The Black Dahlia Case

The Mahalo Top 7

  1. The Black Dahlia Web Site: The Life and Death of Elizabeth Short
  2. Wikipedia: Black Dahlia
  3. Federal Bureau of Investigation: Freedom of Information Privacy Act WARNING: PDF Files
  4. Black Dahalia.info: Black Dahlia - News
  5. CBS.News: Black Dahlia Confidential WARNING: Pop-ups
  6. Crime Library: The Black Dahlia Murder, aka Elizabeth Short  Betsy: Lot of Information
  7. Video: The Black Dahlia Movie Trailer (Time 2:23)


The Black Dahlia Case Background and Profiles

The Black Dahlia Case Images and Media

The Black Dahlia Case Books and Research

The Black Dahlia Case Blogs and Message Boards

The Black Dahlia Case Timeline

  • 1924: Born Elizabeth Short in Hyde Park, Massachusetts
  • 1930: Mother Cleo Short abandoned Elizabeth and her four sisters
  • 1930: Preferred to be called Becky instead of Elizabeth
  • 1943: Went to Vallejo, California to live with father
  • 1943: Was arrested in Santa Barbara for underage drinking and told to return home.
  • 1943: Returned to Hollywood, determined to be in movies.
  • 1944: Met Matt Gordon, a Major in USAF "Flying Tigers"
  • 1945: Fantasizes about upcoming nuptials only to learn Gordon was killed in a plane crash in India
  • 1946: Returns to southern California to be close to Joseph Gordon Fickling
  • 1946: Nov 13- Dec 15: Lives with 8 other women in cramped 2 bedroom apartment.
  • 1947: January 8th, Joseph Fickling receives letter from Becky, telling him she's going to Chicago to become a fashion model
  • 1947: January 9th, Flickling drives her to Los Angles bus station & checks luggage. Takes her to Biltmore Hotel and leaves her at 6:30 pm.
  • 1947: January 15th, Becky Short's body discovered in a vacant lot
  • 1947: January 25th, Purse and shoe found in dumpster, identified as Becky's.
  • The crime remains unsolved