BACKGROUND

Hi guys. First and foremost, let’s have a look on The Black Dahlia bibliography. I bet that most of you want to know how she got the unique nickname and why does the topic of my blog is a ‘broken doll’? Who is ‘The Black Dahlia’ actually? Why her story is picked up (chosen) by Universal Pictures to be filmed? Without wasting more time, let’s find out.

Elizabeth Short before and after her death

Elizabeth Short's Bibliography

Elizabeth Short was grown up and lives in Medford, Massachusetts. She is one of the five daughters who were born to Phoebe Mae Sawyer and Cleo Short. She was brutally murdered at the age of 22 years old whereby her body has been naked, cut in half and severely mutilated that looks like a broken doll. The body was forced to smile as her mouth has about three inches slashes in both sides. Her hand was over her head at 45 degree angle and her legs are wide open. Her tight and breast was cut off and the portions have been removed. Her body was completely found in drained blood, which indirectly makes the police believes that she was murdered and washed in other place before being thrown in the area. Her body was found by Betty Bersinger on January 15, 1947 in a vacant lot near the intersection of 39th Street and Norton Avenue in Leimert Park, South Los Angeles. She was claimed as a fiance to Major Matthew Micheal Gordon who worked as an army in United States Air Force.

The location where Elizabeth's body is found by Betty Bersinger (January 15, 1947)

The location of the historical homicide case 'The Black Dahlia'

She was described as beautiful and attractive thus being idolized as the feminine ideal of 40s with her meaty legs, full hips and a small, up-turned nose, red blood lips, alabaster skin and light blue eyes. She was known as ‘Betty’ or ‘Beth’ by her colleague. There was uncertain statement that shows how Elizabeth Short gets her nickname either because she loves to pin white flowers in her black hair and fanatic to wear black attire or because that the nickname was applied by the journalist to sensationalize the murder case.

Elizabeth Short engages with financial problem since she didn’t have a permanent job thus makes she moved a lot. She used to stay in hotels, apartments, boarding houses and private homes in Southern California. There were a family who are pity with her offered her to live together after finding her sleep at 24hour movie theater, but then the family asked her to leave as they was tired with her for the reason that she loves to laze around and partying at night. That issue does not affect her life because she always can rely her life with her natural beauty that makes men craving on her and willing to spend the money for her. She was never alone since she always dating with different boyfriends thus being a part of her lifestyles.

A week before her body was found, the witness saw Elizabeth Short leaving the Biltmore Hotel. Robert Manley was claimed as the last person who be with Short in the hotel.

Biltmore Hotel (1947)

The police believe Elizabeth Short was killed in her childhood house as there was a report whose says that they heard a women voice screaming from the unfinished basement. She was buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California. The funeral was attended by six family members a few police officers. 

The newspaper article which shows the Swoden House
that was claimed as the death site of Elizabeth Short
(Feb 3, 2013)

Although the investigations of the case took about 40 police officers who interrogate the neighborhood, Elizabeth’s boyfriends, going house to house, and questioned thousands of people who had even the slightest knowledge of Elizabeth Short, also her acquaintances in order to find the evidence or some clues which can solve the case, but then the case remain unsolved. The case leaves lots of speculation, leading to many suspects adding up with none of the suspects which have been endorsed by the LAPD. Surprisingly, the evidence has disappeared from the Black Dahlia file including the 13 scornful letters which was sent by the killer to the police and the media thus make the case being a history of the Los Angeles. Her death has never been avenged since no one was charged as the killer of Elizabeth Short.

Elizabeth Short's tombstone