Murder: True Crime Stories - UNSOLVED: The Black Dahlia 1

Episode Date: October 8, 2024

In 1946, aspiring Hollywood actress Elizabeth Short was brutally murdered. Because of her dark hair and clothing, she became known as “the Black Dahlia.” The ensuing investigation into the seedy underbelly of Hollywood would become one of the world's most famous murder cases. Murder: True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original. For more, follow us on Tiktok and Instagram @crimehouse To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Crime House. A mother's love is a powerful thing. But sometimes it's not enough to protect their children from the dangers that lurk nearby. Especially in a place like Hollywood. that lurk nearby, especially in a place like Hollywood. In January 1947, a shocking discovery shattered lives and captivated the nation. A mother lost her daughter, and the dreams of a young woman were brutally cut short. Despite intensive investigations, the truth remains frustratingly out of reach. The mystery of the Black Dahlia endures as a chilling reminder of the darkness that can hide in plain sight. People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end.

But you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon, and we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder True Crime Stories, a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Every Tuesday, I'll explore the story of a notorious murder or murders. I'll be bringing awareness to stories that need to be heard with a focus on those who were impacted. At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing, and following Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly matters.

And for ad-free and early access to Murder True Crime Stories, plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. This is the first of two episodes on the Black Dahlia murder, an unsolved case that continues to haunt the nation. This week, we'll tell the story of Elizabeth Short, a Hollywood hopeful whose mysterious life led her down a dark path. Next week, we'll examine a shocking discovery that may hold the key to finding

Elizabeth's killer all these years later. ask you. If you are enjoying Murder True Crime Stories, I would be honored if you took a moment to rate and review us on Apple and Spotify. Your valuable feedback helps us improve and expand our reach so other true crime fans can find us too. Your support means everything. In the 1920s, Cleo Short ran a thriving mini-golf business in Medford, Massachusetts. Things were going well, and Cleo and his wife Phoebe were able to enjoy a quiet, middle-class life with their five young daughters. But in 1929, the stock market crashed and Cleo lost the business. Rather than look for new work, he hung his head in shame and ran from his problems, abandoning his family. She got a part-time job as a bookkeeper. Between that and government assistance, she made ends meet. If Cleo couldn't find a way to take care of their girls, she would.

In the midst of all this, Phoebe received word that police found Cleo's abandoned car on a bridge. Given the situation, officers assumed Cleo had died by suicide. It was enough to make Phoebe want to flee from their home and all the memories it held. Later that year, she and her five daughters gathered their belongings and moved to a new apartment nearby. The third floor walk-up was a far cry from their spacious house in Medford, but it was all Phoebe could afford. Most of her daughters seemed to be adjusting well, but Elizabeth, who was about six at the time, struggled with all the changes. She told Phoebe she missed her father and their old home. Phoebe was desperate to make Elizabeth feel better, so she told the girls to unpack their nicest clothes and get dressed. They were going to the movies.

Elizabeth loved going to the theater. She would dress up like she was famous and strut into the auditorium, gliding under the high ceilings and sparkling chandeliers. As time passed, Phoebe used the movies to distract her daughters from their hardships. It was the golden age of Hollywood and studio-produced sound films were a brand new art form. When these young girls sat in a theater and looked up at the big screen, they felt transported to another world. The more time Elizabeth spent at the movies, the more she wanted to move to Hollywood and become a movie star. Phoebe believed in her daughter. She knew Elizabeth was special, but mostly, she was happy to see Elizabeth excited about something. Soon, Elizabeth started making friends in the neighborhood.

They nicknamed her Snow White for her dark hair and fair skin. Elizabeth took it as a compliment. Even at such a young age, it was like she knew her striking appearance would help her land Hollywood roles. But before long, Elizabeth had to put her dreams on hold. Shortly after the family moved into their apartment, Elizabeth started having severe asthma attacks. They were manageable for a few years, but eventually they got so bad that Phoebe would have to call the doctor in the middle of the night. He would race over to their apartment and give Elizabeth an adrenaline shot. Elizabeth's health continued to decline, and around 1939, when she was about 16,

she had to undergo lung surgery. The surgery was a success, but Elizabeth still had to be careful. Doctors suggested she avoid the freezing Massachusetts winters and go somewhere milder during those months so that she could breathe easier. Phoebe had friends who lived in Miami and they offered to host Elizabeth. While Phoebe didn't like the thought of her daughter being so far away, she wanted to prioritize Elizabeth's health. So in 1940, Elizabeth spent her first winter down in the Sunshine State. Elizabeth wrote to Phoebe telling her about a part-time job she got at a beach resort and all the friends she was making. She was also pleased to report that she hadn't had one asthma attack. Before long, Elizabeth was landing modeling gigs

and winning beauty pageants, which made her even more determined to make it in Hollywood. Toward the end of winter, Phoebe got another letter. Elizabeth had big news. She planned to drop out of high school and live in Miami full-time. She was going through a breakup, and while it wasn't devastating, she seemed to take it as a sign that she needed to regroup. So she returned home to Medford. Once she was back, she stunned everyone in town. Elizabeth Short had a major glow-up. Friends said she sported fur coats, dark stockings, platform heels, and heavy makeup. Beyond her fashion choices, Elizabeth carried herself like a star. She always had perfect posture and walked like a model. People said she looked made for the big screen. Phoebe was proud of her daughter.

Despite the hardships they'd been through as a family, not to mention Elizabeth's health issues, she'd managed to hold her head high. But Phoebe wouldn't be basking in the glow much longer, because soon, the past would come back to haunt the Short family. is its focus on the twisted psychology of the world's most notorious serial killers. Names like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, the Night Stalker, featuring expert psychological analysis from licensed clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels. Mind of a Serial Killer will take you into their stories like never before. So get ready to uncover what drives someone to commit the unimaginable.

Mind of a Serial Killer is a Crime House original. New episodes drop every Monday. Just search Mind of a Serial Killer and follow wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're fascinated by the darker sides of humanity, join us every week on our podcast, Serial Killers, where we go deep into notorious true crime cases with significant research and careful analysis. We examine the psyche of a killer, their motives and targets,

and law enforcement's pursuit to stop their spree. Follow Serial Killers wherever you get your podcasts In the early 1940s, Elizabeth Short returned home a woman. She was only about 18, but she stunned her small town with her newfound elegance. Elizabeth was determined to turn her good looks and charismatic personality into a Hollywood career, and it seemed like she was bound to succeed. Shortly after Elizabeth came back to Medford, Massachusetts, her mother Phoebe received a letter in the mail. It was postmarked from California, which was odd. Phoebe didn't know anyone there. However, she did recognize the handwriting. It was Cleo's, the husband she thought was dead. He explained that after the stock market crashed, he was so ashamed about not being able to pay the bills that he just left. For about 12 years now, he'd been working at a shipyard in Northern California making good money.

Now that he could support his family, he wanted to come home. Phoebe wasn't having it. She grabbed a pen and scribbled furiously, telling Cleo she didn't forgive him and not to come home. As far as she was concerned, he was dead. That was the last thing Phoebe ever said to Cleo, but as time went on, it seemed like she started to second-guess herself. Maybe she felt guilty for keeping Cleo away from their girls. He was their father, after all, and most of them were grown up by now. They had the right to make their own decisions. While we don't know exactly how Elizabeth found out about her father,

we do know she was thrilled to hear that he lived in California. It was just the opportunity she'd been waiting for. Elizabeth wrote to her father and told him all about her big Hollywood dreams. Elizabeth wrote to her father and told him all about her big Hollywood dreams. To her delight, he wrote back and told her she could live with him while she looked for work. Elizabeth was ecstatic, but Phoebe wasn't so sure. She expected the girls would want to get to know their father, not drop everything and move across the country to be with him.

But Elizabeth insisted, and in the end, Phoebe didn't want to stop her daughter from chasing her dreams. So on a cold day in December 1942, Phoebe stood on a platform in Boston and watched Elizabeth board a train to California. Almost as soon as she arrived in Vallejo in Northern California, the city where her father lived, Elizabeth had a rude awakening. The climate was the first thing that caught her by surprise. She'd expected sunshine and warm air, much like Miami, but the San Francisco area was blanketed in fog. She also realized that Vallejo was almost 400 miles away from Los Angeles. Her father had been so encouraging in his letters, she figured he would take her there for auditions, but Elizabeth quickly realized that was just wishful thinking. The doting father she'd imagined

was nowhere to be found. For starters, Cleo drank. A lot. His home was once described as being littered with wine bottles. Then, whenever Elizabeth would ask Cleo to take her to L.A., Cleo to take her to LA. He refused. Elizabeth tried to argue with him, but her pleas only made him angry, and before long, they were fighting all the time, including about money. Cleo wanted Elizabeth to help out, and she wanted him to stop blowing everything on booze. Elizabeth must have felt like he was abandoning her again. It's important to note that Elizabeth was still pretty young at this time. Reports differ about her exact age when she moved to California. Some say she was 17, but others imply she was a little older. Either way, Elizabeth was mature enough to be filled with ambition, but young enough to feel she had nothing to lose.

So when her fights with Cleo escalated to a complete falling out, Elizabeth packed her bags. She left Cleo's home in January 1943, about a year after moving in with him. It's hard to track her movements after this. For the next few years, Elizabeth bounced around different parts of California and worked part-time jobs to stay afloat. She usually rented short-term apartments or crashed on people's couches. Remember, this was the height of Hollywood's golden age. A lot of people in California were doing the same thing,

whatever it took to get closer to the red carpet. Elizabeth spent most of her time looking for better job opportunities and meeting new people at parties and other social events. She dated around, and it seems like there were a couple of moments where marriage was discussed. Once, she even wrote to her mother and told her she was engaged, although it didn't pan out. Eventually, Elizabeth landed herself an apartment on Hollywood Boulevard. For her, this was a dream come true. But looking back, it was the beginning of the end.

In 1946, about three years after moving to California, 22-year-old Elizabeth Short landed an apartment on Hollywood Boulevard. As an aspiring movie star, it was the place to be. Elizabeth shared the apartment with five other young women, which probably didn't faze her. She grew up in close quarters with her mother and sisters. All the women were probably just happy to have a place they could afford in such a prime location. But in the winter of 1946, two months after Elizabeth moved in, her landlady Juanita noticed change. In the beginning, Juanita often saw the Hollywood hopeful heading off to work during the day and darting off with friends at night.

She was happy and talkative. Now Elizabeth looked tired and anxious. She was late on rent, which was out of character. Juanita thought Elizabeth may have lost her job. One of Elizabeth's roommates, Linda, also grew suspicious. She said that Elizabeth constantly received phone calls. In particular, a man named Maurice called her every single night. On December 9th, 1946, Linda noticed Elizabeth was extremely on edge. She asked what was wrong, but Elizabeth wouldn't, or couldn't, say. All she told Linda was, quote,

I've got to hurry, I've got to get out of here. Elizabeth told her she was going to live with her sister in Berkeley back in Northern California. Then, just like that, she was gone. The truth was, Elizabeth did have a sister in Berkeley, but they hadn't spoken in a while. Elizabeth wrote to her mother and sisters occasionally, but it seemed like they'd grown apart. So instead of going to Berkeley, Elizabeth hurried to the nearest bus station and used what little money she had to go south, to San Diego. There's no telling why Elizabeth chose San Diego. Maybe she was running from something or someone, and it seemed like the furthest she could get without anyone finding her.

Or perhaps she grew tired of the fast life and wanted to be someplace quieter. The only thing we really know is she didn't have a plan once she got to San Diego. She checked her bags at the bus stop and started walking. It seemed like Elizabeth wanted to pick me up because she made her way to the one place she always felt safe, the movie theater. Elizabeth bought a ticket for the musical The Jolson Story. She shuffled into the dark theater and sank into a seat. The next thing she knew, a woman about her age was waking her up. She introduced herself as Dorothy. She worked at the theater and told Elizabeth they were closing for the night. Elizabeth apologized and explained

she'd just arrived from Hollywood. She was tired and didn't mean to fall asleep in her seat. Hollywood. She was tired and didn't mean to fall asleep in her seat. Dorothy must have seemed nice because Elizabeth told her she had no money and nowhere to go. Dorothy wasn't one to leave another girl out in the cold. She told Elizabeth she could stay at her house where she lived with her mom. Elizabeth thanked her and just like that, the two left the theater together. Dorothy thought she was helping a downtrodden soul, but by the next day, she wasn't so sure. When Elizabeth brought her luggage home from the bus stop, Dorothy saw they were filled with nice clothes. The fanciest Dorothy had ever seen. She couldn't understand how someone with such expensive things could end up alone and without a home. But the housing market was rough, and many people were

struggling. Dorothy figured Elizabeth just needed to get back on her feet. Elizabeth told Dorothy and her mother she would pay them if she could stay for a couple more days. They told her not to worry. They were happy to help. A couple of days became a week, and a week became a month. Elizabeth told Dorothy and her mom about the different job opportunities she had, but they never saw her apply or interview for anything. They never saw her apply or interview for anything. They knew she didn't have much money and often saw her using paraffin wax to cover up the cavities on her teeth. We don't know much about Elizabeth's mood or behavior during this time, only that she went out every night and slept until noon every day, and she never told Dorothy where she was going.

But before long, Elizabeth's secret life caught up with her. On January 6, 1947, Dorothy and Elizabeth were relaxing at the house when there was a knock at the door. Dorothy opened up and saw a man and woman she'd never seen before. Behind them was another man waiting in a car parked on the street. They asked to see Elizabeth. Dorothy politely told them to wait one minute, then went to get Elizabeth. But when Dorothy described the people at the door, Elizabeth started to panic. She told Dorothy she didn't want to see them. Dorothy did as Elizabeth asked and told them to leave. They didn't put up a fight, but Dorothy had a bad feeling. Later, she and her mother tried to ask Elizabeth who those people were,

but she wouldn't tell them anything. Two days later, on January 8th, Elizabeth was gone. Dorothy and her mother never heard from her again. On the same day that Elizabeth left Dorothy's house, she sent a letter to her mother, Phoebe. She told her she'd been staying in San Diego with friends, but was going back to L.A. Apparently a friend of hers, a man she referred to as Red, was going to pick her up and drive her. Phoebe received this letter sometime in mid-January, and a couple of days later, likely on the 18th, she got a phone call. The man on the other end introduced himself as Wayne Sutton. He was a reporter from the Los Angeles Examiner. Wayne sounded nervous but said he had good news.

Phoebe's daughter Elizabeth had won a beauty contest in Santa Barbara. Phoebe was ecstatic. She couldn't believe Elizabeth hadn't told her. Wayne asked Phoebe to tell him more about Elizabeth, and Phoebe gushed about her daughter's, quote, special beauty and charm. Phoebe also mentioned that men had always fawned over Elizabeth. For example, she told him about the letter she'd just received from Elizabeth, explaining that a gentleman was driving her all the way from San Diego to Los Angeles. Wayne asked Phoebe if she could give him the contact information for Elizabeth's friends in San Diego. Phoebe probably assumed he just wanted to get more details for his story, so she found the letter and gave him the address. After that,

there was a brief pause. When Wayne spoke again, his voice was suddenly stern. Wayne said that the beauty contest was fake. The real reason he was calling was that Elizabeth had been murdered. calling was that Elizabeth had been murdered. Phoebe was quiet for a moment. Then she told Wayne she was sure there was some mistake. Panic rattled her voice as she begged Wayne to tell her the truth, to explain himself. After the shock wore off, Phoebe wanted to know exactly what happened to her daughter. The details of Elizabeth's death were horrifying. No one would want to deliver that information to a mother, but Wayne did as he was asked. Wayne explained that on January 15, 1947, Elizabeth's body had been found next to a sidewalk in an LA suburb.

The corners of her mouth were cut as if to resemble a wide smile, and her body was severed in two at the base of her spine. With that, Wayne glanced at his boss, Jim Richardson, sitting across from him. Jim was holding a phone to his ear. He'd been listening in on the entire conversation, coaching Wayne throughout. When Phoebe mentioned that Elizabeth was just with friends in San Diego, Jim whispered for Wayne to get the address. Once Wayne copied it down, Jim mouthed,

Now. That was Wayne's cue to tell Phoebe the truth. But Jim didn't care about Phoebe's feelings, nor did he care to show respect for Elizabeth. His actions were self-serving through and through. The only thing Jim cared about was getting the scoop and selling papers. It was shameful and disgusting. And, sadly, only the start.

In the coming months, the media circus around Elizabeth Short's death would only grow as people clambered to find an explanation for her brutal murder. But in a place like Hollywood, the truth is hard to come by. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Carter Roy and this is Murder True Crime Stories. Come back next week for part two of our series on the Black Dahlia murder. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media at Crime House on Instagram, at Crime House Studios on TikTok, and at Crime House Media on X. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts.

Your feedback truly makes a difference. We'll be back next Tuesday. Murder True Crime Stories, a CrimeHouse original, is executive produced by Max Cutler. This episode of Murder True Crime Stories was sound designed by Ron Shapiro, written by Sarah Batchelor, edited by Natalie Pertzotsky, fact-checked by Sheila Patterson, and included production assistance from Paul Liebeskind and Sarah Carroll. Murder True Crime Stories is hosted by Carter Roy. You may know a serial killer's crimes. Now, uncover the psychology behind them. Mind of a Serial Killer is a Crime House original. New episodes drop every Monday.

Just search Mind of a Serial Killer and follow wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're fascinated by the darker sides of humanity, join us every week on our podcast, Serial Killers, where we go deep into notorious true crime cases. With significant research and careful analysis, we examine the psyche of a killer, their motives and targets, and law enforcement's pursuit to stop their spree. Follow Serial Killers wherever you get your podcasts and get new episodes every Monday.