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Early Life
She was born on July 29, 1924 in Hyde Park, Massachusetts to parents Cleo Short her father, and Phoebe Short her mother. And the family soon moved to Medford, Massachusetts after she was born -
Home life
When the Great Depression hit, Cleo left Phoebe and their 5 daughters. Her father faked his suicide, and later sent a letter stating he had moved to California and that he was sorry, and wanted to come home, but Phoebe refused to see him ever again. -
Reunited with her Dad
In early 1943 Elizabeth moved to Vallejo, California to stay with her father and pursue her dream of becoming a movie star. But their relationship quickly strained -
LA for the first time
By mid 1943 her father had kicked her out and she decided to move to Los Angeles in order to pursue her career. -
Arrested
Short was arrested for under age drinking in Santa Barbara. She was booked and fingerprinted but never charged. The officer felt bad and arranged for her to get back to Massachusetts but Elizabeth shortly returned to California after, this time she went to Hollywood. -
Staying with Hansen
While she was in Los Angeles she stayed with Mark Hansen who was a theater and nightclub owner. -
Going to San Diego
Short took a bus to San Diego and said that she had been worried about something before she left. When she went to San Diego, she began staying with Dorothy French who was a counter girl at aztec theatre, and saw Elizabeth sleeping in one of the chairs after the show. She felt bad and offered her a place to crash for a couple of nights. Which turned into months. -
The Last Contact
Robert Manley picked Short up from her friend’s house in San Diego, where she was living a the time. -
Last Time Seen Alive
Robert Manley drops her off at the Biltmore Hotel, the last time she was ever seen alive. -
Short's body is discovered
A young mother and her daughter are walking on Norton Avenue. They discover the body of Elizabeth Short in a vacant lot, initially believing it to be a discarded mannequin. Short is found naked and cut in half at the waist, also with several lacerations covering her back and limbs and face. She is posed like a model, and all of the blood has been drained from her body. -
Examination
Short is examined and found to have 3-inch cuts on both sides of her mouth, making a carved smile. It is discovered she was most likely raped, and a tattoo of a rose on her thigh had been cut from her and placed inside her vagina. -
The "Black Dahlia" is born
The “Black Dahlia” is on the front page of every news paper, named after a popular murder mystery movie at the time “The Blue Dahlia” -
Robert "Red" Manley
The LAPD detained Robert “Red” Manley as a suspect in the murder, but he was soon released due to a solid alibi and passing two lie detector tests. -
The Letter
A call is received from the Black Dahlia’s killer stating they did not like how the story was being covered, and informing them they would get an envelope of Short’s belongings in the mail -
The Black Dahlia's Belongings
The Examiner gets a letter containing Short’s belongings supposedly from nightclub owner Mark Hansen, who had lived with Short and had some sort of prior relation with her. -
FBI
The LAPD sent a letter to the FBI, asking them to look into Californian medical students. -
Corporal Joseph Dumais
Corporal Joseph Dumais, a suspect, was found with a verified alibi proving him innocent of the murder. -
The List
The FBI sent the LAPD a list of medical students enrolled in the University of Southern California. -
Meet-Up
The “Dahlia Slayer” informed the LAPD that he would meet them at 10am this day, but the hour passed with the police waiting and he did not appear. The LAPD later received a note from the murderer saying that he had changed his mind about turning himself in. -
Elimination
The LAPD had processed and eliminated seventy-five suspects. -
Suspects
The LAPD had considered a total of 192 suspects by 1948, but the murder had still not been convicted. -
Meeting
The Grand Jury convened to discuss suspects and police corruption in the Black Dahlia case. This meeting did not bring forth any major breakthroughs in the case. -
Steve Hodel
Steve Hodel, son of Dr. George Hodel, contacts media to claim that he believes his father committed the murder. He explained his father to have a “monster within” but that he was an untouchable man, so he could not have been arrested. -
Works Cited
http://blackdahlia.web.unc.edu/the-life-of-elizabeth-short/
http://blackdahlia.web.unc.edu/timeline/
https://www.biography.com/people/black-dahlia-21117617
http://blackdahlia.web.unc.edu/timeline/
http://blackdahlia.web.unc.edu/suspects/
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/retired-lapd-detective-think-father-killed-black-dahlia-still-loves-him
