Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department 1944 Georgette Bauerdorf Murder Weapon Potential Link to Dr. George Hill Hodel–DNA Identification Possible

3 July 2021
Los Angeles, California

The 1944 LA Lone Woman Murder Investigation of 20-year-old Hollywood victim, Georgette Bauerdorf was originally presented in BDA (Arcade 2003) as one of the suspected serially connected murders committed by Dr. George Hill Hodel, some 2 1/2 years before the 1947 Black Dahlia murder.

For those wishing a 2003 summary on the Georgette Bauerdorf (October 14, 1944) murder investigation see BDA Chapter 23 “More 1940s L.A. Murdered Women Cases”- pages 301-308.

In prior blogs (see below links) I have examined and presented linkage of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office Bauerdorf MO/Crime Signatures to GHH’s  Chicago Bathtub/Red Lipstick Murders, and to a typed letter, the killer mailed to the press and police one year after the Bauerdorf LASD (West Hollywood) murder. (Sheriff’s Detectives in 1945 investigated the possible LA/Lipstick/Chicago Bathtub Murders connections.)

The following updated information will focus specifically on the unique murder weapon used in the Bauerdorf crime and how it potentially connects to Dr. George Hill Hodel.

After beating, physically raping, and then asphyxiating Miss Bauerdorf, her killer then placed her body in the apartment bathtub, turned on the water, and fled the scene.

The Coroner determined the cause of death was asphyxiation caused by a 9″x 9″ elastic bandage forced 4″ down her throat, and only discovered during the autopsy. The coroner also established she had been physically raped.  (Based on the statement, we can assume this was established by male semen found inside her vagina, so slides should exist and would provide the potential for positive DNA identification to George Hodel if they still exist. I currently have my father’s full DNA profile in my possession.)

The Murder Weapon- A Rare Type of Elastic Bandage

                                     Rare 9″x 9″ elastic bandage important clue

“Large size (9″) not sold in Los Angeles for 22 years.”

“Crepe Tetra” or Early “Ace Bandage” described as the murder weapon

“By the turn of the 20th century, that philosophy had changed, and the first American-made tensor bandage was developed by Oscar O. R. Schwidetzky in 1918. The bandage was named the ACE™ Bandage. ACE stands for “All Cotton Elastic,” and much like our own recent lab coat naming contest, the name ACE was selected after a nationwide contest that offered physicians $200 for coming up with the best name for the new bandage. One advantage to the ACE bandage is that the knit allows the fabric to breathe naturally. Unlike its predecessors, the ACE bandage allows air to circulate, improving their use. Ace has now been a trusted brand in elastic bandages for nearly 100 years.”
“https://www.medelita.com/blog/ace-origin-tensor-bandage/

Young Dr. George Hodel circa 1936 in NM clinic treating patient, note 9″ Ace bandage on the shelf (enlarged above).

I would suggest that while the murder weapon would be highly unlikely to be found in possession of your average “Joe Citizen”; it would be a required “must-have” item in any medical doctor’s “little black bag.”
In the above photo, we see Dr. Hodel treating a patient some eight years prior to the Bauerdorf murder in his clinic in NM. Incredibly, we also see what appears to be a 9″ size of the elastic bandage type similar to the one used on and forced down young socialite Georgette Bauerdorf’s throat in 1944.

Additional Prior Bauerdorf blogs:

Spell-Checking A Serial Killer: Reexamining LA's 1944 Georgette Bauerdorf "Bathtub Murder" Note Update 2016

MOST EVIL Presents Police Documents Connecting 1946 Chicago "Red Lipstick Murders" To 1947 "Black Dahlia" Murder