Who Did It?
Every time a movie or book has been released about the murder, several people come forward with evidence that they claim proves the identity of the killer. At least 50 people have confessed to the murder of Elizabeth Short, but in every single case, they are typically attention seekers. In reality, there are only a few genuinely intriguing suspects.
George Hodel
George Hodel’s son Steve is a retired L.A. police detective turned private investigator. He claims his father murdered Short and a host of other people. Steve found images of a woman very similar to Short in his father’s possessions after George died in 1999. Steve conducted research and published a book in 2003 that claims his father is the killer.
There could be some truth to the accusation. Unbeknownst to Steve, his father was a suspect in the case, and police interviewed him in 1947. However, the evidence against George Hodel is circumstantial at best. Also, Steve has accused his father of multiple murders including 10 in Asia in the 1940s, and he even believes George was the infamous Zodiac Killer.
Walter Bayley
Bayley was an L.A. surgeon who lived just one block away from the location where police discovered Short’s body. Bayley had a degenerative brain disorder, which could have resulted in violent behavior. FBI profiler John Douglas said the violence perpetrated on Short’s body suggests personal anger towards the victim.
Short routinely told men she had a son who died tragically; Bayley’s son died at the age of 11 after being struck by a car. Her body was found two days after the anniversary of Bayley’s son’s death. However, Bayley was 67 years old at the time of the murder and had no history of violence.
Other Suspects & Theories
The LAPD’s investigation into Elizabeth Short’s murder was the largest in 20 years, and the department used hundreds of officers from other agencies. Intense public attention focused on the case hampered investigators, as they spent most of their time spent chasing down useless leads. The L.A. District Attorney named 25 viable suspects, including the two mentioned above.
Other suspects include Leslie Dillon, Norman Chandler, Mark Hansen, and George Knowlton. Famous suspects included film director Orson Welles and gangster Bugsy Siegel. In most cases, there was little or no evidence, and practically every person can be discounted for various reasons.
One wild theory suggests a link between the death of the Black Dahlia and the Cleveland Torso Murders of 1934-1938. Once again, the LAPD looked into a possible connection but quickly discounted the theory. Crime authors claim a link between Short’s murder and that of 6 year old Suzanne Degnan in Chicago the previous year. There were a couple of similarities between the killings, but nothing concrete.
In truth, Elizabeth Short’s killer will never be identified, but expect more theories to emerge as time goes on. Now 70 years after the murder, the death of the Black Dahlia still captivates would-be detectives and amateur sleuths.