Correcting the Record: Dr. George Hodel’s Posing of Elizabeth “Black Dahlia” Short’s Body on Degnan Ave as a Taunt and Crime Signature
January 23, 2025
Birch Bay, Washington
Over the past many years, I have presented how and why the posing of Elizabeth Short’s body on the vacant lot was another of Dr. George Hodel’s so-called “clews”. A subtle taunt and reference to his one year earlier, 1946 kidnap/murder and surgical bisection (also a “hemicorporectomy”) of little Suzanne Degnan where he posed her body parts off a street named “Hollywood”.
Several naysayers (yes, the usual suspects, one being a retired, “self-proclaimed, Dahlia expert”) continue to argue that my theory is factually wrong, informing the public that “Degnan Street is three blocks away.”
It is not. In fact, it is the same street.
The 1947 Los Angeles street maps (below) show the probable route from the Hodel residence at 5121 Franklin Ave (NW corner Franklin and Normandie) to the vacant lot. The likely route would have been south on Normandie to Santa Barbara (now renamed Martin Luther King Blvd); then right turn westbound to Degnan Ave and right turn on Degnan and bearing left to vacant lot at 3825 S. Norton, which he believed he was still Degnan Ave., where he posed Elizabeth Short’s bisected body just off the street. (Author Note- This is what crime profiler John Douglas in the late 1990s surmised was “The killer likely has some connection to the neighborhood.” Close but no cigar. Not to the neighborhood, but to the actual street, Degnan being the name of his kidnap/bisected and posed victim, six-year-old, Suzanne Degnan, just one year earlier.)
In 1947 George Hodel owned and drove a 1936 Packard sedan, black in color, which he named “Tar Baby”. (Again, another “inside joke”. See explanation HERE.)
A witness on the morning of January 15, 1947, observed a dark colored 1936-7 vintage car pull up to the vacant lot just before daybreak. He saw a man exited the vehicle, then he reentered the car after about four minutes and drove off. The suspect drove northbound on Crenshaw Blvd. (one street west of the vacant lot) and left the victim’s purse and shoes on top of a trash bin next to a restaurant in the 1100 block of Crenshaw Blvd, which was a direct route back to the Hodel residence and halfway between George Hodel’s home and the body dump site on the vacant lot.
George Hodel Residence (top left) George Hodel inside living room (top right) 1937 Packard similar to one owned by George Hodel (bottom)
Below photo shows Dr. Walter Bayley residence at 3959 S. Norton Avenue (top red circle) and where just six houses south the street magically changes to Degnan Avenue. Red circle below, shows the address of 3987 S. Degnan Avenue.
Author Note:
Witness Betty Bersinger in her statement indicated that the house where she used the telephone (Dr. Walter Bayley residence) “was owned by a doctor”, so the Bayley theorists, hearing this, and checking out “Dr. Bayley” and discovering he was a surgeon, then ran with it. Her statement was likely the actual real source of their attempts to “build a case” on a totally innocent 67-year-old-man, a WWI marine captain, who was hospitalized for three months in the West Los Angeles Veteran Administration Hospital and died there, less than a year after the Dahlia murder in early January, 1948.
Below is George Hodel probable return route from body dump site to residence with stop halfway to dispose of victim’s purse and shoes.
*Correction- Purse left at 1136 S. Crenshaw Blvd.
Steve:
The address where the killer trashed the purse and shoes (1132 S. Crenshaw — the LAT of 1/26/47 says 1136, but it makes no difference) is on the right when driving north, so that tends to say he was headed northbound and away from the dump site, supporting your route. Also seems more intuitive that he would dispose of the body before those articles, to avoid two risky stops with the body in the car. Do you know if it was ever definitely established from tire tracks or witness testimony what direction(s) the car was going on Degnan/Norton?
Best regards,
LW
LW:
I’m sure the 1136 S. Crenshaw is correct. I was doing it from memory, so I was close, but no cigar.
I don’t know if they ever determined the direction he left after posing the body on the vacant lot. I don’t recall ever reading anything, but might have missed it. I would think the witness would have indicated the direction to the police, so it may be in their reports, and just not reported in the newspapers.
Steve, I wonder what GGH was up to hangin around the dump site for so long? Four minutes to position two halves of the body, then the cement n fertilizer bags. four minutes doesn’t seem that long but don’t most successful takeover bank robbery’s try to be out in three minutes. It just seems longer than those task would’ve taken, makes you wonder what the rascal was up to for so long.? maybe taking photos?. Also i was wondering what led you to investigate GHH for the Degnan girls murder? You make a compelling case for his guilt, just curious how ya put it together? If you covered it in the books I apologize. thanks .
frank Adkins
I live pretty close (Westchester/Culver City) and can confirm. Have driven this route several times just to check it out. Everything is still the same, except now it’s a pretty neighborhood with nice houses.
Pray for Los Angeles!!!!
Veering off the topic of degnan per se – find DA reported “Nancy Drew” investigation while in Chicago en route to Long Beach extremely puzzling.
Change in interests, behaviors -> what sounds like nearly a month of atypical sexual relationships in pursuit of information related to the “red lipstick murders”/degnan.
Any new thoughts?
DrK:
DA Files show ES went to Chicago and slept with various newsmen attempting to obtain info on the “Red Lipstick Murders”. As documented in my books it is my belief she suspected GHH as the possible suspect because she knew he said he was a “Chicago police officer” and she saw his badge shown to the Hollywood usher that moved them to the front of the line. GHH was in China and I think she saw it as an opportunity to “check things out.” She told the newspapermen she slept with that she “knew a Chicago policement working on the murders” but did not name GHH.
Det. Hodel,
I seem to recall reading about Beth Short traveling to Chicago to confront Chicago police officers re: your father’s involvement in the Degnan murder.
Am I dreaming this or did I read this in one of the BDA books? Is there any concrete proof she was in Chicago at any time?
Sorry. Just read the above post which answered my question.