It seemed the stuff of fiction; most unlikely fiction, at that. In 1943, four teenagers, engaged in a bit of poaching on a private estate, discover a decaying woman’s body secreted within the trunk of a tree. But the police are unable to identify whose remains they are, nor the circumstances of her death.
Shortly after, messages start to appear on walls in the surrounding area of the West Midlands, identifying the victim as “Bella”. Was this the work of someone taunting the police; somebody with a conscience; or that of a sick hoaxer? Early on, witchcraft is suspected but, soon after, rumours start to circulate which point to the victim being part of an active wartime spy ring, killed so as to silence her. Then, some 11 years after the body was discovered, a local woman comes forward with some explosive information in which she names the killer.
Yet, more than 80 years after the event, the crime remains unsolved. Nobody has ever been arrested, and the victim remains unidentified. It is a case which has intrigued many across the world. Some alarming inconsistencies exist, however, in accounts which have been published in the intervening years, and there are some glaring errors within what has been presented as fact.
This book debunks many of the popular theories, identifies some lines of enquiry which have not previously been in the public domain, and follows some significant leads not fully investigated by the police. But, above all, it explores how a number of influential people outrageously exploited the tragedy for their own ends. For those with a knowledge of the case; familiar with this part of the West Midlands; or who have an interest in unsolved crimes or policing protocols, it makes fascinating reading.
This book 323 and includes 90 images, including some photos and documents from the original police files.