There were others, probably more than I discovered. a., Jilted Gal Rings Guy in Gardenia Murder, (August 6, 1943). About $100 was taken from her purse, and her car was stolen, yet there were other extensive valuables throughout her impressive abode. A police bulletin on Elizabeth Short's killing. Georgette Bauerdorf (20) was murdered in her own apartment October 12, 1944. Los Angeles newspapers of the 1940s, especially the afternoon Herald-Express, frequently nicknamed the more gruesome murders of women, often after flowers. Hodel, Steve, New Found 1947 Avenger Note Believed to be a Signature Link to Other A.A. Lone Woman Murders-Provides Additional Linkage to Red Lipstick, Avenger, Zodiac Crimes, (2018). She was nude and beaten, the papers referring to her as another Southland mutilation murder victim (Los Angeles Times, 1947). On the day before her disappearance, she told her ex-boyfriend she was cutting off contact and going to Chicago. Bayley fits the profile of the killer due to the fact that the body was so neatly dismembered, and police instantly suspected that the killer was someone who knew how to cut up a body. The proposed links to the Black Dahlia are primarily based off the falsehood that Short also worked at the Hollywood Canteen which closed in 1945 and the fact that both women were young attractive and dark-haired. Louise. Her clothes were torn, and her dress had been wrapped around her body. So, he volunteered to go get them for her. The case went cold and again like the others is unsolved. a., Mother of Three Choked to Death; Body Flung on Signal Hill Oil Field, (May 2005). The Missing Star Spangler Girl: Inside the chilling, still unsolved disappearance of Jean Spangler. While Short's brief, tragic life and unsolved murder have captivated the popular imagination for decades a cautionary, noir tale of a pale, pretty Red Riding Hood swallowed up by the. It seems almost certain some of the unsolved killings listed may have been carried out by the same individual, while others had clear suspects that authorities merely failed to convict. Excited for her date on this terrible anniversary, a phone call standing her up could have tipped her over the edge. Clipboard researched by Henry Rivero / Los Angeles Times. Joan pleaded with her father that John was a good man from a good home, and Ash knew that if he were to use too much common sense at this time, his daughter would resent him. Guilty conscious maybe? She had several headshots taken, along with some full modeling photos, in which she closely resembles Linda Darnell. These killings left police stumped and questions lingering for decades. Laurence said she closed up shop he went to pick her up from work. a. , Fear Felt for Missing Widow, (August 25, 1949). At her table sat an uneaten salad, her lights were left on and her front door open, but where was Mimi? When Joan finally broke down to her father and told him that John has been acting strange and cold towards her, Ash wasted no time putting a detective on his son-in-law's tail. Even so he was acquitted. The Lillian Dominguez murder occurs 2 miles from Jeanne French (The Red Lipstick Murder). It was to become one of the first big Hollywood scandals along with the Fatty Arbuckle trial, and one of the most intriguing unsolved murders of all time. Sometimes those closest to us are the ones most dangerous to us. The date of her vanishing being the same as the anniversary of her husband's death may automatically suggest suicide. After he waited for a time, he became suspicious and went inside the house. Her murder remains unsolved. Classic Hollywood Scandals-Paul Kelly & Dorothy Mackaye. Mabel Normand admitted to visiting Taylor the night before his body was found and was soon discovered to be the last person to see Taylor alive. In the late 1970s, things were finally easing up for Betty. Unsolved Murders of LAPD Officers. Jack Anderson Wilson has been a long-standing suspect of the Black Dahlia murder. He begged off, so Letona stayed with him. However, the police linked the killing to a case just a month prior when 14-year-old Barbara Jean MorseFrank Elizarras was stabbed with an ice pick. Her skirt and clothes twisted around her body. The Black Dahlia and the William Desmond Taylor cases are among the top infamous unsolved murders, while other well-publicized murders, such as the Manson murder and the Betty Broderick story, intrigue us due to the fact that we know who committed the murder. The next morning about dawn a 15-year-old kid whose father was the groundskeeper found Ora, seminude and mutilated on the grounds of Fox Hills Golf Course. Jean was seen around a market between 5-6pm. Robert Manley has remained one of the top suspects because he was the last known person to see Elizabeth Short alive. However, most of the injuries were post-mortem, and some necrophilic arousal elements may have been involved. a., Another Nude Murder in L.A., March 10, 1947). She went to visit him hours before she was killed. Police knew immediately that the body had been completely washed clean and posed. She was home by midnight. This article lists 10 famous parents who killed their children, including some of the most famous child murders and celebrities who killed their family. Ash Robinson was thrilled the day that Joan gave birth to a son, Robert Hill. Another curious fact is that his daughter happened to be friendly with Elizabeth Short's sister, Virginia. This change indicates the killer lost control of the situation before coming to his senses after Short died. It wouldn't be until the following year that authorities eventually located the suspect, the FBI identifying him as Roger Lewis Gardner and arresting him in New York. He will have had a violent upbringing and will have attacked before, likely initially against animals and then against easy prey such as prostitutes. These are the top five most vexing murder mysteries of all time. Was he angry because Beth was leaving him? With her bag and purse open next to her and a watch stolen, the motive was clearly theft, and police identified a second such robbery linked to the suspect. Short's public hair was shaved, and the region was covered in slashes, feces were in her stomach, and her body had been posed with her legs spread. These cases have not been solved and as of today, remain unsolved. Some newspapers linked the disappearance to the Black Dahlia and other previous killings mentioned here, yet it seems likely that Spangler may have died during an attempted abortion. A suspect of some of the Los Angeles Times writers was Walter Alonzo Bayley, who was a surgeon and lived approximately one block away from the location of where Elizabeth Short's body was found. Likewise, Spangler's name is often raised about the potential Dahlia linked cases, yet also has very little to connect it beyond the link to Hollywood and the victim again being young, dark-haired and attractive. Intriguingly, the door to her Bel Air mansion was locked, and her car was still in the garage. She wore black as a gimmick to foster an acting career in Hollywood in the 1940s, thusly earning the nickname "Black Dahlia." There are commonalities to the crimes, strangulation, beating, the assault with a stick, notes to the police on a few. The below listed cases are Officers of the Los Angeles Police Department that were murdered. When the police investigated the scene, they determined there was no dirt, or stains on her or her shoes, and that she never left the car. French was found dead on Feb. 10, 1947, just a month after the Black Dahlia. It was there that the group of drifters revealed their intent to murder all who were in the home. Audiences realize that they have outrageous amounts of plastic surgery while spewing out politically liberal propaganda, which leads to resentment in the average person who works for a living. Inside the unsolved disappearance of Jean Spangler | EW.com She was last seen at a grocery store several blocks away from her home, and since then, no trace of her has ever been found except the discovery of her purse two days later. Both Springer and the car would be found three days later, with the victim garroted with a length of clothesline. A beautiful woman, who told him no or used him to buy her dinner and drinks could be at real risk of violence, and ultimately murder. She was found on the side of the road, and it appeared her clothes had been hurled at her. Lacerations to the anus may suggest a knife. She divorced Dexter Benner in 1946 and had sole custody of their daughter Christine. The group of hippies were soon given the name the Manson Family due to the fact that they were being led by lifetime criminal, Charles Manson. A newspaper headline in the FBI file on Elizabeth Short. Those dreams seemed to be on their way to becoming a reality when Sharon discovered that she was pregnant. The criminal made no attempt to effectively cover his tracks nor contact the press or police. She thought it was a man and then suggested that it could have been a woman dressed as a man. At this point papers from around the country were calling this the 3rd victim in the sadistic, sex slayings in Los Angeles. After the war there was a mass return of soldiers, many with horrific cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Williams, Vera, Shades of the Black Dahlia; Long Beachs Pajama String, (March 18, 1956). Many of these killings were of women. Ex-Cop Cites New Evidence His MD Father Was Serial Killer - NBC Los Angeles During the late 1940s, America experienced a general panic over the threat of monstrous killers and sex offenders. Modern actors of today make outrageously large sums of money and take their clothes off in front of the camera, which puts them in a spoiled and out-of-touch status. There is nothing to really suggest her case is linked to any of the others, particularly Short. When such detail of mutilation and torture are found on a body, police know that the person who committed the crime was likely to be someone the victim knew very well, perhaps a lover, or more to the point a spurned lover. I will include the link below called 1947 Project. Frank was arrested for punching her in the face at one point. I also discovered in that decade, the 1940s, there was police and political corruption and many unsolved murders of women in Los Angeles. When bibulous gang member Walter Ivans kills a man in a car accident, Paul refuses to help clear him. Gilmore had interviewed Jack Anderson Wilson in the 1980s and discovered that Jack knew details about the murder that were never divulged to the press. As she left her office, a woman working in a small laboratory behind the real estate office saw her with a large man (6ft + and 200+lbs), with a full face. The violence is disorganized overkill. They were the first victims of the person who would become known as the Axeman of New Orleans. Boomhower was a well-off socialite whose jovial personality had won her the nickname "The Merry Widow." Taylor had a good deal of cash on his person, eliminating robbery as the motive. Despite claims of a Dahlia link, there was no sexual motive to the injuries inflicted, and despite being found nude, there was no posing of the body. Murders were not common in Los Angeles in the 1940s, and such a brutal crime was not heard of in the media since Jack the Ripper of London 50 years earlier. We are perplexed by what drove that person to kill and how grisly the murders were. The Betty Broderick story is one of San Diego's most notorious murder cases ever. He drove the woman and the prize fighter to the house. While perhaps unlikely, Kern was interestingly said to have been seen with a tall and stocky man before her death. It stands as an excellent example of how some sensationalists have attempted to include isolated cases into a forced narrative surrounding a Hollywood serial killer. Short was known as "a tease" and for brief relationships, engaging with many men but unwilling to take these relationships to a sexual stage. There is no evidence that the Black Dahlia dumpsite was staged to appear something it wasn't. The killing ofElizabeth Shorton Jan. 15, 1947, shocked Los Angeles and America at large. An organized killer is a type of murderer who has shown a willingness to hide evidence, move a body and revealed some cunning in their crimes. While it might be suggested that the evidence points to the fact that Boomhower was interrupted while getting ready for a date with a man, the possibility of suicide remains. Neither were identified. While some of these proposed links often seem tentative at best, merely adding to speculation, rumor and falsehood, others show distinct similarities and raise the specter that a serial killer may well have gone undetected in the City of Angels' recent past. That same year a second killing happened. The killer then took her lipstick and wrote the words "F*** YOU PD" on her stomach. What do you think? Women and the Unsolved Murders of the 1940's L.A. - YouTube The case of the Black Dahlia has continued to grow over the 60+ years since the body was originally discovered, and while her killer was never officially brought to justice, like the case of Jack The Ripper, there have always been a few men strongly suspected of committing the crime. The suspect will likely be older than Short, perhaps in his late 20s or into his 30s. Which I find interesting, as she was strangled, a part of a towel shoved down her throat. Mary Miles Minter with her mother Charlotte Shelby. Newspaper clippings in the FBI's Elizabeth Short file. Also, the fact that he lived so close by fits the profile of the killer who enjoys watching people discover his slayings while staying dangerously close to the action. During the murder, the killer stole her little black book of appointments, which probably would have identified him. It turned out he was a swindler that pretended to be a Federal attorney. She was hit on the head and strangled to death with a belt from mens pajamas. Error type: The Pope, the Mafia and the Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, Crispin Glover on Steven Spielberg and Hollywood , https://www.newspapers.com/image/381107144/?terms=laura%2Btrelstad%2Bmurder%2Bin%2Blos%2Bangeles, https://www.newspapers.com/image/380785821/?terms=Georgette%2BBauerdorf%2C%2BLos%2BAngeles, https://www.newspapers.com/image/43065727/?terms=laura%2Btrelstad%2Bmurder%2Bin%2Blos%2Bangeles, https://www.newspapers.com/image/529077236/?terms=laura%2Btrelstad%2Bmurder%2Bin%2Blos%2Bangeles, https://www.newspapers.com/image/49374098/?terms=Thomas%2BMontgomery, https://stevehodel.com/2010/05/09/discovery_of_1947_avenger_note/, https://www.newspapers.com/image/381261451/?terms=Gladys%2BKern%2Bmurder%2C%2B%2C%2BCalifornia%2C, https://www.newspapers.com/image/162795542/?terms=Mimi%2BBloomhower%2C%2B%2BCalifornia, https://www.newspapers.com/image/83031937/?terms=Mimi%2BBloomhower%2C%2B%2BCalifornia, https://www.newspapers.com/image/385702560/?terms=Jean%2BSpangler, https://www.newspapers.com/image/74102462/?terms=Jean%2BSpangler, https://www.newspapers.com/image/205340320/?terms=Jean%2BSpangler, https://www.newspapers.com/image/380784372/, https://www.newspapers.com/image/38907610/?terms=Louise%2BSpringer%2C%2B%2C%2BCalifornia, https://www.newspapers.com/image/434921040/?terms=Ora%2BMurray%2C%2BLos%2BAngeles%2C%2BWhite%2BGardenia%2BMurder%2C, https://www.newspapers.com/image/17527935/?terms=Laura%2BTrelstad, https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=9519358&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjU3NjcwMTAwLCJpYXQiOjE1NjE2MTM4MDksImV4cCI6MTU2MTcwMDIwOX0.UvoUxiRHqos-uWOILfXHyj4JZmsKuYJOFCiqHJuLo9o, http://1947project.blogspot.com/2005/05/mother-of-three-choked-to-death-body.html, https://www.newspapers.com/image/3314001/?terms=Gladys%2BKern. On the other hand, the beating to the head might have been entirely separate from the Glasgow smile and show an explosion of anger. That is the case for those which have been solved, I'm afraid. She left the house stating she was going to meet her husband to discuss increasing her support. Kahn, Alexander, Mother of 3 Children Latest Los Angeles Victim of Murder, (May 13, 1947). The Los Angeles Police Departments failure rate to catch killers was so bad a special grand jury was formed in 1949. Frank French was her 4th marriage, and at that time she began to drink, I could not find any reason necessarily, but their marriage was volatile on both sides. Famous Unsolved Murders And The Terrifying Serial Killers Behind Them After John completed his medical schooling and residency, he was now in a position to buy a home, and buy one he did.