The Black Dahlia Serial Killers

Wondery

Hollywood and Crime is a ground-breaking true crime series about the most infamous murders in Tinseltown history.

In The Black Dahlia Serial Killers, host Tracy Pattin investigates the sensational unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short. Known as the Black Dahlia, Short was a star-struck young woman whose body was found completely severed at the waist in January 1947. Many remember her tragic story, yet few know that more than a dozen other women died in similar circumstances around that same time.

All episodes are available now. You can binge the series exclusively, and ad-free, on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.

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Our Editor's Take

The Black Dahlia Serial Killers podcast takes a new look at the story of Elizabeth Short. Short was a beautiful young woman whose brutal murder shocked WWII-era Los Angeles. In death, the press dubbed her “the Black Dahlia,” a name that has lived on ever since. The Black Dahlia murder remains one of the most famous cold cases in American history. The police department never made an arrest in the case. Generations of speculation and investigation have never revealed the killer with certainty.

Many crime buffs know the subject well, but this podcast goes beyond the usual Dahlia lore. The Black Dahlia Serial Killers explores similar killings to raise a startling question. Was Short's murder the work of a serial killer?

No aspect of the story escapes this podcast's piercing re-examination of this murder. And the story does not stick to Short's familiar Hollywoodland haunts. The hunt for clues leads to California communities such as Long Beach and San Diego. Explore evidence, hear witness accounts, and try and try to piece it all together. Was the Black Dahlia murder an isolated incident? Did investigators miss a connection to a string of other brutal slayings? In its attempt to find answers, The Black Dahlia Serial Killers raises even more questions. A masterpiece of audio mystery, The Black Dahlia Serial Killers is a must-listen for any wannabe FBI agent or true crime fan.

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Play Trailer

Introducing: The Black Dahlia Serial Killers

Introducing: The Black Dahlia Serial Killers

From Wondery, a new true crime series will immerse you in both the glamour and the underbelly of Hollywood in the 20th century. In season one, Tracy Pattin reopens the murder of Elizabeth Short, also known as the Black Dahlia, and seven other similar cases around the same time.All episodes are available now. You can binge the series exclusively, and ad-free, on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. Join Wondery+ here: https://wondery.app.link/blackdahliaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episodes

Introducing: The Black Dahlia Serial Killers

Introducing: The Black Dahlia Serial Killers

From Wondery, a new true crime series will immerse you in both the glamour and the underbelly of Hollywood in the 20th century. In season one, Tracy Pattin reopens the murder of Elizabeth Short, also known as the Black Dahlia, and seven other similar cases around the same time.All episodes are available now. You can binge the series exclusively, and ad-free, on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. Join Wondery+ here: https://wondery.app.link/blackdahliaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When beautiful young heiress Georgette Bauerdorf was found dead in her luxurious Sunset Strip apartment, police assumed it was just a tragic accident. The housekeepers discovered her body submerged face down in the bathtub with the hot water tap still on. Her father in New York speculated her heart had failed, and she drowned in the bath water. But after a delay of thirty hours, the autopsy report told another story.All episodes are available now. You can binge the series exclusively, and ad-free, on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. Join Wondery+ here: https://wondery.app.link/blackdahliaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Generous Georgette

Generous Georgette

After young oil heiress Georgette Bauerdorf was found raped and strangled in her Sunset Strip apartment, police turned their attention to the famous Hollywood Canteen, where she volunteered as a junior hostess. A soldier referred to as the Jitterbug Dancer quickly became Suspect #1. But he was just the first of many suspects. Although hostesses were strictly forbidden to socialize with servicemen, it turned out Georgette allowed dozens of men to sleep over and that she'd been generous with both her time and money. Perhaps generous to a fault?All episodes are available now. You can binge the series exclusively, and ad-free, on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. Join Wondery+ here: https://wondery.app.link/blackdahliaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Early one morning, a young boy and his dog stumbled upon the body of a woman lying on a golf course. Her name was Ora Murray, and she’d been strangled and mutilated – a white gardenia corsage still pinned to her tattered dress. In Los Angeles to visit family, Ora had gone out dancing one night at the Zenda Ballroom with her sister Latona. There they met a good-looking, friendly man, who offered to take the sisters on a tour of Hollywood in his car. Latona went home to her husband. Ora drove away with the man into the night. It was the last time she was seen alive. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two women are found mutilated and murdered in downtown Los Angeles. One woman’s body was lying in the doorway of the closet at the Barclay Hotel. Her leg had been hacked off at the knee; her ankle and foot tossed aside. A few hours later the second woman’s body was discovered at the Joyce Hotel. Her left breast had been severed and she had been sliced open from throat to abdomen. An APB went out for a tall thin man, whom the press would dub the Vampire Slayer – for good reason. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

January 15, 1947: The body of a young woman was found in a vacant lot south of Hollywood. Mutilated, completely sliced in two at the waist and drained of blood, her face was slashed into the infamous “Glasgow smile.” The head of Los Angeles’ Homicide Squad called her murder one of the most brutal killings in the city’s history. It took a search of FBI fingerprint files to identify her. She was Elizabeth Short, a star-struck twenty-two-year old from Massachusetts. Although not famous in real life, in death she became the most famous cold case of all time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Homicide detectives and reporters retraced Elizabeth Short’s steps prior to her body being discovered in Los Angeles on January 15th. Her mother, back in Massachusetts, told investigators that “Betty” had been living in San Diego. She was also traced to Long Beach, where regulars at a drugstore called her the Black Dahlia, because of the way she dressed and wore her hair. The Black Dahlia nickname captured the public’s attention and stuck. Betty was last seen on January 8th leaving San Diego with a man named Red. But where was Red now? And was he the killer? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Police investigators closed in on Suspect #1 in the sadistic murder of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. The man they sought was Robert “Red” Manley – identified when he used his real name to check into a Pacific Coast Highway motel with Short on January 8th. That was just the first of many mistakes Red made, including lying to his wife. After his arrest, Red was questioned and given two lie detector tests. But was he guilty of more than cheating on Harriette? Police tried to piece together the Black Dahlia’s missing week, January 9th thru the 15th. Was she drugged and held in some secret place – a warehouse, an abandoned building? A torture chamber? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Werewolves Leave a Trail of Women Murders in L.A.” Only eight days after Elizabeth Short’s body was found Herald-Express reporter Agness Underwood connected the Black Dahlia with an ever-growing list of high profile cold cases, including those of Georgette Bauerdorf and White Gardenia victim Ora Murray. Then a package arrived at the city post office containing Miss Short’s personal effects and a message made up of words and letters cut out of newspapers. “Here is Dahlia’s belongings. Letter to follow.” Perhaps the killer was getting ready to turn himself in? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Lipstick Murder

The Lipstick Murder

On February 10th a woman’s body was found lying in the weeds in a desolate area called “the Moors.” Her face had been beaten to a pulp, and the killer had slashed her face across the mouth from ear to ear – a gruesome reminder of Elizabeth Short’s murder. Police suspected the same person might have killed both women. This latest victim was Jeanne French, once a celebrity known as the Flying Nurse. Her husband, Frank French, was instantly the prime suspect. Then a corporal at Fort Dix, New Jersey confessed to the Dahlia’s murder, and all bets were off – again. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A month after the trail went cold in the Black Dahlia case police were retracing the steps of Lipstick Murder victim Jeanne French, hoping they would lead to her killer. What they found instead was another brutal murder. The victim this time was an elderly man. The killer had knocked him unconscious, butchered his body into six pieces and carefully packed the body parts into boxes. Meanwhile, as that case unfolded, Black Dahlia investigators were confronted with a series of promising leads, bloody clues and hasty confessions that all led to dead ends. The city was on the verge of panic – and things were about to get much worse. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After midnight on March 10, 1947, a railroad worker happened upon a woman’s body sprawled near the tracks in Downtown Los Angeles. Assuming she was drunk, he tried to kiss her – and to his horror realized that the woman was dead. Nine hours later, another dead woman turned up on a riverbank 15 miles away. Both had been beaten and strangled. Both had dark hair. The first victim was identified as Evelyn Winters; the second woman as Mae Preston. Theirs made the third and fourth murders of women in the city since Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia, was killed. Pressure mounted on the police. The werewolf killer must be stopped. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late March 1947, while police in Los Angeles hunted a serial killer, FBI agents in Pittsburgh interrogated the latest prime suspect in the Black Dahlia case. An Army sergeant recounted the romantic 24 hours he’d spent with Elizabeth Short in September. He marveled at how she’d been treated like a celebrity in a Hollywood nightclub – and revealed that she was surprisingly unresponsive in bed. After the sergeant’s interview, the LAPD’s murder investigation into the Black Dahlia and the other cases all went cold. There were no new leads in April. Then, on May 2, another woman’s mutilated body was discovered in an empty lot. The horror had returned. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this first of five special episodes, Hollywood and Crime profiles the Black Dahlia Murders. Applying 21st Century behavioral analysis to our Season One murders, host Tracy Pattin examines each of our five 20th Century crimes with this modern twist. Joining Tracy are guest experts: former FBI profiler and Real Crime Profile host Jim Clemente and Hollywood crime historian Joan Renner, author of the popular website Deranged LA Crimes. New to Hollywood & Crime? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this second special episode of Hollywood and Crime, we delve into the unsolved murder of oil heiress Georgette Bauerdorf. Host Tracy Pattin looks into the case with the help of former FBI profiler and Real Crime Profile host Jim Clemente and Hollywood crime historian Joan Renner, author of the popular website Deranged LA Crimes. Take a listen as Jim applies his 21st Century behavioral analysis and puts together a profile of the murderer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

High Risk Behavior

High Risk Behavior

In this third special Hollywood and Crime episode we analyze and dig into the horrific details of the most famous unsolved murder to date; that of Elizabeth Short, who will forever be known as ‘The Black Dahlia.’ Host Tracy Pattin is joined by former FBI profiler and Real Crime Profile host Jim Clemente and Hollywood crime historian Joan Renner, author of the popular website Deranged LA Crimes. Once again, Jim applies his 21st Century behavioral analysis and puts together a profile of the murderer while Joan looks at the case and the victim through the lens of a Hollywood crime historian. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Killer's Message

A Killer's Message

In this fourth special Hollywood and Crime episode host Tracy Pattin talks again to former FBI Profiler and Real Crime Profile Host, Jim Clemente and Hollywood Crime historian and author of website Deranged LA Crimes. This time they analyze two murders—Jeanne French and Evelyn Winters. Because Jeanne French’s murder was similar to The Black Dahlia’s, Jim looks at whether a pattern is developing asking, “Is this the work of a serial killer?” He applies his 21 Century behavioral analysis and puts together profiles of the murderer or murderers, while Joan looks at the cases and the victims through the Hollywood crime historian lens discussing their downward spirals. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this fifth and final special Hollywood and Crime episode host Tracy Pattin sums up these five fascinating cases with FBI Profiler and Real Crime Profile host Jim Clemente and Hollywood crime historian and author of website Deranged LA Crimes Joan Renner. They give their assessments and insights on who the murderers or murderer could be, coming to very different conclusions. Jim Clemente shares his astounding analysis—one that has never come to light until now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Noir L.A. – Hollywood and Scandals with Special Guest Martin Turnbull

Noir L.A. – Hollywood and Scandals with Special Guest Martin Turnbull

Martin Turnbull (Author of The Garden of Allah series of novels) discusses three headline-making Hollywood Scandals from the 1940s with Hollywood & Crime host Tracy Pattin. The featured stories include the statutory rape trial of screen star Errol Flynn, the pot bust and trial of bad boy actor, Robert Mitchum, and the shocking affair of three time Academy Award-winning actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Noir L.A. – Hollywood and Headlines with Special Guest Joan Renner

Noir L.A. – Hollywood and Headlines with Special Guest Joan Renner

Historian Joan Renner (Author of The First with the Latest!: Aggie Underwood, the Los Angeles Herald, and the Sordid Crimes of a City) discusses the news media, the relationship between the Press and the Police in Los Angeles in the 1940s, and three women who not only wrote the headlines, but also made them – with Hollywood & Crime host, Tracy Pattin.Featured stories include Aggie Underwood, ace reporter and first female City Editor of a major newspaper; Florabel Muir, a journalist specializing in the Mob and Hollywood; and famous mystery writer/screenwriter/columnist Craig Rice, AKA Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.