaken in what he saw.  However, Craig refused to change his story.  This didn't sit well with his superiors and the once celebrated deputy, who had been promoted four times prior to November 22, 1963, was promoted no more.  Craig was eventually fired from the Sheriff's Department.  

     In 1967 Roger Craig was a witness for the prosecution in the trial of Clay Shaw, the New Orleans businessman who was charged with conspiring to assassinate President Kennedy.  Craig again repeated his claim that someone in a light green Rambler picked Oswald up immediately after the shooting.  The U.S. government said Oswald acted alone in killing Kennedy, so Craig's testimony cast doubt on that finding and made it seem like Oswald had help and the assassination had indeed been a conspiracy.  Shaw was found not guilty in his trial.  However, someone fired a shot at Roger Craig as he walked toward his car.  The bullet grazed his head, but he wasn't seriously harmed.

     Craig thought someone was trying to kill him because he refused to change his story about Oswald and the Rambler.  But Craig refused to waver and gave interviews with journalists who were researching the possibility of a conspiracy in the Kennedy assassination.  In 1973 Craig's car was forced off the road in another alleged attempt on his life.  The crash left him badly injured.  The following year he survived another shooting.  Then, Craig's car exploded, nearly killing him.

     Craig reportedly remained undeterred and stuck to his story about Oswald and the Rambler.  Craig was reportedly going to testify before the Church Committee, a Senate investigative committee looking into the Kennedy assassination.  Craig never got the chance.  And nearly fifty years later questions remain about the death of Roger Craig.  Ironically, several individuals who were supposed to testify before the Church Committee died under mysterious circumstances.

     So, what do you think?  Was Roger Craig depressed and in pain from the injuries he had sustained?  Did this cause him to take his own life?  Or was he the victim of foul play?  Was someone trying to silence Roger Craig?  Was his death connected to the other reported attempts on his life?  Will we ever know the truth about the death of Roger Craig?  

Who Killed Tobacco Heir Zachory Smith Reynolds?

     In the early morning hours of July 6, 1932 twenty-year-old Zachory Smith Reynolds was shot in the head following a party.  Smith, as he was known, was a well known pilot and the youngest son of tobacco tycoon R.J. Reynolds and his wife Katherine.  Smith's death shocked the country.  Everyone wanted to know who killed Smith Reynolds.

     Smith's wife, Libby Holman, immediately told everyone that Smith had shot himself.  Some can easily believe this as Smith had reportedly been suicidal in the past.  Still others think Libby Holman, an actress, had murdered her husband.  There were two other people in the house with Reynolds that evening besides Holman, Smith's friend Albert Bailey Smith and Libby's friend Blanche Yurka.  The trio managed to get Smith to North Carolina Baptist Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:25 a.m.

     Police found Smith's death suspicious from the beginning.  Libby Holman and Albert Bailey Walker were eventually indicted for the murder of Smith Reynolds.  The case continued to get press coverage all over the country as rumors circled around that Holman and Walker were having an affair and wanted the young millionaire out of the way.  The Reynolds family, however, thought Smith had committed suicide and urged the D.A. to drop the charges.  Eventually the charges were dropped because of lack of evidence.  Apparently, police could not prove the pair were having an affair or that they killed Smith.  Questions about the death of Smith Reynolds have lingered ever since.  What was going on in the life of Smith Reynolds that could have led to his death?

     In the summer of 1918 R.J. Reynolds, the wealthy tobacco tycoon, died after a battle with cancer leaving behind a wife and four young children.  A year later his widow, Katherine Reynolds, began dating a school master who was about twenty years younger than her.  The couple married in the summer of 1921 and moved into a small cottage on the Reynolds estate, leaving the children alone in the main house with their governess and other servants.  When forty-four-year-old Katherine became pregnant in 1924 the couple moved into an apartment in New York City to be near her doctor.  It was a difficult pregnancy and Katherine died a few days after giving birth to a son.  Smith and his siblings were orphans and now their stepfather, Ed Johnston, and their paternal uncle, William Neal Reynolds, were in charge of their care.  The children spent most of their time away at boarding school.

     Smith Reynolds dropped out of school when he was fifteen years old and went to work with his older brother, Dick, at a new subsidiary of the family business, Reynolds Aviation.  Smith enjoyed flying and was good at it.  He earned a private pilot's license in 1928 and in May of 1929 at age seventeen he became the youngest person in the country to earn a transport license.  The exciting young millionaire became a celebrated pilot.  

     It was during the summer of 1929 that Smith began dating Anne Cannon, a textile heiress.  Anne reportedly became pregnant and the couple were forced to marry by Anne's father in November of 1929.  The couple allegedly fought frequently and separated before the birth of their daughter.

     In the spring of 1930 while visiting his friend, Broadway producer and John Deere Heir Dwight Deere Wiman, Smith met actress Libby Holman.  He reportedly became infatuated with Holman instantly.  Holman later reportedly claimed that Smith proposed marriage to her shortly after they met, but she turned him down because he was still married to Anne.  But Smith was persistent.  He followed her around the country in his plane.

     In November of 1931 Smith obtained a divorce from Anne.  A few days later he married Libby Holman.  By the summer of 1932 the couple were expecting a baby and were spending the summer at the Reynolds family estate in North Carolina.  It was here that Smith Reynolds was shot in the head.

     Libby Holman reportedly told friends after Smith's death that she was so drunk that night she didn't remember what happened.  She reportedly didn't remember whether she shot him or not.  A few months later, in January of 1933 Libby gave birth prematurely to a son.  The baby only weighed three and a half pounds and struggled to survive, having to spend time in an incubator.

    Libby would spend the rest of her life under a cloud of suspicion.  Allegations remained that she had only married Smith Reynolds for his money and then plotted to kill him.  Others say Smith was a troubled young man who took his own life.  What do you think?  Will we ever learn the truth about the death of Smith Reynolds?

What Happened To Flight 19?

     It was just after two in the afternoon on December 5, 1945 that five Navy Avenger's took off from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  The five planes were collectively called Flight 19 and were on a routine training mission that took them near the Bahamas where they dropped dummy bombs.  The flight was led by Lt. Charles Taylor, a flight instructor with combat experience.  There was a total of fourteen men on board the five Avengers. 

     Flight 19 completed its bombing exercise.  Then, as they headed back toward base something appeared to go wrong with the flight.  Lt. Taylor reports that his compass has stopped working.  It was around this time that the weather also takes a turn for the worst.  It began to rain, and the sky grew cloudy with strong gusts of wind.  Radio conversations between the pilots of Flight 19 seem to indicate that there was a lot of confusion.

     A nearby Navy flight instructor hears the radio conversation and offers to assist Flight 19.  Lt. Taylor tells him that both of his compasses have stopped working and he feels he has drifted off course and was likely in the Florida Keys.  Navy personnel knew Taylor and Flight 19 could not have reached the Keys in that time period.  So, where were they?  And why was Taylor so disoriented?  As the flight progressed Taylor seemed even more confused, changing the course of direction several times.

     Some of the other pilots seemed to be frustrated with Taylor.  At one point one of the men can be heard saying, "Dammit!  If we would just fly west we would get home."  In the last conversation Lt. Taylor can be heard instructing the crew to ditch the Avenger's in the ocean as they ran out of fuel.  Then, all that was heard was static.

     Realizing Flight 19 has likely gone down the Navy immediately sends out two PBM Mariners in search of the missing Avenger's.  But the already strange disappearance of five aircraft gets even stranger when one of the Mariner's also mysteriously disappears.  The Mariner and its crew of thirteen men disappeared from radar and were never heard from again.  So, what happened to these six missing aircraft?

     A passing merchant ship reported seeing fire in the sky and someone else reported a suspicious oil slick in the water.  Because of this it is widely believed that the PBM Mariner likely exploded over the ocean.  Apparently, this particular type of aircraft was notorious for catching fire easily.

     A lot of people point out that all six planes disappeared in the area known as the Bermuda Triangle, an area off the Florida coast where a good many planes and ships have mysteriously disappeared over the years.  Some pilots have reported strange things happening with their instruments while in this area.  Could this be what happened to Lt. Taylor's compass?

     Others point out that with or without a compass a pilot as experienced at Lt. Taylor should have known how to find his way back to land.  It has also been reported that Taylor asked to be excused from flying that afternoon.  He didn't give a reason and his request was denied.  This has led some people to speculate that something was wrong with Taylor that day that led to his confusion in the air.  Why did Taylor not hand over control to another aircraft after his compass failed?  Why did he ignore other pilot's suggestions to fly west, which was reportedly protocol for pilots lost in that area?  Why did the other four pilots continue following Taylor?

     The five Navy Avengers that made up Flight 19 have never been found.  They seem to have vanished into thin air.  Despite the Navy launching a massive search for the missing planes the next day and numerous citizen led searches over the years, no wreckage or any sign of Flight 19 has ever been found.  The mystery surrounding the flight continues.  Was it a strange case of pilot error, even though there were five different pilots on the flight?  Or was it another case of the Bermuda Triangle causing strange unexplained phenomenon to airplanes and ships?  Will Flight 19 ever be found?  And will the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle ever be scientifically explained?  

Who Created The Georgia Guidestones And Why?

     In the summer of 1979 a man using the alias Robert C. Christian went to the Elberton Granite Finishing Company where he claimed to represent "a small group of loyal Americans".  The man had an unusual request.  He wanted to erect a granite monument that should function as a clock, calendar, and compass for the people of the future who survive a nuclear attack or some other kind of catastrophe.  After the company agreed to the project and a price was settled on the man visited a local bank to arrange payment for the project and provided a scale model and very specific instructions for Elberton Granite.  The true identity of the man has never been determined and has left people guessing since 1979.

     On March 22, 1980 the mysterious monument was unveiled by Congressman Doug Barnard.  The master of ceremonies read a message to the audience that was reportedly from the group who commissioned the project and the odd message added even more intrigue to the unusual monument and its mysterious sponsors.  The message read:  "In order to avoid debate, we the sponsors of the Georgia Guidestones have a simple message for human beings, now and for the future.  We believe our precepts are sound, and they must stand on their own merits."  Visitors at the ceremony got the first look at the strange granite monument.  A set of ten guidelines were inscribed into the granite in eight different languages.  The guidelines are as follows: 1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 In perpetual balance with nature.  2. Guide reproduction wisely--improving fitness and diversity.  3. Unite humanity with a living new language.  4. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.  6.  Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.  7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.  8. Balance personal rights with social duties.  9.  Prize truth-beauty-love-seeking harmony with the Infiniti.  10. Be not a cancer on the Earth--leave room for nature--leave room for nature.

     A hole drilled through the granite on one side lined up with the North Star.  A slot cut into another section aligned with the Sun's solstices and equinoxes.  Another slot allowed the sun to pass through it at noon every day.

     The monument was controversial from the very beginning as well as being mysterious.  Some thought it was the work of a satanic cult while others thought it was likely to be the Rosicrucian's who were responsible for the monument.  Another popular theory was that the monument was erected by those who supported the secret society known as the Illuminati and its efforts to promote New World Order.  In 2008 the stones were defaced with spray painted graffiti that read: "Death to New World Order".

     Then, on July 6, 2022 a large explosion was reported at the monument.  Someone attempted to destroy the monument with a bomb.  The mysterious granite stones were badly damaged and deemed unsafe.  Authorities dismantled what was left of the monument.  As of this writing no one has been charged with the bombing.  A suggestion to rebuild the monument has proved to be as controversial as the original monument and so far has not been achieved.  

     Though the mysterious slabs of granite are no longer standing, their creation and the people behind it remains one of those puzzling mysteries that intrigues people to this day.  Who was the man using the alias Robert C. Christian?  What group did he represent?  How and why did they finance such a massive and expensive project?  Why did they go to such great lengths to conceal their identity? Will we ever uncover the mystery surrounding the Georgia Guidestones?  

Who Killed Mary Meyer?

      On Monday October 12, 1964 Mary Pinchot Meyer, a Georgetown artist, finished working on a painting and then set out on her usual daily walk along the C and O canal towpath.  A mechanic working on a car nearby reportedly heard a woman scream for help followed by two gunshots.  The mechanic ran toward the chaos and allegedly sees a black male standing over the body of a white female with a gun in his hand.  The man then ran away.  

     By the time police arrive Mary Meyer is dead from two bullet wounds.  They arrested a black man nearby who fit the general description provided by the mechanic.  His name was Ray Crump, and he was put on trial for the murder of Mary Meyer.  However, Crump was acquitted of the charges and Mary's murder case grew cold.  But the whispers about Mary's death being anything but a random act of violence have never stopped.  So, who was Mary Meyer and who wanted her dead?

     Mary was born into a wealthy New York family.  She attended the prestigious Brearley School and Vassar College before marrying Cord Meyer, a Marine Corp officer from a nice family.  Meyer had lost an eye in the war.  The couple had three children: Quinton, Micheal, and Mark.  In 1951 Meyer took a job with the CIA and the family moved to the nation's capital, becoming a part of the Georgetown social scene.   

     The Meyer's lived outside the city in McLean Virginia where in 1954 John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie moved in next door.  But, on December 18, 1956 nine-year-old Micheal Meyer was hit and killed by a car near the family home.  And in 1958 Mary filed for divorce siting "extreme mental cruelty" as her reason.  After the divorce Mary moved into Georgetown with Quinton and Mark where she was close to her sister Toni and Toni's husband, journalist Ben Bradlee.  The Bradlee's converted their garage into an art studio for Mary.

     Mary reportedly enjoys her freedom as a divorced woman.  She reportedly has an affair with painter Kenneth Noland around this time and allegedly experiments with drugs.  There are also persistent rumors that CIA counterintelligence officer James Angleton began bugging Mary's home after the divorce.  Some say he did this because the CIA didn't trust Mary.  Others think Angleton was obsessed with her personally.  While there are some who think Mary herself was working for the CIA in some capacity, possibly gathering information on people.  

     It is widely believed that Mary was a mistress of President John F. Kennedy, her former neighbor whom she had reportedly known since the 1930s.  It is unclear when their alleged affair began but a 1963 letter from Kennedy to Mary sold at auction in 2016 for nearly $90,000.  The letter was dated October of 1963 just a month before Kennedy was assassinated.  This has led some people to theorize that Mary knew something she shouldn't have known about the assassination that led to her murder less than a year later.  Some have also wondered if Mary had infiltrated Kennedy on behalf of the CIA.

     Mary's brother-in-law Ben Bradlee recalled that CIA official Wistar Janney called him at his office shortly after lunch to report that a woman had been murdered in Georgetown and he was pretty sure it was Mary.  Janney also reportedly called Cord Meyer around this same time.  Meyer was out of town at the time which some people have found suspicious.  The two phone calls have led many people to ask how the CIA learned of the murder so quickly after it happened?  Out of all the women in Georgetown that day what led Janney to assume the victim was Mary Meyer?  Was he there?  

     Later in the evening of the murder Toni and Ben Bradlee went to Mary's house and allegedly found James Angleton there searching for Mary's diary.  It is not known if a diary was ever found.  Why was the CIA so concerned about Mary's diary?  In the months before her death Mary had reportedly told friends that she felt like someone had been in her house and was frightened by it.  Could that have been Angleton as well?  If so, was his motivation personal or professional?  Was this connected to Mary's murder? 

     What do you think?  Was Mary Meyer the victim of a random act of violence?  Did Ray Crump get away with murder?  Was Mary the victim of a jealous stalker who had possibly been in her home?  Was she the victim of a jealous or vengeful ex-husband who was conveniently out of town?  Was Mary working for the CIA?  Was she under surveillance by the CIA?  Did Mary have knowledge or proof of a conspiracy to kill JFK?  Will we ever learn who killed Mary Pinchot Meyer?