The Trail Went Cold - Episode 299 - Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?

The Trail Went Cold

Robin Warder

Tv & Film, True Crime

4.5 • 3.3K Ratings

🗓️ 19 October 2022

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

April 18, 1943. Hagley, England. A group of teenage boys discover an unidentified female skeleton inside a hollow wych elm tree near Wychbury Hill. It is determined that the victim was killed at least 18 months before she was found and her likely cause of death was suffocation. Over the next several decades, mysterious graffiti messages pop in numerous locations which are variations of the phrase: “Who put Bella in the wych elm?” While there are several theories surrounding the victim’s death, including possible connections to espionage and witchcraft, she cannot be identified and the circumstances of how she was killed remain unknown. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore one of the most famous mysteries from World War II and attempt to answer the question: “Who put Bella in the wych elm?”. Special thanks to our sponsor, Avast.com! Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_put_Bella_in_the_Wych_Elm%3F “Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? – Volume 1: The Crime Scene Revisited” by Alex Merrill “Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? – Volume 2: A Crime Shrouded in Mystery” by Alex Merrill http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/418441.stm https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/preformmystery-murder-and-half-a-century-of-suspenseppreform-745330.html https://www.stourbridgenews.co.uk/news/16048176.image-of-hagley-wood-murder-victim-bella-revealed-for-first-time/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/is-this-the-bella-in-the-wych-elm-unravelling-the-mystery-of-the-skull-found-in-a-tree-trunk-8546497.html http://www.josefjakobs.info/2017/12/clara-bauerle-declassified.html http://www.josefjakobs.info/2016/09/clara-bauerle-is-finally-laid-to-rest.html https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/783645374/ “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. “The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on Vokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

Transcript

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0:00.0	We would like to send out a special thanks to a vast for supporting the trail went cold.
0:04.4	With a vast one, you can confidently take control of your online world by helping you stay safe from viruses, fishing attacks,
0:11.1	ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cyber crimes.
0:14.0	Learn more about a vast one at a vast.com.
0:18.0	Enjoy the show.
0:20.0	April 18th, 943 Haggley, England.
0:26.0	A group of teenage boys discover an unidentified female skeleton inside a hollow witch elm tree near
0:32.2	Witchberry Hill.
0:33.0	It is determined that the victim was killed at least 18 months before she was found
0:38.0	and her likely cause of death was suffocation.
0:40.0	Over the next several decades, mysterious graffiti messages pop up in numerous locations,
0:46.0	which are variations of the phrase, who put Bella in the witch elm.
0:50.0	While there are several theories surrounding the victim's death, including possible connections to espionage and witchcraft,
0:56.4	she cannot be identified and the circumstances of how she was killed remain unknown.
1:01.6	After that, the trail went cold. Oh, uh, uh, uh, uh, but uh, uh, uh, uh, and uh, uh, and uh, uh, yes. Ah, uh, uh, uh,
1:24.0	uh, and uh,
1:25.0	and uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh,
1:28.0	uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh,
1:31.0	uh, Hello everyone and welcome to our latest Halloween themed episode of the trail went cold.
1:45.0	I'm your host Robin Warder and we're going to be traveling to the United Kingdom to explore a bizarre mystery
1:51.0	which is most commonly known as who put Bella in the witch elm.
1:56.4	Ever since the inception of this podcast it's been a tradition for us to count down to Halloween
	...

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