The Black Dahlia

As with other very cold but well-known murder mysteries everybody seems to have their favorite suspect and this case is no different. Hodel's son, Steve Hodel, a former homicide detective in Los Angeles, makes a very convincing case for his father as the Black Dahlia's killer. At the time of the murder in 1947, George Hodel was a well-known doctor in L.A., who led a less the sterling life-style. Arrested for the molestation of his daughter, detectives were interested in Hodel, and did in fact question him on at least one occasion.

Dr. Hodel's son Steve, was given a small photo case after the death of Dr. Hodel, which contained photos of an unknown woman. Hodel insisted that they were photos of the Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short. The photos did not stand up to comparisons to known photos of Short, however. But it does seem that the good doctor was aquainted with Short. Steven Kay, L.A. detective also favors Hodel as a likely BD killer.

In 1947 when Elizabeth Short was killed technology was primitave compared to what we have now. But serial killers don't usually know their victims. When there is no link between killer and victim it makes it that much harder to find the killer.

Her real name was Elizabeth Short and since her death in 1947, there have been many theories and speculations, as well as a number of books, movies, and newspaper articles about the case. What there has not been is a definite answer to the mystery. As of this writing, the crime remains unsolved and we do not know who murdered her.

At this point there are not three theories that could solve this very cold case. There is only one. Thanks to the science/art of criminal profiling it is clear that Elizabeth Short was not the killer's first victim. In fact there were two previous murders in the Los Angeles area that remain unsolved and can be circumstantially linked to the Black Dahlia. Known as the 'bathtub' murders, they have many similarities to the later case.

Due to the notoriety of the Black Dahlia case, there is very little left of the physical evidence in police archives. Pilphering evidence from famous cases is not unheard of. But the two murders before Short's barely made a ripple in the L.A. area. There is most likely evidence in those files, that may be able to not only tie the murders together but may shed some light in the Dahlia case.

This seems to be the best chance of solving the Dahlia case. Why someone has not done this is a mystery.

Motive, escape, and identity are the remaining elements to be proven. Though not 'theories', there is no consensus on any of the above referenced aspects of the crime.

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This is just one of many so-called 'facts' that are repeated so many times that they are taken as the truth. According to the autopsy, Short, also known as the Black Dahlia, had no tattoos of a black dahlia or any other type of tattoo at the time of her death.

Elizabeth Short wasn't called the Black Dahlia until after her death, so she herself never heard this term. She acquired the title because at the same time that her murder was being reported in the newspapers, the movie "The Blue Dahlia", starring Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd was just released and the title displayed in huge letters on movie marquees, while photos of Elizabeth with her black hair, dressed in black dresses were published on the front pages, the press and the public thought the name seemed to suit her and it stuck.

The Black Dahlia was a real murder in Los Angeles. Elizabeth Short, age 22, was found murdered on January 15, 1947, in an empty lot. The body had been cut in half and drained of blood, and even her face was mutilated. Her murderer was never found.

The Black Dahlia Murder is based on the real-life unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, whose body was found in Los Angeles in 1947. The case remains one of the most famous and mysterious murders in American history.

Yes it is. Her real name was Elizabeth Short.

It was reported that the initials BD were carved into the body of Elizabeth Short, obviously meaning black dahlia. It is thought that the name 'Black Dahlia' came after her death in the press. There were many small criss-cross cuts and slashes, some that faintly resembled the letter D. It was more an accident of the knife wielder than a written hint, symbolizing no more than a pattern of stabbing.

It is actually a name of a flower. Since Elizabeth always wore black the color was added to the flower.

The band you are referring to is from Michigan. They were obsessed with a case from the late 1940's where a girl named Elizabeth Short was severed in half. The case came to be know as the Black Dahlia by the press. This is where they took their name from.

She was actually killed in some other place than the place she was found. There were no tire prints since the place had a good street. Actually, the so called evidence didn't lead to the killer. But the police got close to the killer and maybe brought him for questioning since the fact that the killer didn't display more victims' shows us that he was afraid for a time. Maybe he did kill again but chose to dispose of the corpses in another way.

She was beaten, forced to eat human feces, had grass and dirt pushed into her vagina, and lastly, she sustained blunt force trama to her skull.

The killer, whether he was aware of it or not, left clues to his personality from the condition of the body and how it was dumped. It is very possible the man was a sadist. Short endured horrible things before her killer finally got tire of her and fianlly killed her. Most serial killers are excited by having power over others, and the Dahlia's probably was too. There is still so much of the unknown when talking about serial killers.

The case remains unsolved.

Unfortunately, this is one of those crimes that may never have a solution. As with London's Jack The Ripper the Dahlia murder was highly publicized. Since the murder there have been several hundred confessions which is typical for a much publicized case. An overworked police force must wade through all the 'wannabe's' and can be led off the path of a killer with false confessions and nuts seeking a few words in the press for themselves. Also is the fact that with such a well-known case evidence seems to get 'misplaced' until there is almost nothing left for a DA to make a case on.

Almost certainly yes. Over time serial killers usually escalate their crimes. They are seeking more thrills and must get more daring and sometimes foolish just to get the same feelings. The Black Dahlia murder showed this escalation. There were actually 2 other murders that preceded the Dahlia case, one of them was called the 'bathtub murder'. Most experts agree that the Dahlia was put in a bathtub, her body drained of all its blood and then scrubbed clean to leave no trace evidence.

The Black Dahlia was Elizabeth Short who was found murdered in January 1947 in an empty lot in a quiet Los Angeles neighborhood. As with many unsolved crimes, the Dahlia has become a crime legend. Over the years evidence has been lost, witnesses have long since died and the chance to close this case is most likely gone forever.

Lucy Arnaz plays Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia

Born July 29, 1924, in Hyde Park, Mass., her real name was Elizabeth Short but she was also known as Betty or Beth

Many victims of serial murder are chosen because of convenience, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and crossed paths with a killer. Since Short's killer was never found we can assume this was the case with her also. From the condition of her body it seems she met up with a sadist, which was very unfortunate for her. She was forced to eat feces, bashed over the head with something, bound by her hands at least and all before she was cut in half and drained of all blood. After death it appeared that the body was scrubbed harshly to rid it of any evidence. And as a final insult her face was cut in a grotesque smile. Whatever the killer had in mind, the crime was all about him and his needs. Elizabeth Short was nothing to him but an object to be abused and disposed of when he had fulfilled his sick desires.

No, many people have confessed but none were ever proven.

The actual place of her murder in unknown. On the morning of January 15, 1947, a woman taking a walk with her small daughter discovered the body of Elizabeth Short on an empty lot, 3925 S. Norton Ave., Central Los Angeles.

Her body had been mutilated including having her torso completely cut in half. She was not killed on the empty lot though, her body being drained of all blood and scrubbed clean, left little physical evidence. Short had last been seen days before her body was found, confirming that she had been held somewhere several days before she was found on Norton St.

With a scrubbed and drained body, and lack of a crime scene, it made the Black Dahlia case all the harder to solve. And indeed, it has not been solved to this day.

Elizabeth Short, age 22, was found cut in half and completely drained of blood, on January 15, 1947, in Los Angeles, CA. Her killer has was never caught and the case remains open.