Elizabeth Short was murdered on the 15th of January 1947. She had been mutilated and severed at the waist, with the two halves a foot apart. It was deemed that the murderer must have had medical training due to the clean nature of the cut.
Discovery
Her body was found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles by a local resident and her daughter.
The woman who discovered her believed she was a mannequin due to her pale skin after being drained of blood. She was posed with her hands on her head and her legs spread apart. She had also been brushed with gasoline to remove forensic evidence.
Investigation
The autopsy revealed that the cause of repeated blows to the head and shock from blood loss. There were also ligature marks found on her wrists and ankles and tissue had been removed from her breast.
She gained the nickname Black Dahlia after a shop owner told reporters it was her nickname amongst the male customers due to her dark hair and dark clothing.
Confessions
In the year that followed around 60 men confessed to her murder, due to a $10,000 reward that was posted. The current number of confessors stands at around 500 and around 150 men were interviewed. There have been a few credible suspects but authorities have been unable to identify them.
One credible confessor claimed to be her killer and called newspaper The Examiner to say that he would hand himself in after further toying with the Police and providing proof that he was her killer.
He sent a number of her personal items to the newspaper that were also washed in gasoline, which led police to believe this was her killer. Fingerprints recovered from a letter were damaged before they were able to be analysed. Nearby a handbag and shoe believe to be Elizabeth’s were discovered, also washed with gasoline.
A diary belonging to Mark Hansen was sent to the newspaper and he was briefly considered a suspect before being cleared up police. A string of more letters were sent to the Examiner from “the killer” with a time and place where he was to hand himself in. This never happened and another letter was sent saying “he” had changed his mind.
Suspects
Leslie Dillon was considered a strong suspect by many due to his mortuary training. He was a friend to Mark Hansen and it was suggested that she was aware of the illicit activities of the friends. It was suggested that the murder take place in the Aster Motel in Los Angeles. A room was discovered soaked in blood at the time of the murder.
George Hodel was considered a suspect due to his medical training and his phone was tapped. He was recorded to say “Supposin’ I did kill the Black Dahlia. They couldn’t prove it now. They can’t talk to my secretary because she’s dead.” His son also believes he was the killer and notes his handwriting is strikingly similar to the letters received by The Herald.
Her murder is officially unsolved and is recorded as a cold case....
Copy and paste: 13/11/2019: 12.27 am
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