The Black Dahlia

By JADA LEMOS

Staff Writer

Elizabeth Short (1924-1947), also known as “The Black Dahlia” was only 23 years old when she was brutally murdered by an unidentified person in one of Los Angeles’ most famous hotels at the time. She was a waitress who was described as an aspiring actress by everyone that knew her. In her past, she has been abused by her ex-partners and was looking for something new. 

Manley stated that he had dropped Elizabeth off at the Biltmore Hotel, a well-known hotel at the time. He said that Elizabeth was supposed to be meeting her sister who flew in all the way from Boston that afternoon. Prior to her murder, she was traveling back to her home in Los Angeles from San Diego with her 25-year-old boyfriend, Robert “Red” Manley. 

The Biltmore staff recalled seeing Elizabeth using the lobby telephone before witnessing her at a Cocktail lounge not too far from the hotel. The next morning, her body was discovered by Betty Bersinge and her three-year-old daughter, severed in two pieces in the neighborhood of Leimert Park. At first, Betty assumed the body was a discarded mannequin until she got a closer look. 

This case took a turn when Betty realized that the body was drained of all blood, causing the body to look ghostly white. There were slash marks in the corner of her cheeks, making it look like a smile. The body was positioned in a way too graphic to explain. Her nickname “Black Dahlia” was created because of her sheer black clothes, and there was a movie called the Blue Dahlia at that time.

At the time, there was nobody who knew what happened to Elizabeth. To this day, her murder still remains a mystery, but several conspiracies were made. Some think her death was linked with the Chicago Torso Murderers, who surgically dismembered at least 13 people from 1934-1938. Others believe that her killer was also killed, which is why no one knows about them.

Ever since then, the Biltmore Hotel has had many paranormal experiences. The staff reports the lobby phone ringing, but nobody’s on the other line. The hotel has since been claimed as “haunted” even before the Black Dahlia case. What do you think happened to Elizabeth Short?

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