FreshDames Female Celebrities

Elizabeth Short

The murder of Elizabeth Short at age 22 has made her one of the most famous women in the history of Los Angeles and her murder is considered the most famous unsolved murder case in this city. The reason for the notoriety of this case is because of the gruesome nature of the murder and because the killer was never brought to justice.

On January 15, 1947, a gray and dreary W ednesday morning, housewife Betty Bersinger and her three year old daughter were on their way to a shoe repair shop in their neighborhood south of Hollywood. They passed thru several vacant lots which were overgrown with weeds and it was in one of these lots that Mrs. Bersinger found the nude and mutilated body of Elizabeth Short.

Beth, as she was known to her friends and family, had been cut in half at the waist. There were vicious slashes on her face and body. Rope marks were found on her neck, wrists and ankles. Since there was no blood on the ground near her body, it was obvious that she had been murdered somewhere else and her body moved to this location possible during the previous night or in the early morning. It was also obvious that her body had been washed clean of blood before it was dumped in the vacant lot.

Elizabeth Short was born in Hyde Park, Massachusetts on July 29, 1924. Her goal in life – like many other pretty girls – was to become an actress. She understood that in order to achieve her goal, she had to meet the right people in the right place at the right time and after several false starts, Beth wound up in Hollywood.

Black Dahlia

Beth came by the name “Black Dahlia” because of her appearance. Her hair was black, her skin was pale and she wore a strong shade of red lipstick and nail polish. Coupled with her habit of dressing in all black clothing, her dramatic and attractive appearance earned her this nickname.

Before coming to Hollywood, Beth had been a model in her hometown and was considered to be a lively and friendly young woman. Many men were attracted to her but it became widely known that she did not “sleep around”. She also worked as a clerk at Camp Cooke during World War II and her unusually attractive appearance earned her the title of “Camp Cutie of Camp Cooke”. However, Beth made it clear to all that she would retain her virginity until marriage.

The Black Dahlia was last seen at the Biltmore Hotel where she had spent some time with a married salesman, who was not considered a suspect. Her immediate plans were to meet with her married sister and then go home to Boston. These plans never materialized and Beth was found murdered six days later.

Bizzare Sex Crime and Suspects

This bizarre sex crime appeared in newspapers all over the United States. As is a common occurrence with many types of unsolved, high-profile crimes, innocent people will contact the police and confess to being guilty. No less than fifty of those individuals, known as “Confessing Sams”, tried to take credit for the Black Dahlia murder. After investigation by the police, none of the fifty were even remotely considered as a suspect.

Only one man was a serious suspect: Arnold Smith also known as Jack Anderson Wilson, was an alcoholic with a history of sex offenses and robbery. This man purportedly confessed to a police informant that he was told all the gory details of the murder by yet another man. The story becomes murky but investigators believe that Smith himself was the actual murderer. Since he died in a fire of accidental origin, the police were never able to formally charge him and the murder is still listed as unsolved on the books of the LAPD.

Although this gruesome event occurred sixty years ago, there are still people who are today fascinated and obsessed with the Black Dahlia. There are several websites that post ongoing information in the case and there is a woman, Janice Knowlton, who has actually accused her deceased father George Knowlton of having murdered the Black Dahlia in her book “Daddy Was the Black Dahlia Killer” which was written in 1995.