The Police And Media Investigation
The Big Four Main Suspects In The Murder Of Elizabeth Short
The Los Angeles police department was heading down a path of finding the killer whom had to have known “Elizabeth Short” in some way or another. There were hundreds of people looked at and investigated in this singular investigative thought. In the end the detectives had settled into the idea that the murder had to have been done by a doctor because of the way the body was cut in half and drained of blood. The body was laid out in “Leimert Park” where “Two” doctor suspects lived also.
There’s 4 possible persons who you could see as of having knowledge of the area in which “Elizabeth Short” was dumped. Two were doctors, one lived in the area and the other used to live in the area and had an ex wife that still did live there in the home her ex husband doctor owned. The third was “Elisabeth’s” father who repaired refrigeration units and had to travel to different parts of the city constantly. Her father would have known about this vacant soon to be built area 3 miles away that had great potential for future refrigeration work. The 4th was a “Mafia Boss” named “Micky Cohen” who did not order a hit on “Elizabeth” but may have told his “Serial Killer Soldier” crew to get a brutalized body and dump it in vacant area near a rival “Mafia Boss” named “Jack Dragna” who had a home in this area also and the body was a message.
“Elizabeth Short” was an alcoholic “Bar Fly” and her coming into contact with some upper class doctors isn’t out of the question but I don’t see the doctor profiles being “Maniac” and killing her in the sadistic way she was murdered. The person who killed “Elizabeth” was out to send a strong message.
Other claims about who the killer was have been made over the decades. “Mark Hansen” was another prime suspect but there is nothing at all for the police to latch onto except some of the then “Mafia” came to his night club now and again. The police even tossed his house 3 years later looking for blood evidence.
“Glynn Wolfe” was another suspect but again, “There’s No Connection” other than “Elizabeth” lived with 8 other women in a top floor apartment of the building he owned. I can’t see “Elizabeth” ever having any contact with “Glynn Wolfe” because there was indeed an apartment manager hired to run the day to day affairs of the building and who did recall “Elizabeth”.
Doctor “Walter Bayley” whos daughter was a good friend of Elizabeth Short’s sister had his doctors office.08 miles away from the Biltmore Hotel where Elizabeth was last seen. Elizabeth’s sister was married at this doctors “Leimert Park” home and the doctors daughter was the matron of honor.
Nothing I read ever stated the daughter’s doctor father attended this wedding so it’s really unclear if “Elizabeth Short” ever knew this doctor or even met him. There’s no circumstantial evidence or connection to the killing of “Elizabeth Short”. The doctor owned a home in the area his ex wife lived in and the doctor could make a clean straight cut so he was in the media’s eye a suspect.
The wedding at “Walter Bayley’s” ex wife home was between a soldier named “Adrian” and “Elizabeth Short’s” sister “Virgnia”. “Adrian” had absolutely no connection with the family of “Dr. Walter Bailey”. “Adrian” met the daughter of “Dr. Walter Bayley” at a church they both attended. The daughter of “Dr. Walter Bayley” invited “Adrian” to use her mothers home for his wedding to “Elizabeth Short’s” sister “Virginia”. “THAT’S IT!”.
The problem I have with this wedding at “Walter Bayley’s” home is it was a quickie wedding. “Adrian” the husband of “Virginia Short” who was stationed in the military in the Los Angeles area of California and called “Virginia Short” in Massachusetts to travel to California for their wedding. “Adrian” was previously stationed near “Virginia Short” in Massachusetts” where they met. “Adrian” was in a church group where he was living and arranged the wedding be held at the home of one of his church group member’s family home in “Leimert Park”. What’s really strange is there is nothing said of “Walter Bayley” or “Elizabeth Short” ever attending this wedding.
“Elizabeth” did write her family letters now and again. It’s unknown if “Elizabeth” even knew her sister was in Los Angeles getting married. Did “Elizabeth” even go to her sisters wedding? “Elizabeth” did for a fact know her sister lived in Berkeley Calif. and this has been proven.
It’s just assumed “Elizabeth Short” and “Walter Bayley” did attend the wedding of “Virginia Short” and “Adrian”? Remember, at the time of the wedding “Walter Bayley” did not live in the home and his wife had filed for divorce. It’s not even clear that “Virginia Short” became friends with “Walter Bayley’s” daughter until after the wedding. Hell, the first time “Virginia Short” was ever out in California was for her marriage to “Adrian” who was only a “Church Friend” with “Walter Bayley’s” daughter so how the hell could “Virginia Short” be friends with a girl she never met before the wedding? I don’t think “Elizabeth Short” or “Walter Bayley” were even at the wedding so how the hell could “Elizabeth” know “Walter”?
“Walter Bayley” was this doctors name and he was a prime suspect because he was a doctor with an office less than 1 mile away from the Biltmore Hotel where Elizabeth was last seen and “Elizabeth Short” was bisected right under her rib cage perfectly. “Walter Bayley” also owned the home where his ex-wife lived 1 block away from where the body of “Elizabeth Short” was dumped. “Walter Bayley” was the number 1 prime suspect at first but he too was “Cleared” of any involvement. The murder could have been done in a medical clinic the killer had access to before the body was dumped. Linking a suspect with medical knowledge and a medical clinic would be the perfect scenario for the police and newspapers but it was a false chase.
“Cleo Short” Elizabeth Short’s father lived in L.A. also at “1020 South Kingsley Drive” when his daughter was murdered. Elizabeth Short was last seen 3.4 miles away from where her father lived in downtown Los Angeles. When “Harry Hansen” the detective interviewed “Cleo Short” for the first time he was extremely drunk and vulgar with the detective. “Harry Hansen” again interviewed “Cleo Short” for a second time when he was sober and “Cleo Short” told the detective he wanted nothing to do with his daughter and had no emotions about her death. “Cleo Short” it seemed hated his daughter and family even though in 1943 he let his daughter live with him trying to make amends with his children.
“Cleo Short” made a deal with his daughter “Elizabeth” in 1943 and she just walked all over him. The deal was she would clean his home and cook for him now and again and she failed. “Elizabeth” would not even clean up after herself and just laid around all day and partied all night so her father kicked her to the road. The fighting between “Cleo” and “Elizabeth” was so intense he finally threw her out. “Cleo Short” in other words “spit on his daughters grave” to make the point.
“Cleo Short” worked in the refrigeration industry. As I stated in my personal thoughts I was going to focus on people who knew the area where “Elizabeth Short’s” body was dumped and her father would have known this area because of the refrigeration work he did. “Cleo Short” would have had to travel all over Los Angeles to do repair work.
What makes “Cleo Short” a prime suspect in my eyes is the refrigeration company “Cleo” worked for would almost with certainty had to have supplied “Cleo” with a “Panel Van” or truck of some kind to carry tools and parts in. Did the police ever think about finding this “Panel Van” and tossing it for blood evidence? The “Panel Van” would have been an idea place to cut “Elizabeth’s” body in half then put the cleaned body half’s in his car for disposal. Elizabeth could have easily hopped on a “Trolley” and traveled to her fathers home at any time between Jan. 9th and 14th.
The body dump area in “Leimert Park” is 4.3 miles from the “Kingsley Drive” residence of “Cleo Short”. The detective “Harry Hansen” never had probable cause to search the home of “Cleo Short” for evidence of a murder. No one could place “Elizabeth Short” at her fathers residence the night of the murder so the detectives could not, “Toss The Place”.
There’s nothing I’ve read that states “Elizabeth” even knew her father lived just a few miles from her in Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles. The police found out “Cleo” lived in Los Angeles but how did they find out? Did “Elizabeth” have his address or was “Cleo” found by a search of the city’s database and good old fashioned police work of tracking down all family members in the United States?
Cleo Short passed away on the “19th Of January, 1967” at the age of 81. Did “Cleo” ever get enraged about “Elizabeth” finding and contacting him in Los Angeles? if he ever was contacted by his daughter?
Doctor “George Hodel” the son of L.A. detective “Steven Hodel” whom lived one block away from where “Elizabeth Short’s” body was dumped and is one hell of a prime suspect also. This guys brain was rocked as he was accused of molesting his daughter and not found guilty most likely because his wife “Dorothy” protected him. I guess “Dorothy” was enjoying her life as a well off doctors wife. I read some of “Dorothy Hodel’s” statements and she was the wall that kept her husband innocent even though he could have been guilty.
“Steven Hodel” was NOT an LAPD detective at the time of the “Black Dahlia” murder. “Steven Hodel” was just a small child and had absolutely nothing to do with the “Black Dahlia” investigation. This accusation by “Steven Hodel” against his father “George Hodel” came many decades later.
Dr. George Hodel was made a suspect because he attended lots of party’s. The problem with this is “Elizabeth Short” wasn’t know to attend private parties. “Elizabeth” always frequented the bars so she could get free drinks, food and of course, “Beg For Money” without having to “Slut” herself. Private parties would have meant she would have had to have sex more often than she did and put up with job offers.
It has been claimed by “George Hodel’s” son “Steven Hodel” that his father “Dr. George Hodel” kept “Elizabeth Short” in his garage or in some stories I read his basement while she was pregnant with his fathers child but this is to far fetched to believe and most likely was written up this way for “Book Profits” by his detective son. Come On!, a pregnant women then a book that tells the story different later? This is one of those outrageous falsehoods that keep circulating around from person to person for a gain in profits.
“Mickey Cohen” ran his own crime family in Los Angeles under the “New York” supervision of “Bugsy Siegel”. All Los Angeles mafia activity was controlled by the New York Mob and “Lucky Luciano”. “Bugsy Siegel” and “Mickey Cohen” were “Jewish”. Did “Mickey Cohen” or any of the other Mafia bosses order the hit on “Elizabeth Short? I personally do not think any hits were ordered directly on her but “Mickey Cohen” could have told his soldiers to dump a mutilated body from the Skid Row are near “Jack Dragna’s” home which was located 4 blocks from the dump site in “Leimert Park”. “Jack Dragna” was an Italian but was ordered to work with “Mickey Cohen” by the New York Mafia. “Mickey Cohen” was a brutal killer himself without question.
“Mickey Cohen” and “Jack Dragna” hated each other and even though they both were united in working under “Bugsy Siegel” both took little shots at each other from time to time. In June of 1947 when “Bugsy Siegel” was killed both “Mickey Cohen” and “Jack Dragna” went to war against each other and the bodies really started to pile up.
“Elizabeth Short’s” face had been cut from the corners of her mouth to her ears. This is called the “Glasgow Smile” used by “Mafia Members” in Scotland. This “Glasgow Smile” had police also looking for someone who was of “Scottish or Irish” descent. When “Mickey Cohen” was boxing one of his two boxing ring aliases was, “Irish Mickey Cohen” even though “Mickey Cohen” was of Ukraine decent and Jewish.
“Mickey Cohen” always sided with the “Italian New York Mob” because they had the power, cash and resources. “Mickey Cohen” had plenty of “Irish” in his mob family along with Italians and probably was associated with “Irish And Scottish” mafia street gang families when he was growing up and lived in New York. The “Glasgow Smile” most likely was picked up from his years in New York Irish and Scottish street gangs.
This “Glasgow Smile” that was done to “Elizabeth Shorts” face is clearly a key clue in determining that that the killing of “Elizabeth” was connected to “Mickey Cohen’s” Los Angeles crime family. The second clue will be who in “Mickey Cohens” crime family did it. The “Glasgow Smile” was done as a clear message to “Jack Dragna” who lived 4 1/2 blocks away from the body dump site.
The Police Investigation
I’d like to say the police knew who the killer was and just could not prove it but this was never the case. Several years later in 1949 when “Mark Hansen’s” taxi driver girlfriend shot him the police searched his home where Elizabeth Short was staying looking for her blood and did not find any. This search just proved the police had absolutely no idea who the killer was. Detective “Harry Hansen (No Relationship To “Mark Hansen”) even stated he had no contact with the killer when interviewing suspects and that statement was true.
There was an attempted murder of “Viola Norton” on Feb. 14th, 1948 one year and one month after “Elizabeth’s” body was found dumped but “Viola” survived. She told the police two men abducted her and beat her to no end. She was found one block from where “Elizabeth Short” was dumped and the police still did not make the connection to “ONE” mentally ill serial killer person lurking around in the night killing all kinds of women. The police kept investigating people whom “Elizabeth” interacted with and were in the address book that was given to the police by the killer.
This “Serial Killer” gave the police “Mark Hansen’s” address book stolen by “Elizabeth Short” and the police went right after investigating the names in the address book only, leaving alone the possibility that a “Rogue Stranger” not in anyone’s social circle or address book was lurking in the streets killing women at random. Really, “The killer Is Going To Give The Police An Address Book With His/Her Name And Phone Number In It”. Sounds like the 1947 Los Angeles Police Dept. were all on the “Stupid Pill”.
The killer of “Elizabeth Short” was in possession of her personal belonging she carried on her. This serial killer contacted a Los Angeles newspaper and told them he would be sending her belongings to them. These belongings included her “Birth Certificate”, “Business Cards”, “Photographs” and “The Address Book She Stole From Mark Hansen”. Did “Elizabeth” have a “Bank Account Book (Passbook)” that wasn’t returned? She as all women do have a purse full of beauty products and some sort of container they kept their money in. These items were not returned and most likely kept as souvenirs as most serial killers do. “Elizabeth’s” bank account book was most likely kept by the serial killer also.
Los Angeles was murder central in 1947 with bodies being found all over the city. You will read that all the L.A. murders in this time period were due to returning soldiers and this is not true. The fact of the matter is all the murders were due to men going into the military to fight WWII and leaving police departments short of recruits and officers on the streets. It took years after the war for police departments to get enough officers trained to bring down the crime rate. Without police all the loonies come out to get involved in criminal activity especially mafia groups.
The Police Investigating The Countless Murders Were Clueless
All these murders were investigated as individual murders done by the U.S. military coming back from a brutal war. Serial Killers were not even looked at before the 1960’s or even dealt with until the 1970’s. There were no investigations of serial killers until the 1970’s when hoards of them started leaving bodies all over towns and cities. There’s still people that don’t believe a serial killer was in play with these 1940’s murders. The media has people trained to believe that all these murders were done individually by soldiers returning back to the U.S. from combat. How screwed up some people are to follow that line of thought when history has proved all serial killers that have been caught were really sick individuals who have “Never Been In The Military”.
Finding out who killed “Elizabeth” wasn’t a matter of looking at suspects as to which one had a singular problem with “Elizabeth” and wanted her dead. Looking at who killed “Elizabeth” is a matter of looking for a single serial killer personality who was murdering many women just to piss off the police for fun. The problem with the police back before the 1970’s is they never investigated multiple murders as being by a mentally ill serial killer. This serial killer was “Never” found. Many murders gave gone unsolved most likely due to police departments not investigating these murders as a group of killings being done by one person.
There have been “Serial Murders” for centuries and beyond that were only investigated as individual crimes. “Jack The Ripper” was the first “Serial Murderer” in 1880 that became just as big of a public sensation as “The Black Dahlia”. Even though they used the term “Serial Murder” way back when they always investigated each murder “Individually” or in the “Singular Sense” and “NOT” as a group of many killings done by one person. It wasn’t until 1966 that the term “Serial Killer” was coined in the U.S. in a book. In 1974 the term “Serial Killer” started to take hold and the police finally started to investigate many related murders as a group of killings done by one individual.
My Final Thoughts As To Who Killed Elizabeth Short
“Viola Norton” Told The Tale Of What Happened To The “Black Dahlia”
My final thoughts on the killing of “Elizabeth Short” is that nobody knew she was back in Los Angeles after her month long stay in San Diego. Something spooked “Elizabeth” at the “Chancellor Apartments” or she had “Stolen Or Borrowed Some Money” and somebody was looking for her to get it back so off to San Diego she went. Whatever the reason was that “Elizabeth” went to San Diego it wasn’t the reason she was murdered on January 15th. I do know she was “Never” broke.
All the hundreds upon hundreds of suspects looked at and interviewed were all cleared of any involvement in the murder of “Elizabeth Short” because there was no connection or evidence. The two doctors were the most likely suspects but no one could put “Elizabeth” as ever knowing these doctors. The doctors just fit into the profile in some way or another and lived in the area of the body dump. “Elizabeth’s” father is suspect because he kicked “Elizabeth” out of his “Vallejo” home and after he moved to Los Angeles “Elizabeth” may have shown up which would have lit the fuse on the firecracker. If “Elizabeth” looked up her father and found out where he lived and contacted him he may have become violent.
My conclusion on the “Elizabeth Short” murder, “She Was Murdered By A Pair Of Rogue Mafia Serial Killer Soldiers Who Were Lets Say, Off Duty Prowling For Victims” and working together side by side in the “Alhambra” and “Downtown Los Angeles South Main Street” area during the 1946 through 1949 years. After 1949 a murder in the San Diego area was reported that matched the murders in Los Angeles. My thoughts are with all the media coverage of the “Elizabeth Short” murder her serial killers went to San Diego and did a murder after they found out “Elizabeth” was in San Diego just to mess with the police.
“Viola Norton” stated she was snatched off the streets of Alhambra next the downtown area of Los Angeles by “Two Men”, beaten up and left for dead in the area where “Elizabeth Short’s” body was found. “Viola Norton’s” body was found on Feb. 14th 1948 beaten to a pulp but she survived and told her story to the police whom were blinded by their own thoughts.
These two serial killers were all over the Los Angeles area suburbs actually including the Long Beach/Santa Monica areas and their murder victims in these areas most likely were just tucked away in some suburb police file as another victim of an unsolved murder that could not be solved. In the 1940’s one major newspaper was calling the murders they did publicize, “Another Victim Of The Werewolf” because there were so many. The newspapers did not print most of the murders, just the gruesome and high profile murders.
The chances of two serial killers getting together on their own, “NILL”. The chances of two serial killers getting together because they both were hired by the “Mafia” to do “Contract Killings”, “Yes”.
What happens when these serial killers hired to do contract killings are between contracts? They satisfy their need to kill by finding random victims to murder around Los Angeles like “Elizabeth Short” was killed. If you like to kill for sport and do not involve the “Mafia Bosses” in your extracurricular killings done on your own time the “Mafia” has some work for you. What people don’t realize is during the period before and after 1947 there were many “Mafia Paid and Trained Serial Killers” living in Los Angeles and some were “Serial Killers”.
What brought me to the final conclusion that the “Black Dahlia” was a victim of mafia serial killers was when I came across the attempted murder of “Viola Norton” on February 14th, 1948 which was a little over a year after “Elizabeth Short” was murdered. “Viola Norton” was beaten to a pulp but she survived and told the police, “Two Men Kidnapped Her Off Of A “Alhambra” Street At 1:30 am when she was walking home from a bar. “Viola Norton’s” body was found 1 block from where “Elizabeth Short’s” body was cut in half and placed. As I stated earlier in this article, the killer had to have known the area where “Elizabeth Short’s” body was dumped and these two killer’s surely would have known many areas in “Los Angeles” and the surrounding areas where they could dump bodies without being seen.
I found out a “Mafia Boss” named “Jack Dragna” lived just 4 1/2 blocks from where “Elizabeth Short’s” body was dumped which means “ALL MAFIA HIT MEN KNEW THIS AREA” and there were many “Mafia” hit men living in Los Angeles at this time. I also found out “Mickey Cohen” hated “Jack Dragna” to no end and “Mickey Cohen” was a “Flipped Out Violent Maniac” who would be well educated on the “Glaskow Smile”. I will go into the “Mafia” connection later in this article.
I looked into “Mafia Soldiers” at this time period and found out there were “Two Killers Who Were Dubbed, THE TWO TONY’S” who did indeed come to Los Angeles in 1946 and were working for “Mickey Cohen”. A short time after the “Two Tony’s” went to work for “Mickey Cohen” they quit and became “independent” contract killers.
The “Glasgow Smile”, “The Two Tony’s And Viola Norton’s Testimony” plus “Jack Dragna Living In The Area Of Elizabeth’s Body Dump Site” really tells the story.
The Night Of January 14th, 1947
“Elizabeth Short” at that time was still staying out late at the Greyhound bus station bar named the “Corral” in downtown Los Angeles on “Los Angeles Street And 6th”. It appears she always had enough cash to get her out partying at night and then home again before the “Trolley’s” stopped running while spending very little on her housing. When she did find housing for herself it was because someone else paid for it or she made a lot of money begging.
She used to walk up to people and ask them for money or give them a sob story about how down on her luck she was. Hell, $1.00 back then could feed you all day. One of her ex-boyfriends “Gordon Fickling” who was in the military sent her $100 not long before her death which was a good chunk of cash for those days.
Here’s a copy/pasted quote below I found from a woman police office who encountered “Elizabeth” at the Greyhound bus station on January 14, 1947. Was “Elizabeth” snatched off the sidewalk by these “Two Tony’s” serial killers not long after this police officer was in contact with her.
As for “Elizabeth” saying her father was coming to get her and her ex-boyfriend was going to kill her, well, those are just statements where she uses a family member or someone close as an excuse to get something or keep her out of trouble. In this case her false statements were to keep the Police Woman from busting her for “Panhandling” or “Begging”. The ex-marine boyfriend she said was going to kill her was the one that gave her the $100 before she was murdered.
Out of all the false claims made about “Elizabeth” sightings before she was murdered I do believe this one with the Police Woman contact which would be true since the statement was by a trained police officer who gave a statement to the newspaper:
Perhaps the last claim of seeing Elizabeth Short was made by policewoman Myrl McBride at a downtown Los Angeles bus station on January 14. Newspaper articles quoted McBride as saying the young woman, whom she later identified as Elizabeth Short, was “sobbing with terror” when she first saw her. The officer said that Beth asked for protection from “her marine boy friend who once threatened to kill me if he ever found me with another man.”
Newspapers reported that McBride took her back into the bar. According to the articles, Beth “talked with a woman and a tall man for a few seconds, then emerged. When cautioned to go home, the girl was quoted as having refused and returned to the station saying, ‘My daddy’s coming in two hours from now.'”
The articles said the encounter took place “some four hours before the murder.”
The “Greyhound” bus station building today looks nothing like the “Architectural Beauty” it once was in 1947. The building was “Redesigned” for maximum profit with the design features taken out which makes it “Drab” like a ghetto neighborhood.