A list of unsolved Hollywood homicides and show business crimes. A few husbands I wrote about fit the bill, I found it especially interesting the blog I went on That Jen Thornhill granddaughter of Laura Trelstad commented. a., Mother of Three Choked to Death, Body Flung in Signal Hill Oil Field, Los Angeles Times, (May 13, 1947). This could be a surgeon, a butcher, a hunter or farmer. As I stated before she told the story of how her father had her sister Janet (who was 5 at the time), bury a shoe in the back yard and never tell anyone. Los Angeles's most famous murder, The Black Dahlia refers to Elizabeth Short, who was murdered in 1947. They somehow believed murder was the better option. There is little here to suggest a link with Short with no mutilation noted and Bauerdorfs body left at the location of the murder, not being removed or posed. The flesh was removed from one of the breasts, and the skin removed from the leg where arose tattoo sat, the killer cut it away and gruesomely inserted it into her vagina. Boomhower was a well-off socialite whose jovial personality had won her the nickname "The Merry Widow." Things heated up even more when John married Ann Kurth less than three months after his wife's death. The crime remains unsolved to this day. Suspicious, he went into the property himself and found the "prizefighter" had killed the woman. Wickliffe was found with the victim's lipstick on his lips and claimed to have kissed Winters after finding her dead. The torso was a few feet away from the legs. The little girl was chopped into six pieces and drained of blood. 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. Until I read the story of the Hillside strangler, I would not have believed these were related, now I am not so sure. This, alongside the fact that the Black Dahlia killer was willing to converse with the press, and the locations of the approach, kill and dump all being different points toward the Black Dahlia killer showing both signs of organization and disorganization. Her face was swollen and nearly black. There were others, probably more than I discovered. Following the killing of the Black Dahlia in January, three other cases in 1947 raised alarms that the killer may have struck again, those being the murders of Jeanne French, Evelyn Winters, and Lillian Dominguez. However, the first victim Josephine Ross was attacked in her own home after surprising an intruder, as was the second, Frances Brown. While police at the time dismissed the theory that the Black Dahlia murder had been part of a series, others have tried to link many other crimes to Short's killer. Offers may be subject to change without notice. However, it was far from the only brutal killing that shocked the city, nor the only case to go unsolved. If not learned during the war, its possible the perpetrator perhaps had links to organized crime in Los Angeles, knew somebody who did. Georgette Bauerdorf (20) was murdered in her own apartment October 12, 1944. Equally, if the killer hadn't intended Shorts death, the question becomes whether he had planned to kill her some other way or the entire episode had been designed merely to be torture. That said, while a serial killer may indeed have been at work over several of the deaths, none of the crime scenes can safely be connected to the Black Dahlia murder, which stands apart from the others. 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. Funny how things don't change much. a., Another Nude Murder in L.A., March 10, 1947). The killing of Lillian Dominguez on Oct. 2, 1947, also raised alarms and was linked to the Black Dahlia by some, yet it truthfully bears little relation to the case. John Hill had it made: Ash Robinson paid his bills, bought him a car, and had his personal cook prepare meals for him. Murder of Marcy Renee Conrad. These killings included Mary TateDorothy Montgomery was found nude, raped and beaten in a field, with RosendaMondragon killed on May 8, four days later. Lillian shouted, He touched me. Seconds later she yelled, I cant see, and then she fell to the ground dead. The Case Short's corpse was bisected at her midsection, and her face had . derangedlacrimes. The Pope, the Mafia and the Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi | 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. Manley was booked for the murder of The Black Dahlia shortly after the body was discovered, but after passing a polygraph test he was released. 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. 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. Jeanne French (45) was discovered on a west L.A. Hilltop February 10, 1947. Equally, if the bisection was functional, there was an opportunity to further dismember the body to aid disposal. Jim Cook (racing driver) Tara Correa-McMullen. She and her husband were with friends playing cards. Sharon Tate was born January 24, 1943. On February 2nd, 1922 at approximately 7 a.m., William Desmond Taylor was found dead in his Alvarado Court home of Los Angeles, which was then an upscale and affluent neighborhood. 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. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.). At 15-years-old, Dominguez was walking home from a dance with her sister and friend when they were approached by a man. A police bulletin on Elizabeth Short's killing. She had been strangled, covered in bruises and abrasions. She had been strangled and trampled to death as if someone kicked her over and over, then stomped on her body. The detective quickly discovered that John Hill was having an affair with Ann Kurth, a thrice-married and thrice-divorced mother of three. She was home by midnight. In 1973, an 11-year-old Girl Scout, Linda O'Keefe, was abducted and murdered while walking home from school. She was a Canadian divorcee whose beaten body was dumped on Torrey Pines Mesa 12 hours after she was seen with a swarthy man wearing a sombrero that said, Sugar Daddy. I only discovered articles in the newspapers, because they were close to another victim I was researching. She told a business manager she was planning to meet a gentleman" that evening. a., TV Actress Feared Victim of Sex Fiend, (October 12, 1949). Stella had to cancel due to a business meeting. The killing ofElizabeth Shorton Jan. 15, 1947, shocked Los Angeles and America at large. Whether the bisection of the body is part of the signature or MO is open to debate. She was beaten and stabbed in the eye. Forensics were limited at the time, and other than fingerprints there was not a lot of technology in which to solve crime. we found this at beach Thursday night". Police found a fingerprint at the scene, and people heard the gunshots. So, he volunteered to go get them for her. In any case, if the bisection and exsanguination were functional, it is MO and may not be present in other previous killings. Lacerations to the anus may suggest a knife. Kali Ann Poulton was the "apple of her mother's eye," and an only child. So each of the Manson family married, and even bore children while in prison; meanwhile Sharon Tate's mother watched in anger as she was deprived of ever becoming a grandmother and seeing her lovely daughter being a mom. He was accused of her murder but denied it. The Lillian Dominguez murder occurs 2 miles from Jeanne French (The Red Lipstick Murder). It seems likely there may have been a brief liaison. Of all the women in . It will work best this way while mother is away. He was familiar with knives and may use cutting implements in his profession, which will be respectable. It was August 18, 1949, Mimi Bloomhowers husband had died years ago, and the 48-year-old widow lived alone in 1949. 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. She was also getting acting parts on television. However, claims that police in the 1940s were unaware of what a serial killer was and couldn't connect crimes is both incorrect and absurdist, with H.H. She was stabbed in the back with a hunting knife, and the killer took her appointment book, likely as it would have given his name. 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. This may have been the point of the note. The writer claimed he drove Kern and "a prizefighter" to the crime scene, and the two entered. Witnesses described a young man later identified as Ralph Kyle (23) getting out of the Springers car, then walking down the street. This includes, for example, the fact that Short was restrained. Short had a known preference for military men. While she may have appeared to be "The Merry Widow," those suffering from depression often hide it very well, particularly in the 1940s when a socialite heiress would have been expected to behave in a certain way. Interestingly, a white gardenia flower had been left on her shoulder, though this has no link to the Black Dhalia. In the letter, Beth states that she would like to move to Chicago and become a fashion model. After John completed his medical schooling and residency, he was now in a position to buy a home, and buy one he did. In fact, when examining Taylor's coat, it appears that the killer was hugging him when he was shot. The years 1948 and 1949 would offer up three more names that have been speculated to be this killer's work with the cases ofGladys Kern,Mimi BoomhowerandJean Spangler. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. She was a childhood beauty contest winner and began modeling professionally during her teen years. 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. 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. She said the figure walked like a woman, taking fast, short steps. She planned to do whatever it took to support her family and keep pressure off of Dan while he worked hard in school. When he came back, she was gone. The jury sent down indictments against vice squad officers and the gangster Mickey Cohen. It is believed that Mary's mother Charlotte Shelby went to Taylor's home to tell the director to lay off of Mary and to take her on. The press sensation and circus that had developed around the Short case was box office material. The body was severely mutilated, with a gruesome set of cuts on either side of the face, creating it a prop-like smile, and one of the breasts had been mutilated, giving the investigators evidence of torture. These three attacks were likely by the same person who police believed was Mexican. It was a huge and glorious home that he took pleasure in customizing. Of the killings proposed, none indeed show the same signature sadistic sexual violence, nor the extreme mutilation seen with Short. Laura was part of what was called the Mad Werewolf murders. In all, the grand jury found that: "The criminals, in many cases, have gone unpunished because of the character of these murders and sex crimes, women and children are constantly placed in jeopardy and are not safe from attack.". Further investigations found Spangler told friends she was three months pregnant and intended to get an abortion, which was illegal. They met two men there, Preston and Paul. These killings left police stumped and questions lingering for decades. Intriguingly, the door to her Bel Air mansion was locked, and her car was still in the garage. a. , Fear Felt for Missing Widow, (August 25, 1949). Over the years, many have looked at the Black Dahlia killing as part of a series and attempted to identify linked cases. While I was researching the Black Dahlia murder, I came across Steve Hodel and his book The Black Dahlia Avenger III. On March 12, Winters body was found along the Los Angeles River. 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. So, these men were left roaming the streets with no support whatsoever. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. These might be the most famous unsolved crime cases of all time, Subscribe to Front Page Detectives Newsletter. Like the murder of Elizabeth Short, there have been no leads in Jeanne French's case in decades. Her body was found, nude, posed, mutilated, and sliced in half at the . Please enable JavaScript if you would like to comment on this blog. Two more women on the list of unsolved homicides of women during the 1940s. Hodel has a theory that these murders may be related to the Zodiac Killer. a., Springer Murder Tips Flood Police, (June 18, 1949), Los Angeles Times. When she was still an infant her father abandoned the family, leaving Elizabeth and her four older sisters to be taken care of solely by her mother. The killings of two women and a 6-year-old child were brutal and shocking, with the slaughter of the child, Suzanne Degnan, being particularly repugnant. Beth led a tumultuous life in California, getting into fights with her father, being arrested for underage drinking, and leaning on men who were willing to help her out. Here is an updated map showing the approximate locations of the nine (9) "L.A. Lone Woman Murders" in chronological order, covering the years 1943-1949 prior to George Hodel fleeing the country in 1950.In BDA I and II I have catagorized these murders as "Category I- Definites" as opposed to the additional crimes which I list as: Category II (Probables) and III . Holmes, the Cleveland Torso murders and the Chicago Lipstick killings all being well-known affairs. In 1947 according to the newspapers, they were. They can maintain an everyday existence in society. She was beaten to death, hit in the head with a blunt instrument and then stomped. Disorganized killers often come from broken homes and have significant sexual issues. Short showed signs of being beaten on the head, which may have been part of the same action as the Glasgow smile. Each person was stabbed numerous times while Sharon begged for the life of her unborn baby. Their common behavior does not put them on a higher moral or educational plane either. Beth traveled from California, to Oregon, back to Florida and so on. . Not only was it not recognized at the time, but men were taught to literally buck up, be a man and expected to get on with it. Those receiving the injury would typically survive, and it's possible the killer didn't intend the injury to kill Short. Undoubtedly social norms played a part in just how much attention cases were given, with transients, prostitutes and working-class women given far less attention than the problems of those in Hollywood and Bel Air. It stated F*** Y** PD. The author of a site called Deranged L.A. She had been garroted with a length of clothesline that had been knotted. (Name and email address are required. However, there is also the possibility of something more sinister, with rumors of a secret gambling issue, and the involvement of the mob. Given that the killer must have had sufficient time and privacy to carry out the killing and dismemberment alongside an evident cunning, it would have been more than possible for him to effectively hide the body elsewhere. 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. She was not yet a star, but she was a show girl. She also loaned him her new blue convertible coupe. ORANGE COUNTY'S OLDEST UNSOLVED HOMICIDES. Those dreams seemed to be on their way to becoming a reality when Sharon discovered that she was pregnant. The public will be invited to gaze upon his handiwork. On January 15th, 1947, a young mother was walking down the streets of Los Angeles with her three-year-old daughter as she always did, but this day was to be different from her typical routine walk. 'The underbelly of Los Angeles was festering like oranges rotting in the . While waiting in a downtown lot, in her car, Jean Spangler(27) was abducted (along with the car), bludgeoned, strangled with a cloth strip and sodomized with a finger thick 14 tree branch. ", ean Spangler (center) in the 1948 Three Stooges short "Mummy's Dummies.". Elizabeth Short's vision of Hollywood was 100% different from the Hollywood of today. Maybe she angered the killer by flirting with him, raising his interest, and then his desires being unfulfilled when she had denied him sex. 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. 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. Williams, Vera, Shades of the Black Dahlia; Long Beachs Pajama String, (March 18, 1956). Six of the murders have notes left with significantly unusual signatures. The suspect will likely be older than Short, perhaps in his late 20s or into his 30s. It seems likely that the Black Dahlia's killer kept Short bound and hidden in a private location and derived pleasure from the injuries inflicted on her. She and her sergeant husband were both in the military at Camp McCain in Mississippi. Her murder remains unsolved. The removal of the tattoo that she liked to show off and the "Glasgow smile" cut into her face are personal attacks against her femininity. The first six years of their marriage Joan and John lived with Ash and his wife, due to the fact that John needed all the help he could get while trying to stay focused on his medical studies. Dan was a smart and levelheaded guy who now had a medical degree and a law degree under his belt, and was starting up his own law practice. Some have tried to link the Chicago Lipstick murders to the Black Dahlia and, in particular, the murder of Degnan. A newspaper headline in the FBI file on Elizabeth Short. One of Taylor's neighbors saw a figure leaving the Taylor bungalow after hearing what sounded like shots being fired. Could Normand have gone back to Taylor's to find Mary there with him? It turned out he was a swindler that pretended to be a Federal attorney. They usually live alone. They were a morale booster for both soldiers and the general population. The 1940 murder of 9-year-old L.A. girl Dorothy Lee Gordon remains unsolved today By Hadley Meares - June 7, 2018 It was around 5 p.m. on March 5, 1940. Gardner was never indicted for the Ora Murray killing, and while everyone agreed he was a con man and swindler, few believed he was capable of murder. Probably the most infamous unsolved crime in Los Angeles History was the mutilation-murder of Elizabeth Short, the "Black Dahlia." Her severed body was discovered in the Crenshaw District on January 15, 1947. The amount of women murdered in Los Angeles in cases that remain unsolved is shocking. Lets start with Ora Murray (42), also known as the Gardenia murder. Associated Press, Jean Spangler Believed Victim in Dahlia Series, (October 12, 1949), St. Louis Star and Times. The perfect figure of a gentleman who strove for success and integrity was discovered dead in his home in February 1922. There was clear evidence that Mary was in love with Taylor but there was absolutely no evidence that Taylor loved Mary. Half-truths and lies became the norm as differing newspapers looked to one-up their rivals and beat their last scoop for the headlines. The following day, the body of Ora Murray was found at the Fox Hills Golf Course. While utilizing a thuggish Glasgow smile and beating points toward low intelligence, the explicit attempts to hide evidence show an opposing level of cunning. Taylor had no known enemies, was not involved in drugs, and was never seen running around with women. Those people included William Rasmussen, Captain Jack Donahoe of the LAPD, and Steve Hodel. About 5 days after visit was under way the women decided to go dancing at a dance Hall. who wondered how his daughter could have been vibrant and alive on Friday and pronounced dead on Tuesday. The victim is then stabbed or beaten to force the facial muscles' contraction this then tears the cuts through the cheeks toward the ear, leaving the victim in unimaginable agony. 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. 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. There were so many unsolved murders of women in the 1940s that in 1949, the Grand Jury launched an investigation into the failure of the police to solve the cases. A critical aspect of disorganized killers is the level of violence, with these types of murderers often killing their victims with overwhelming force. On the day itself, Short lied to her then-boyfriend Robert Manley that she was meeting her sister, perhaps because she was again moving on from Manley or she was meeting another man. At the dance, the sisters had met two men by the name of "Preston" and "Paul. The whole thing stunk to Ash Robinson. Sharon spent the next several months living out the happiest time of her life as she anxiously awaited the birth of her son. Ash was cleared due to insufficient evidence. On the side was scrawled, We found at the beach Thursday night (Tribune, 1959). Maybe the killer was involved with law enforcement and may have had knowledge from training. The date of her vanishing being the same as the anniversary of her husband's death may automatically suggest suicide. Tate desperately wanted to become an actress and began appearing in "B" movies and bit parts of television shows. There is no evidence that the Black Dahlia dumpsite was staged to appear something it wasn't. Even so he was acquitted. They were including the murder of one Evelyn Winters (43) alias Victoria Wyndham who was stabbed in the eye March 11, 1947. On the other hand, the beating to the head might have been entirely separate from the Glasgow smile and show an explosion of anger. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. However, they will be antisocial and show no remorse for their crimes. One paper referred to the period after the Black Dahlia as 29 months of sexual mutilation slayings of attractive women. It was after these murders that the killings throughout Los Angeles began to be linked together. The criminal made no attempt to effectively cover his tracks nor contact the press or police. With this backdrop in L.A. a thriving metropolis, these horrific crimes took place. Taylor was advising Normand on good books to read so that she may improve her vocabulary and creativity. Charles H. Crawford. It was the last they saw of her. Ash Robinson was thrilled the day that Joan gave birth to a son, Robert Hill. She thought it was a man and then suggested that it could have been a woman dressed as a man. Lauras daughter Audrey who was 8 at the time of the murder, said that the next day the father asked the 5-year-old daughter Janet to bury this shoe in the back yard and never discuss it again. 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. The papers turned her into the legend Black Dahlia, but the case. Copyright 2023 Empire Media Group, Inc. Front Page Detectives is a registered trademark. Ora Murrayis often the first victim of such a proposed serial killer. The killer took $100 and stole her car. There was no evidence of sexual motivation, and it seems more likely that Degnan was killed accidentally or in a fit of anger, the original motive being ransom. Stephen Knight's book "Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution" convinced me the Ripper was actually several Freemasons including the Royal Physician, the Royal Coachman, the Royal Painter and they were assisted by Freemasons in the Whitechapel constabulary, Scotland Yard and the London newspaper. An uneaten salad was ready on the dining room table, and a dress had been laid out on the bed, Mimi seemingly about to get ready for her date when she vanished. 2) There is flurry of police activity as investigators seek each victim's last male companion. He rinsed the knife and wiped it with a handkerchief and left both behind. At first officials thought she had fallen in her tub until someone requested a second look. While perhaps unlikely, Kern was interestingly said to have been seen with a tall and stocky man before her death. Novice E. Bloomhower was a big game hunter, wealthy and very social. If you have any information with regards to any of these cases, please contact the names on the bulletins. She had been ambushed, raped and strangled by an intruder who had unscrewed the night light on the porch to ensure it wouldn't illuminate the area. Life for the Hills should have been happy at this point, but instead their relationship began to sour. She was discovered by a young man who kissed her dead mouth but swore he did not kill her. I noticed reading all of those papers from the 1940s that was true. Perhaps he thought they were an item and discovered she had been with Manley. L.A. Times Archives. a., Los Angeles Killer Claims New Victim, (May 13, 1947). After he waited for a time, he became suspicious and went inside the house. He was about 510 dark curly hair. She was found murdered June 13, 1949 in the back of her husbands convertible sedan. They stated that there were: "deplorable conditions indicating corrupt practices and misconduct by some members of the law enforcement agencies of this county. The MO of the killer may change over time as it is learned behavior as a serial killer becomes more adapt to his crimes; the signature will always remain. She was well liked, had a good group of friends and was a devoted mother to Christine. Crime boss Paul Madvig, who has been running the city for ten years, decides to reform and joins the campaign to re-elect Senator John T. Henry, whose daughter, Janet, Paul hopes to marry.