Posted on 02/16/2024 4:20:21 PM PST by nickcarraway
True crime has become one of the most popular forms of modern media, whether it’s through documentaries, movies, TV shows, podcasts, or books. It’s been a goldmine for Hollywood for decades, but there hasn’t been a case to shock Tinseltown to its core quite like the Black Dahlia.
On January 15th, 1947, local housewife Betty Bersinger spotted what she thought was a mannequin lying in an empty lot on Los Angeles’ Norton Avenue, only to discover that she was looking at a mutilated corpse. The body of Elizabeth Short was split at the waist, and sections of her flesh had been cut from the body, but the noticeable absence of any blood suggested that the body had been cleaned and placed on the street post-mortem.
After identifying Short as the victim, the autopsy offered indications that she may have been tied up and tortured before being murdered, with cerebral haemorrhage and shock cited as the official cause of death on the report. By this point, the mystery had already gripped the city, and it would soon spread to become both a nationwide and global source of obsession.
Short had only moved to LA the previous year in the hopes of carving out a career as an actor, but worked as a waitress and lived in rented accommodation on Hollywood Boulevard while trying and failing to secure her big break. It was the local newspapers who initially dubbed her the ‘Black Dahlia’ due to her dyed hair and penchant for dark clothing, but despite the overwhelming interest, no sure-fire suspects emerged.
An envelope was mailed to several Los Angeles newspapers nine days after her body was found, though, using newspaper clippings to spell out the phrase, “Here is Dahlia’s belongings”. Inside were Short’s birth certificate, business cards, assorted photos, and an address book, all of which had been cleaned to remove fingerprints or other incriminating evidence, furthering the belief it was the killer’s handiwork.
The authorities combed through her address book for clues, but none of the 75 men contacted were arrested or charged, while suspicions arose that a trained medical professional must have been responsible for the precise nature of her injuries. Warrants were issued to a nearby medical school, but again, interviews and background checks yielded nothing.
The case may have gone cold, but its place in the cultural consciousness never disappeared. The murder has become the subject of countless novels, investigative documentaries, and feature films, keeping the events firmly in the public eye while never even coming remotely close to offering a definitive assessment of who killed Short and why they did it in such horrific fashion.
There have been plenty of false confessions along the way, and theoretical connections have been made to a spate of other killings, but the speculation got so out of hand that Mary Pacios – a former neighbour of the Short family – wrote a book suggesting that Orson Welles was responsible.
Former detective Steve Hodel accused his own father – Dr George Hodel – in Black Dahlia Murder: A Genius for Murder, but the case remains entirely unsolved. It’s one of the most famous unsolved murders in history and a searing indictment on the dark side of Hollywood. Short had big dreams of becoming a star, but not only was she murdered trying to pursue them, nobody can ever know for sure who did it.
It’s never a mannequin.
I’ve seen stories about that case.There’s a retired LAPD detective who’s convinced that it was his own father,a surgeon,who did it.And IIRC the LAPD considered him a potential suspect when the case was fresh.
(moved to LA the previous year in the hopes of carving out a career as an actor, ... and lived in rented accommodation on Hollywood Boulevard while trying and failing to secure her big break)
Wow what a story. I’d heard about it before but more detail in this excerpt.
“The Keys”
(not an excerpt)
James Ellroy’s novel about the case is outstanding.
I can’t think of a single reason to move to CA.
My grandparents would be away from home for several months a year. Grandpa would lay a mannequin on top of his bed to scare anyone who might get into the house while they were gone. I still laugh at Mr. B screaming like a little girl when he saw it, LOL.
My dad’s P-51 Sqd. in India and Burma had a pilot who had dated her before going overseas. They corresponded. After her death was reported, he became morose. The war was over. While awaiting the trip home from Burma, the pilot took off, did some stunts, climbed to about 10,000 ft. and pointed his Mustang straight down and smashed into the ground, leaving a big crater but, not much else.
Yes, I’m going with the detective’s father but no way on Orson Wells.
There are so many high profile unsolved murders in Hollywood/L.A. that it’s astounding.
Barbara Colby, a now forgotten actress who appeared on the Mary Tyler Moore show, was gunned down after an acting class. She died immediately, but her classmate lived long enough to give police some facts. They were shot by two men who were riding in a van. The shootings were unprovoked. There was no attempt at robbery. Police never discovered a motive and never made an arrest. Bizarre.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Colby
“It’s never a mannequin.”
That’s so funny. And true. When I watch true crime, it seems that everyone who discovers a body thinks it’s a mannequin. What are the odds a mannequin would be thrown out in a farmer’s field? It’s always more likely to be a person.
Wow. Harsh.
Right. People who own department stores always take old worn-out mannequins out to some bridge over a river and throw them in, then drive away.
Uncaught Zebra killers?
Give it a little time. Trump will be charged with this.
cough cough, Kirk Douglas, cough cough. It was his MO, with getting extremely rough with the wannabe and up and coming starlets.
I can’t remember where I read that he was linked to the Black Dahlia case, but everybody covered for him.
I watched his movies and saw what others thought of as great acting, to me it was being himself. He volunteered to fly a suicide mission in a John Wayne WW2 mission, because he was up for rape and the victim killed herself. That was Hollywoods idea of burying his past IMO.
Seventy five men in her address book? Has Tinder been around that long?
“I Am The Night”
A TNT miniseries. Excellent.
Official trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcknCCOlH-E&ab_channel=TNT
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