Elizabeth Smart, or The Black Dahlia, an actress, was tragically murdered on January 15, 1947. While her murder was over 70 year ago, who killed her and what happened on that tragic day that ended her life is still unknown today. The young actress was only 22 when her body was surgically cut in half and she was brutally murdered.
According to Time.com her body was found between 39th and Coliseum streets in Los Angeles. A mother and her daughter were on a walk, and came across something that looked like a mannequin. However, it wasn't a mannequin at all, it was the body of Elizabeth Short. Her body looked so much like a mannequin because not only was her body cut in half, but her mouth was cut into a clown-like smile. A young aspiring actress, with so much potential and life ahead of her, had it cut away from her in a tragic and senseless act, but who committed this act, we still don't know.
According to biography.com, there were many false murder confessions and there was really only one witness to the crime. A witness spotted a black sedan parked near where Elizabeth Smart's body was found in the early morning hours, but that was all that witness really knew.
In the past five years a new suspicion of a suspect has emerged. Steve Hodel, the son of Dr. George Hill Hodel believes his father killed Elizabeth Short, or The Black Dahlia. His father was a surgeon, and Steve Hodel doesn't think it is a coincidence that Elizabeth Short's body was cut in half, her murder was done with the precision of a surgeon's hands. According to biography.com, because of Steve Hodel's suspicion of his father's involvement with the murder of the Black Dahlia, he decided to investigate his father's home. Along with a retired police officer, Paul Dostie, and a police dog named Buster, he conducted an investigation of the house in February of 2013. Biography.com also stated that Buster detected a scent of decomposing flesh in past investigations and in this particular investigation, they took soil samples from underneath his father's house to the lab. Unfortunately, the only other evidence against Dr. George Hill Hodel, is a recording between him and an unidentified person, where he said "Supposin' I did kill the Black Dahlia. They couldn't prove it now. They can't talk to my secretary because she's dead."
Unfortunately even 71 years later, almost 71 years exactly, Elizabeth Short still hasn't gotten her justice, and we may never know who killed her.
