What to Know
In 1947, a woman walking her baby in Los Angeles came across a brutal scene. She found a woman’s naked and mutilated body lying on the sidewalk. Investigators identified the victim as 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, a Hollywood hopeful known for dressing in all black with dahlias in her hair. For nearly 80 years, Short’s killer has remained a mystery. Newspapers nicknamed the case the Black Dahlia, and it captivated true crime fans for decades. Recently, filmmakers Jeff Thomas and producer Kimberly Lupini of Talestorm Productions came upon something so incredible in LA that they believe they’ve finally solved the case.
The case befuddled investigators from the beginning.
According to the FBI, when police arrived at the scene on January 15, they found Short’s body cut in half at the torso. The cut was reportedly neat and precise, appearing to have been done by someone with tremendous skill. Per Real Los Angeles Tours, her body was posed on the sidewalk, legs open and arms behind her head. The killer slit her face from the corners of her mouth to her ears in a “Glasgow Smile.” Shockingly, there was no blood at the scene, indicating Short died at a different location.
Thomas and Lupini think they’ve finally cracked the case.
The pair made a discovery while creating an upcoming docuseries, Deconstructing Dahlia.
“We believe we know who the killer is,” Thomas told People. “We believe we know where the murder was committed. We believe we know what the murder weapon was.”
Thomas explained he learned a small piece of information from the son of one of the original investigators on the case, and that changed everything.
“He told me something that his father had told him about the investigation and made him promise never to repeat,” he said. “But I could tell he just sort of wanted to purge himself.”
The tip led the filmmakers to a motel.
What if the #BlackDahlia case is not as unsolvable as we’ve been told?
— Talestorm (@TalestormGroup) June 25, 2026
We’re pushing for transparency in the 1947 murder of #ElizabethShort.
Sign the petition demanding the release of LAPD records: https://t.co/Mlk8GuShdJ#DeconstructingDahlia #TrueCrime #ColdCase pic.twitter.com/kbc87MOkyG
According to Thomas, the motel where the murder reportedly took place is still operational today. Thomas promised the owner he would replace anything his team damaged as they searched for a secret room in the motel where the tipster claimed Black Dahlia died. When they arrived at the undisclosed location and began deconstructing the scene, they made an amazing discovery.
“We found evidence of a major bloodshed event in this room,” Thomas told People.
Thomas needs a full autopsy report to confirm his findings.
Thomas and Lupini created a Change.org petition asking for the Los Angeles Police Department to release Short’s full autopsy. The LAPD allegedly agreed to release the autopsy to Talestorm Productions but then changed its mind. The filmmakers want to know why.
“Elizabeth Short’s autopsy report, which is the only autopsy – by law a public record – in Los Angeles history that has never been released to the public in nearly 80 years. This unprecedented delay is a clear obstruction of justice. Despite the LAPD previously promising to release this essential public record, there has been a runaround and an ultimate refusal,” the petition reads. “This crucial evidence remains hidden from investigators, surviving family members, and the public nearly eight decades later. As of today, there have been no prosecutions, no transparency, no answers, and no justice.”
The people want to help close Short’s case for good.
“I was an LAPD detective and witnessed cover-ups on all levels. After 80 years, there is NO logical or investigative reason NOT to release the entire investigative file,” a former detective commented.
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