The Woman in the Wych Elm

In April 1943, during the dark days of World War II, four teenage boys in Birmingham, England were hunting for birds’ eggs in a remote woodland called, Hagley Wood.

The slightest of the boys stopped at a large Wych Elm tree. Climbing up and peering down he discovered it was hollow. Spotting something in the centre, the boy carefully reached through the branches and pulled out the item for a closer look.  

His hope for a bird’s nest were soon forgotten when he realised what he was holding was a human skull.  

Their chance encounter upon the remains of a woman in the Wych Elm sparked a murder case that has gone unsolved for 80 years. To this day her identity and the circumstances surrounding her death are still unknown; the mystery continuing to both baffle and surprise investigators.  

With an unknown phantom graffitiing clues to the victim’s identity, case files being redacted, and vital evidence seemingly disappearing, many conspiracy theories have circled this story capturing worldwide attention. Some speak of government interference, others drawing direct links to Nazi Germany and espionage. 

With the help of new technology can we finally crack this 80-year-old case? In this episode we re-examine the remaining evidence of the case, unravel the conspiracies surrounding the mystery, and with the help of new forensic facilities finally try to shine a light on the true identity of the Woman in the Wych Elm. 

Cast List: 

• Joyce M. Coley 
•  The author of the book ‘Bella: An unsolved Mystery’. 
• Andrew Sparke 
• An independent publisher and the author of ‘Bella in the Wych Elm’. 
• Richard Lund 
• The Son of Dr John Lund, a forensic scientist from the West Midlands Forensic Science Laboratory, who examined the victim’s remains and fragments of clothing. 
• Giselle K. Jakobs 
• A palaeontologist and author of ‘The Spy in the Tower’, she is the granddaughter of Josef Jakobs, a German spy with mysterious connections to the Woman in the Wych Elm.

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