Episode 5: Black Dahlia
Black Dahlia
Elizabeth Short
Young woman. Big city. Horrifying murder. When Elizabeth Short went to Los Angeles, she hoped for a good and happy life. But, instead, she became a tragic victim to a depraved murderer who not only bisected her body but drained it of all it’s blood. This murder remains one of the greatest mysteries. Who did it and why? We may never know, but in this episode, while we do revisit Elizabeth’s awful fate, we also reconnect her with her family in a way that has never been done before.
Listen as we explore her family history and what gave her the gumption to try a life in Los Angeles and gave her family to not only survive their heartbreak, but to also thrive.
Oldest sister, Virginia Short West, in her senior high school picture.
One of Elizabeth’s younger sisters, Elnora “Nony”, in her senior yearbook photo.
Elizabeth’s youngest sister, Muriel.
Source: The Boston Globe, 17 Jan 1947
Elizabeth’s older sister Dorothea, who served in the U.S. Navy as a WAVE.
Source: The Kansas City Star, 11 May 2012
Phoebe May Sawyer Short (1897-1992), mother of Elizabeth.
Phoebe with Elizabeth before her unfortunate end.
Cleo Alvin Short, Jr., absentee father to Elizabeth and her sisters.
Source: The Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan 1947
Elizabeth’s funeral. Her father did not attend.
Source: The San Francisco Examiner, 26 Jan 1947
Image from her mugshot in 1943 that was splashed in all the papers.
Source: The Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan 1947
Source: The Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov 1941
Source: "File:George Hodel circa 1950.jpg" by Steve Hodel is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Guardian interview with Steven Hodel
SOURCES
Wikipedia
We use a multitude of resources when researching a family tree up to an including census records from 1800-1940, marriage records in various states, draft registration cards, newspaper articles, and more. If you would like more specific details on where information was obtained, please email us and we’ll respond in a timely manner.