How a mother’s morning walk in Leimert Park uncovered the Black Dahlia

The Black Dahlia Murder

Elizabeth Short came to Los Angeles in 1946 hoping to become an actress. The 22-year-old from Massachusetts never found success in Hollywood. Instead, she became famous for her gruesome murder on January 15, 1947.

Her death shocked Los Angeles right after World War II. Police launched their biggest investigation since 1927, with hundreds of officers working the case. They talked to more than 150 people and followed countless leads. But they never found who killed her. The case remains unsolved today.

Betty Bersinger’s Shocking Discovery

Betty Bersinger was walking with her three-year-old daughter in Leimert Park on a cold January morning. As they moved down Norton Avenue, she saw something white in an empty lot.

At first, Bersinger thought it was a broken mannequin thrown away in the weeds. When she got closer, she realized she was looking at a real woman’s body cut in half. Grabbing her daughter, Bersinger ran to the nearest house. She called the police around 10 a.m. on January 15, 1947.

The Crime Scene at Norton Avenue

Norton Avenue ran through a neighborhood that was still growing in 1947. The war had stopped construction, leaving many empty lots between houses. Short’s body was placed on the west side of the street in one of these dirt lots.

The killer left her just a foot from the sidewalk where anyone walking by could see her. Police later measured the exact spot as 54 feet north of a fire hydrant. Today, this location is the front yard of a house at 3825 South Norton Avenue.

The Gruesome State of the Body

Short’s body showed signs of brutal torture. The killer had cut her in half at the waist, through her spine.

All her blood was drained, and the body was washed clean with gasoline. Her face was cut from the corners of her mouth to her ears, making what looks like a horrible smile.

The killer posed her body with arms raised and legs spread apart. There was no blood at the scene, showing she was killed somewhere else and brought to the lot.

The Immediate Police Response

Officers Frank Perkins and Will Fitzgerald were the first police at the scene. Like Bersinger, they first thought it might be a fake body until they got close enough. The police quickly figured out that Short was killed elsewhere.

The lack of blood at the scene proved this. They found a cement sack with blood near the body. Detectives thought the killer used this sack to move Short’s body. They also found a single footprint in the dirt nearby.

Identifying the Victim

With no ID on the body, police called her “Jane Doe #1” of 1947. They needed to figure out who she was. The Los Angeles Examiner suggested sending her fingerprints to the FBI using their “Soundphoto” machine.

This early version of a fax sent images over phone lines. The FBI matched her prints in just 56 minutes. They knew her as Elizabeth Short from when she was arrested for underage drinking in 1943 and from her job application at an army base.

The Medical Examiner’s Findings

Dr. Frederick Newbarr examined Short’s body on January 16, 1947. He found she was 5’5″ tall, weighed 115 pounds, and had blue eyes and brown hair. Short died from bleeding caused by hard blows to her head and face.

Marks on her wrists, ankles, and neck showed she had been tied up before death. The way her body was cut in half showed surgical skill. This made police think the killer might have medical training.

The Media Frenzy Begins

Los Angeles newspapers fought to get the latest news about the murder. Reporters got to the scene before police could block it off. Some even walked through evidence. The Los Angeles Examiner sold more papers on January 16 than any day since World War II ended.

They rushed out special editions with all the details they could find. The murder stayed on front pages for 35 days straight. Reporters dug into Short’s life, sometimes printing wrong information that made police work harder.

The Black Dahlia Nickname Emerges

Newspapers first called it the “Werewolf Murder” because it was so brutal. Back then, papers often gave catchy names to big crimes to sell more copies.

On January 17, 1947, the papers started calling her the “Black Dahlia.” The name came from a movie called “The Blue Dahlia” that came out in 1946. Friends said Short often wore black clothes and sometimes put dahlia flowers in her hair.

The nickname stuck, and most people forgot her real name.

The Killer’s Taunting Messages

On January 21, someone claiming to be the killer called James Richardson, who ran the Los Angeles Examiner. He promised to send proof that he killed Short. Three days later, the post office found a strange envelope addressed to the newspaper.

Inside were Short’s birth certificate, social security card, address book, photos, and business cards. Everything had been wiped with gasoline to remove fingerprints, just like her body. More letters followed, including one signed “Black Dahlia Avenger.”

The First Major Suspect

Robert “Red” Manley was the first main suspect. The 25-year-old married salesman admitted meeting Short in San Diego in December 1946 and spending time with her. On January 9, 1947, Manley drove Short to the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Hotel workers saw her using the lobby phones before she vanished around 10 p.m. Police questioned Manley for hours and gave him lie detector tests. They finally decided he wasn’t involved. He was the last person known to see Short alive.

Visiting Leimert Park, LA

You can find Leimert Park in South Los Angeles, centered around Leimert Park Plaza near Crenshaw Boulevard and 43rd Place. This cultural hub of Black arts and culture offers permanent attractions like the Vision Theatre, an Art Deco landmark undergoing restoration.

The park itself features drum circles on Sundays, while surrounding streets house art galleries, performance spaces, and soul food restaurants. Esotouric occasionally runs Black Dahlia-themed crime tours through the area.

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