Elizabeth Short, a 22-year-old aspiring actress found dead on January 15, 1947 in Leiment Park, Los Angeles, California [1]. Shorts' body was found in a vacant lot around 10 a.m. by a housewife named Betty Bersinger, taking a morning walk with her 3-year-old daughter. At first glance, the woman thought it was a broken store mannequin. After realizing what it was, she covered her daughter's eyes and ran to a nearby house and called the police.[2] When Elizabeth Shorts' body was found, it was cleanly cut in half at the waist. Her lower half was offset and a foot away from her upper half, with her intestines tucked under her buttocks. His internal organs had been removed [3]. His body showed multiple other mutilations, including 3-inch cuts at the corners of his mouth extending up to his ears, creating the famous Glasgow or "joker" smile.[2] She also had multiple cuts on her breasts and thighs where entire sections of skin had been removed [1]. Her body was posed with her legs apart and her hands above her head at a 45-degree angle. His body had been bathed and thoroughly washed before being placed, it was also completely drained of blood [2]. Two detectives were assigned to the case: Harry Hanson and Finis Brown. [2] When they and the police arrived at the crime scene, it was already teeming with people, onlookers and journalists. The whole situation was out of control and crowded, with everyone trampling on any hope of getting good evidence. [2] One of the things they pointed out was a cement block nearby with watery blood on it, tire marks, and a heel print on the ground. There was dew under the body, so they knew it had been placed there just after 2 a.m. when the temperature dropped to 38 degrees. An autopsy found Short to be 5 feet 5 inches tall...... middle of paper ...... ug . 2014. Internet. May 12, 2014. .2. “Black dahlia.” Black dahlia. Np, and Web. May 11, 2014. .3. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, nd Web. May 12, 2014. .4. “Confidential Black Dahlia.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, and Web. May 12, 2014. .5. “House – Steve Hodel.” Steve Hodel. Np, and Web. May 12, 2014. .6. “The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder.” About.com Crime / Punishment. Np, and Web. May 12, 2014. .7. “TRANSCRIPT OF THE INVESTIGATION HELD ON THE BODY OF ELIZABETH SHORT.”VioletArojo. Np, and Web. May 12 2014.