Bella in the Wych Elm
Freddie Rushing
Who & How
On 18 April 1943, in Hagley Woods in Worcestershire, England, four young boys who were looking for birds’ nests found a human skull inside an elm tree.
Facts
After a detailed examination at the lab at Birmingham, Professor Webster ascertained that the woman was probably about 35 years old, five feet tall, with mousy brown hair and irregular teeth in the lower jaw.
Professor also thinks that she had also given birth at least once. The head of the Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory in the West Midlands estimated that she had been dead for at least 18 months before she was found.
Who found it
Tommy Willetts, the youngest of the four who seen the body, was the only one to actually see it. He was so traumatised about seeing the body of Bella in the wych elm tree that he told his father.
Remains of the body
Warwickshire Police recovered skeletal remains from the bole of the tree, along with remnants of clothing and finger bones dispersed around the trunk.
After it all
Pathologist Professor James Webster concluded that the remains belonged to a woman aged 35-40, who had been placed “while still warm” into the tree where she had remained hidden for at least 18 months. Cause of death was attributed to asphyxiation, on account of a portion of taffeta found deep inside her mouth. Nothing more was ever discovered about the death of her.