Spring, 1943. In the quiet woods of Hagley, four boys stumble upon something no child should ever find—a skull, staring out from the hollow of a wych elm. Her hand is missing. Her name is unknown. But soon, questions begin to bleed through the brickwork of Birmingham and beyond: Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?

In this bonus episode of Macabrium, we unravel one of England’s most eerie and enduring mysteries. Was Bella a spy tangled in wartime secrecy, a victim of dark ritual, or something else?

Macabrium is produced by Macabrium Creative and hosted by Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown, with writing and research by Chloë Kibbe, Megan Alda and Derek Stephen Brown. 

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Episode Reference Material

Who Put Bella In the Wych Elm? - CrimeReads

Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? | Tales of History and Imagination

A Digital Reconstruction Reveals the Face of Famed Murder Victim 'Bella in the Wych Elm'

Revealed after 75 years: The face of Bella in the Wych Elm - Birmingham Live

The Unsolved Mystery of Bella in the Wych Elm - Historic Mysteries

Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? The Unsolved Murder That Still Haunts Britain - The Guardian

Bella in the Wych Elm: A Midlands Murder Mystery - BBC News

The Strange Case of Bella in the Wych Elm - Strange Remains

Who Put Bella In the Wych Elm? - Stuff You Should Know | iHeart

‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’: Espionage, Witchcraft, and other Theories - Curious Archive

BBC investigator asks museums for help tracing remains of murder victim

‘Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?’: Espionage, Witchcraft, and other Theories

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