On the morning of January 15, 1947, a mother taking her child for a walk in a Los Angeles neighborhood stumbled upon a gruesome sight: the body of a young naked woman sliced in half at the waist. For over 70 years the mystery of who killed The Black Dahlia has perplexed the police, the FBI and arm chair detectives and website warriors alike. Armed with the LAPD and FBI files we begin part one of our 3 part series, where we focus on the victim. A girl just 22 years old who lost her life in the most vile and violent way. We want to give her name back, remind everyone that the Black Dahlia wasn’t just a moniker or a sensation, she was a girl, a real life person who didn’t deserve what happened to her in life or after death. Meet Elizabeth Short.
Elizabeth in high school around age of 15/16
Elizabeth’s High School photo age 16
Elizabeth in Florida near the age of 20
Elizabeth with Matt Gordon
Mug Shot taken in Santa Barbara, do you agree with Cat that her eyes are so haunting in this photo?
Book Tress is reading, written by a childhood friend and neighbor of Elizabeth Short and the Short family
None of the photos on this page belong to Haunting History Podcast. No copyright infringement intended and are only used as enhancements to the story told.
At times when reporting facts regarding a true crime, (and photos) multiple sources use the same wording. Every effort is made to avoid any copyright infringements and no single work was intentionally plagiarized when reporting the facts of the crimes.
Below is a list of resources used during the research and telling of this story. (partial)
The Black Dahlia parts 1-3
Resources
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/the-black-dahlia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Dahlia
https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/black-dahlia
http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1867198_1867170_1867291,00.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/26/black-dahlia-murder-steve-hodel-elizabeth-short
http://blackdahlia.web.unc.edu/
https://stevehodel.com/
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/has-the-black-dahlia-murder-finally-been-solved-198247/
https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/famous-murders/the-black-dahlia-murder/
Documentaries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FlqnCf1LZs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXKEfFfFBKo
https://www.insideedition.com/black-dahlia-murder-true-story-50461
https://www.horrorgalore.com/true-story/horrifying-mystery-black-dahlia-documentary
Books
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Dahlia-Avenger-True-Story/dp/0061139610
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Dahlia-James-Ellroy/dp/0446618128
https://www.amazon.com/Severed-Story-Black-Dahlia-Murder/dp/187892317X
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Dahlia-Red-Rose-Corruption/dp/1631492268
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Dahlia-Files-Transfixed-Angeles/dp/0060582502
https://www.amazon.com/Childhood-Shadows-Hidden-Dahlia-Murder/dp/1585004847
https://www.amazon.com/Exquisite-Corpse-Surrealism-Dahlia-Murder/dp/B00WZTZOU
http://www.piueatwell.com/black-dahlia-red-rose
and of course Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, Newspaperarchives, FamilySearch.org
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2 Comments
James
I don’t know if I’d consider the mugshot the most beautiful picture of Beth, but there is certainly something UNCANNY about it.
Glad I found those same pictures in the LAPD and FBI files of her day in Hollywood with the anonymous soldier. Even though they’re very grainy, they are some of the most beautiful pics of her; ironic she’s posed under “THE MOST BEAUTIFUL” sign…
Thank you for the Dahlia series! I’m writing a screenplay in which the Black Dahlia plays a part. Very helpful!
James
I can absolutely believe she dreamt of being a starlet, and maybe talked about how wonderful it would be to live that life, especially with a younger girl like Mary Pacios. That doesn’t mean she would do the work. As a trained filmmaker, I know that many people don’t want to do the behind the scenes work. They simply want the glory.
It certainly sounds like those from her hometown loved her.