By: Yamilette Resendez
OwlFeed Journalist

On January 15, 1947, Elizabeth Short, AKA The Black Dahlia, was found dead in Los Angeles California, 3800 South Norton Avenue.

The Black Dahlia was “an aspiring actress¨ who was killed in a brutal manner, which consisted of her body being dismembered in two along with other gruesome mutilations, according to Biography.

Let’s get into the case.

Elizabeth Short was found dead by Betty Bersinger on a morning walk, one day after she was considered “missing.” It has been said that the “body was cut in half, and so pale and thoroughly drained of blood that Betty Bersinger actually had mistaken it for a mannequin at first, ” said Ryan in the video Youtube posted by Buzzfeed Unsolved, titled, The Chilling Mystery Of The Black Dahlia.

Back to the crime scene, It has been stated that “the body was cut with surgical precision, leaving no trauma to the internal organs or bones.” Also, the part about this case that make it different was her face, it’s what the killer had done to Elizabeth’s face. Her face had been cut from her mouth… towards her ears to form a haunting, ever lasting smile.”  

Now to the suspects.

The first suspect is a man named Robert M. ¨Red¨ Manley. He was one of the last people to see Elizabeth Short alive. Because his alibi for January 14 and 15 was solid and because he passed two lie detector tests, the LAPD let him go,” according to the website TheBlackDahlia.web.

One of the things that really made this man a suspect was the fact that after he dropped off Eliza at her destination he went to a club/bar and disappeared for the entire investigation but one week later he returned.

A couple years later he was committed to a mental hospital due to hearing voices.

The second suspect was a man who was in the Army named Joseph Dumais “who was apparently blackout drunk with Elizabeth in San Francisco a couple of days before the discovery of her body,” stated Ryan.

But, when Joseph was asked if he had thought he had killed Elizabeth he actually said yes. But then there was some evidence that debunked this accusation because it was later known that he was off doing something in the Military Base the night of Elizabeth’s murder.

The final suspect was Doctor George Hodel. Knowing that Elizabeth was cut in half with in a surgical and didn’t damage her organs lets us know that maybe Dr. Hodel is a primary suspect.

Since Hodel was a suspect,  “The LAPD put Hodel under surveillance from February 18, 1950 to March 27, 1950.” The LAPD caught hard evidence that he was Elizabeth’s murderer.

Here is what George Hodel said:

“Realize there was nothing I could do, put a pillow over her head and cover her with a blanket. Get a taxi. Supposin’ I did kill the Black Dahlia. They couldn’t prove it now. They can’t talk to my secretary any more because she’s dead.”

(This was all caught in the recorder the LAPD had set in George’s home, as it’s noticeable his secretary was killed, who was a witness.)

This is hard evidence on Doctor George Hodel.

Who was the murder of The Black Dahlia? You decide.