Shocking the nation on January 15, 1947, a body was discovered in a Los Angeles neighborhood. Later, it was revealed to be that of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, and she had been brutally murdered. Short’s case instantly captivated and frightened not only locals but also the imaginations of the nation. The mystique of this beautiful young woman compounded the horror of the scene and the frustration faced by law enforcement as they hit dead end after dead end in the investigation. Still unsolved, Short’s gruesome murder is one that the world is not soon to forget. Here are eleven facts about the Black Dahlia case.
1. The Name Came From a Popular Movie
Even though Short had been identified by law enforcement, the nickname “Black Dahlia” soon became the chief way she and the case were referred to in the press. A 1946 crime film starring Alan Ladd, called The Blue Dahlia, was popular, and coupled with the black clothing Short was rumored to favor, the name emerged.
2. The Woman Who Found the Body Thought It Was a Mannequin
Betty Bersinger was taking her three-year-old daughter for a morning walk when she became the person who discovered the Black Dahlia. When she came upon a white figure lying in the grass, Bersinger said she believed that the way the body was posed and the paleness of the flesh made her think it was a mannequin. The form rested just a few feet off the sidewalk in a vacant lot. However, upon closer inspection, Bersinger was shocked to discover that the body was neatly bisected and organs were present—this was no mannequin. She quickly ran away from the scene to contact the authorities.
3. Despite The Brutality of the Scene, No Blood Was Found
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Short’s body was cut in half, and organs had been removed from and left with the body. She had several areas of mutilation on her face and body, including a “Glasgow Smile” carved onto her cheeks. The body had ligature marks at the wrists, ankles, and neck, and the autopsy revealed that she had likely been dead for 10-12 hours when discovered. The cause of death was determined to be cerebral hemorrhage and shock. The hemorrhage was attributed to heavy blows to her face. Despite this, no blood was found at the scene that Bersinger discovered. This indicated to authorities that the murder and abuse had likely occurred elsewhere and that the body had been transported and intentionally dumped.
4. Hoping to Cover Their Tracks, The Killer Used Gasoline
Though there was no denying the damage that had been inflicted on Short’s body, her murderer made efforts to ensure that there was no evidence of their involvement in the crime. The body was found to have been wiped with gasoline in an effort to remove fingerprints. The case evolved further when, just over a week after the body was discovered, an envelope was mailed and addressed to the local media. It included a note stating, “Here is Dahlia’s belongings,” along with Short’s birth certificate, address book, and business cards. The items, like the body, had been wiped with gasoline in an effort to remove trace evidence. No significant leads erupted from the recovery of Short’s possessions, but police officers began contacting men from the address book to remove them from suspicion. Seventy-five interviews were conducted, but no one was arrested.
5. Short Was Identified via a Fingerprint Database
Short’s body was identified only 56 minutes after her fingerprints were taken, remarkable in an age before the internet. Her fingerprints appeared in two databases. The first was as a result of a job application at Army Camp Cooke, the second from a 1943 arrest in which she was nabbed for underage drinking at nineteen. Short’s mug shot was provided to the press and added fuel to the fire of rumors that began spreading about the young woman. Short was later officially identified by her mother, Phoebe, at the morgue.
6. Short’s Mother Learned of Her Daughter’s Death in a Cruel Way
While Elizabeth Short lived and worked in California, her mother remained in her hometown in Massachusetts. Before law enforcement had a chance to contact her mother Phoebe or any of Elizabeth’s four sisters, the press beat them to it.
A reporter from the Los Angeles Examiner called Phoebe on the telephone and began prying her for information about Elizabeth’s life. The reporter claimed that Phoebe’s daughter had won a beauty contest and they were looking for details to publicize about the winner. After Phoebe had shared some details, the reporter cruelly revealed his true reason for calling: her daughter had been brutally murdered.
The paper then flew Phoebe to California to identify her daughter’s body but kept her guarded and hidden to the best of their ability to prevent other members of the media from gaining access. Elizabeth’s death and the related investigation were front-page news around the country for several weeks.
7. Baseless Rumors Spread About the Victim, Titillating Media Audiences
Due to a news media hungry for a salacious story and her shocking demise, Elizabeth Short soon gained a tragic reputation. There were rumors that she was a prostitute, “man-crazy,” and a party girl. However, despite her arrest as a teenager, Short did not drink, smoke, or swear. She was known to frequent social hotspots with friends, but there is no evidence of a life of sexual deviance.
Short had come to California, as many young women did, hoping to become a successful actress. However, she had yet to realize her dreams, so she worked at Camp Cooke and as a waitress. Originally from Medford, Massachusetts, another reason she had traveled to California was with hopes of reconciling with her father, who had left her family when she was young.
Unfortunately, they were unable to repair their relationship, and Short struck out on her own. She was briefly engaged to Major Matthew Gordon, but he was killed in 1945 as World War II was winding down. Despite her sensationalized image, Elizabeth Short was a fairly typical woman of her era, with hopes and ambitions.
8. Hundreds of Officers & False Confessions Were Involved in the Case
The Black Dahlia case may be one of the country’s most famous cold cases, but it wasn’t for lack of effort by law enforcement. Over 750 investigators from varying agencies were involved in the case but to no avail. Hundreds of interviews were conducted, and a $10,000 reward was offered for information about the case. Still, no major progress was made in the case, with the glaring lack of physical evidence a major contributor. Further muddling the investigation was the fact that more than 60 people came to the police and falsely confessed that they had committed the crime.
9. Medical Students Became Murder Suspects
Elizabeth Short’s body was neatly bisected before it was disposed of by the killer. As a result, law enforcement began to suspect that the killer may have had medical training. The cuts on Short’s body were extremely precise, leading investigators to believe that the offender had experience in the healthcare field. The attention turned to possible suspects with medical backgrounds, and the investigators served a warrant at the University of Southern California medical school. However, this search turned up nothing of merit, and the lead was abandoned.
10. Two Different Authors Think Their Father Was the Killer
Despite the police’s lack of progress, armchair detectives were and continue to be hard at work on the case. In fact, two different people have postulated that their own fathers were the killer.
Former LAPD detective Steve Hodel believes his father, Doctor George Hodel, was involved. Dr. Hodel was known to have sadistic proclivities, including a dark basement in his home where he was known to engage in questionable activities and abuse his children.
Hodel was even recorded on tape saying, “Supposin’ I did kill the Black Dahlia. They can’t prove it now,” but was never treated as a suspect. While the younger Hodel’s claims are somewhat controversial, the case for Dr. Hodel’s involvement has been called “compelling.”
In 1995, Janice Knowlton wrote a book titled Daddy Was the Black Dahlia Killer. She claims that at age 10, she witnessed her father beat Short to death with a hammer and that she accompanied him to dispose of the body. However, her account has been discredited by family members and reporters over the years.
11. Is Black Dahlia Linked to Another Case?
Some people suspect that the Black Dahlia murder may be connected to other murders that took place in the US around the same time. On February 10th, 1947, a young woman named Jeanne French was also murdered in Los Angeles. Known as the “Lipstick Murder,” French’s death was almost instantly tied to Short’s death in the media. Some even speculated that George Hodel was responsible. French’s murder was never solved, either.
Others speculate that the death of the Black Dahlia was tied to murders that had taken place in Cleveland, Ohio prior to Short’s murder, from 1935-1938. These 13 murders included mutilations and dismemberment that resembled the surgical precision used in Short’s case. The bodies in both cases were arranged in similar positions. A letter was received by Cleveland investigators in which the writer claimed to be the Torso killer and said he had moved to California and was performing “medical experiments.” No further progress was made, and the Torso Murders also remain unsolved.
