Summary: The Murder Of Elizabeth Short

For decades the journalistic adage “if it bleeds, it leads” has been practiced among news publications around the globe. The murder of Elizabeth Short in mid-January 1947 only helped confirm the success of this morbid creed. What should have been a simple homicide article on page three of the paper, quickly became one of the most sensational and frenzied murders of the century. Found in a vacant lot on the crisp morning of January 15th, 1947, housewife Betty Bersinger, accompanied by her three-year-old daughter, spotted what appeared to be a dismembered store mannequin. However, upon further review, it was discovered that it was the mutilated remains of what was once Ms. Elizabeth Short. Her body was severed in two, her entrails were tucked

What’s interesting, however, is that it wasn’t the local police or detectives that reported the prints to the Federal Bureau, it was a reporter. Ray Richards, a former journalist for the Examiner and current manager of the newspaper’s bureau in D.C., was the man responsible for the information received from Short’s prints. This included her age, height, eye color, past employment, police records, and, most importantly, her identity (“Soundphoto Assists”). Had it not been for the newspaper frenzy on the murder, it’s extremely likely that the body wouldn’t have been identified as Elizabeth for at least a few more

Now it was just a matter of finding the Dahlia's killer. Working in conjunction with the media, law enforcement continued to find promising leads that would always either fizzle out or hit a wall. Most of the suspects were previous lovers or acquaintances of Beth, but the police lacked any incriminating evidence so the majority were easily let off. Yet, despite this never-ending treadmill effect, every time a new potential suspect was identified or the tiniest clue was found, the information dominated the news coverage. Everyone wanted to know everything they could about the gruesome murder of the beautiful Beth Short. She may not have been famous in life, but she certainly became famous in