Nearly 80 years after Elizabeth Short was found mutilated and left in a vacant Los Angeles lot, her killing remains one of the most infamous unsolved murders in American history.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 15, 1947, the 22-year-old’s body was discovered severed at the waist, drained of blood and posed with chilling precision. The brutality of the crime — combined with a media frenzy that followed — transformed Short into a symbol of Hollywood’s darkest underbelly.
What investigators later learned made the case even more disturbing: in the hours before her death, Short appeared terrified and reportedly told a police officer that someone had threatened to kill her.
Despite decades of investigation, confessions, theories and renewed scrutiny, no one has ever been charged with her murder.
Who Was Elizabeth Short?
Elizabeth Short was born on July 29, 1924, in Massachusetts and grew up with four sisters. Her childhood was marked by instability. When she was young, her father disappeared after the stock market crash, leaving the family believing he had taken his own life.
As a teenager, Short struggled with health issues and spent time in warmer climates on doctors’ advice. She dropped out of high school and moved frequently, relying on friends and acquaintances for housing.
In her late teens, she briefly reunited with her father after learning he was alive, but the relationship quickly deteriorated. By the mid-1940s, Short had made her way to Southern California, where she hoped to build a better life and possibly break into acting.
A Life Lived in Shadows
In Los Angeles, Short drifted between apartments, hotels and friends’ homes. She worked sporadically and was often short on money — yet acquaintances noticed she somehow managed to get by.
Those who knew her described her as private and elusive. She rarely spoke about her personal relationships and avoided explaining how she supported herself. Men recalled taking her out socially, but few claimed to know her well.
In late 1946, Short abruptly left Los Angeles for San Diego. Friends later said she seemed frightened, though she never explained why. While staying with a family there, she admitted she was hiding from a former boyfriend.
At one point, visitors came to the house asking for her. Witnesses said Short became visibly shaken and refused to see them. Soon after, she decided to leave again.
Her Final Known Hours
On Jan. 8, 1947, Short returned to Los Angeles with a traveling salesman she had been seeing. He dropped her off at a downtown hotel, where she claimed she was meeting her sister — a meeting that never existed.
Hotel staff later recalled Short making repeated phone calls in the lobby, growing increasingly distressed as the night wore on. Around 10 p.m., she left the building. It was the last confirmed sighting of her alive.
In the days that followed, her movements became murky. One account later given by a police officer described a woman believed to be Short approaching her in a bar area, sobbing and visibly terrified. The woman said someone had threatened to kill her.
The officer escorted her briefly, but after the danger appeared to pass, they separated. Hours later, Elizabeth Short was dead.
The Discovery That Shocked the City
Short’s body was found by a woman walking with her child through a largely undeveloped neighborhood. From a distance, the figure looked like a discarded mannequin.
Up close, the reality was horrifying.
Short had been cut cleanly in half, her body carefully posed. There was no blood at the scene, indicating she had been killed elsewhere and transported. Her face had been brutally slashed, leaving a permanent, grotesque grin.
The coroner later determined she died from blood loss and head trauma.
Identifying the Victim
Because of the severity of the mutilation, police could not publicly release images of the body. Instead, they used fingerprints to identify her — an unusual but critical step at the time.
Within hours, authorities confirmed the victim was Elizabeth Short, whose prints were already on file from earlier encounters with law enforcement and military employment records.
How the ‘Black Dahlia’ Name Was Born
The nickname “Black Dahlia” was not created after her death. Friends had reportedly used it earlier, inspired by her dark hair, preference for black clothing and a popular film of the era.
Once the press learned the name, it became inseparable from the case. Coverage exploded, often fueled by rumor, exaggeration and moral judgment of Short’s lifestyle.
The sensational reporting helped cement the murder’s place in American lore — while also obscuring facts and complicating the investigation.
Inside the Failed Investigation
Detectives chased hundreds of leads. Dozens of people confessed — many falsely. Suspects ranged from doctors and businessmen to acquaintances and strangers.
Investigators were particularly struck by the surgical precision of the dismemberment, leading some to believe the killer had medical training.
Despite handwritten letters believed to be from the killer and years of interviews, the case stalled. A grand jury later reviewed the investigation but produced no charges.
The file was eventually closed, though officially the case has never been solved.
The Prime Suspect Many Still Debate
Among the names most often linked to the case is a prominent physician with a history of disturbing behavior and connections to elite social circles. He was investigated during his lifetime, secretly monitored by police and later left the country.
Decades later, his son — a former detective — publicly accused him of being the killer, citing witness accounts, handwriting analysis, photographs and recorded statements that appeared incriminating.
Some prosecutors later said the evidence was compelling — but insufficient to bring charges after the suspect’s death.
New Theories, No Justice
In recent years, additional suspects have emerged, including one man whose name later appeared linked to coded messages in an unrelated serial killer investigation. Former homicide detectives have expressed interest, but no formal charges or reopened prosecutions have followed.
A Case That Refuses to Fade
Elizabeth Short’s murder endures not just because of its brutality, but because of what it represents — a young woman who feared for her life, sought help and was killed anyway.
Nearly eight decades later, the Black Dahlia remains a haunting reminder of how notoriety can eclipse justice — and how some crimes, no matter how infamous, never truly find answers.