Buried Bones Halloween Special: The Black Dahlia

Podcast: Buried Bones — with Kate Winkler Dawson & Paul Holes
Episode: Halloween Special (Live)
Date: October 31, 2025
Theme: An in-depth, modern forensic re-examination of the infamous "Black Dahlia" murder, focusing both on the complicated victim, Elizabeth Short, and the frustrating, shocking nature of the crime. The conversation blends historical facts, contemporary criminal profiling, investigative frustration, and empathy for the victim.

Episode Overview

In this special live episode, journalist Kate Winkler Dawson and retired investigator Paul Holes dissect the notorious and enduringly mysterious Black Dahlia case. Using their specialties—crime history and forensic investigation—they reconstruct Elizabeth Short’s life, examine suspects, assess the forensics with 21st-century insights, and wrestle with the case’s haunting brutality and cultural impact. The show blends a focus on victimology, investigative process, media interference, popular suspects, and modern criminal profiling, while never losing sight of Elizabeth Short as a person and victim.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Elizabeth Short’s Background (05:02–18:11)

• Introduction to the Case:
  • Elizabeth Short (Betty/Beth), age 22, was murdered in Los Angeles in 1947.
  • Noted for her striking looks, jet-black hair, and “unusual” style—dubbed “Medford’s Deanna Durbin.”
  • Nicknamed “The Black Dahlia” by locals; nickname was a play on a 1946 movie and her fashion.
• Personality & Life Story:
  • Outgoing, considered an aspiring actress, but struggled with truthfulness; made up jobs and roles, possibly for attention, sympathy, or opportunity.
  • Troubled childhood: Her father faked his suicide, reappeared years later, and was estranged.
  • Early adult years involved moving between cities (Medford, Miami, LA, San Diego) and relying on both male and female acquaintances for support.
  • Paul Holes: “Victimology is huge. You have to understand who the victim is.” (06:08)
• Pattern of Instability & Risk:
  • Brief, sometimes abusive romantic relationships and episodes of underage drinking.
  • Used creative lies to weave her social network—sometimes presenting as a war widow for sympathy.
  • Relationship with servicemen and older businessmen, notably Mark Hanson.

2. Leading up to the Crime: Timeline & Associates (18:11–25:38)

• Important Relationships:
  • Mark Hanson (55-year-old businessman, nightclub owner)
  • Marvin Margolis (young medical student and boyfriend)
  • Robert “Red” Manley (married acquaintance, last seen with her)
• Pre-Murder Movements:
  • Traveled from San Diego (where she spent holidays with a friend) to LA by car with Manley.
  • Dropped off at the Biltmore Hotel around 6:30pm, last seen leaving around 10pm, dressed fashionably.
• Unanswered Questions:
  • Unclear what she did between 10pm and the time her body was found.
  • LAPD didn’t (or hasn’t) released all hotel or autopsy details—fueling generations of speculation.
• Media’s Role:
  • Outrageous media presence at the crime scene due to police access; staged witness photos, sensational coverage.

3. Discovery of the Body & Forensic Details (27:13–35:15)

• Crime Scene:
  • Discovered by Betty Bersinger & her daughter in a vacant lot (Norton Ave, Leimert Park, LA).
  • The body was posed: cut in half at the waist, meticulously cleaned, arms bent, legs splayed (sexualized pose), 8 inches from the sidewalk.
  • No blood at the scene—body clearly exsanguinated elsewhere and transported.
• Paul Holes:
  • Dismemberment does not necessarily indicate medical expertise: “There is nothing about the transection or any other aspect that indicates you’re dealing with somebody that had to have medical training or was a surgeon.” (28:49)
  • “This is what we call posing... He has taken the time to put her in this position. He wants that shock.” (31:19)
  • Cleaning likely done for practical reasons (transporting), possible attempt to remove fingerprints, and/or psychological compulsion.

4. Estimating the Time, Place, and Method of Death (38:26–46:58)

• Timeline Clarification:
  • Left Biltmore Hotel January 9, body discovered January 15—leaves a days-long gap.
  • Paul suspects Elizabeth was kept alive for some time before murder.
• Placement of the Body:
  • Scene was chosen to guarantee discovery and maximize shock; demonstrates offender's familiarity with LA.
• Physical Evidence:
  • “Her body has been cut in two for transport purposes. He didn’t start this transaction in cutting her while she was still alive.” (30:52)
  • Livor mortis indicated she’d been dead for hours, though time of death is disputed (likely within 10–12 hours of being placed at the dump site).

5. The Investigation: Suspects, Media, and Public Pressure (47:33–70:26)

• Suspect Avalanche:
  • Extraordinary public and media involvement: 500 false confessions by 1996, police overwhelmed by tips and “crank letters.”
  • Reason for police holdbacks—need to filter lunatic claims from real clues.
• Top Suspects Discussed:
  • Red Manley: Last seen with Elizabeth, passes polygraph, has an alibi.
  • Carl Balsinger: Tangential connection to another murder, also eliminated after polygraph.
  • Mark Hanson: Wealthy, possibly infatuated; his address book found in her belongings.
  • Marvin Margolis: Medical student, PTSD from the war, but no evidence linking him to the crime.
• Physical Evidence & Publicity:
  • Elizabeth’s belongings, including a purse and shoe, found in a dumpster—identified by Manley, but friends dispute their ownership.
  • Her personal effects sent to the media (not police), with newspaper cutouts spelling “Here is Dahlia’s belongings. Letter to follow.” Indicates the killer’s need for attention, risk-taking, and possible narcissism.

6. Theories & High-Profile Suspects (72:48–82:20)

• The Astor Hotel Lead:
  • Post-crime reports of a blood-soaked room, but no timely evidence; investigated as possible crime scene.
• George Hodel Theory:
  • Prominent LA physician, accused by his daughter of abuse, later suspected by his son (a detective) of being Black Dahlia, Red Lipstick, Green Twig, and Zodiac killer. Lacked direct evidence; Paul Holes finds the linkage unconvincing: “I know that I have read his son’s book and I’m unconvinced about the evidence that he has put there linking his father to Elizabeth’s case.” (77:09)
• Walter Alonzo Bailey Theory (Larry Harnish):
  • Surgeon with personal and geographic links; life was in turmoil at time of murder, but again, no direct evidence.
  • Paul: “You need more... you’re looking for the person who actually committed the crime, not somebody who had some sort of geographic location to the general proximity...” (70:26)

7. Forensic Details: Sadism, Modus Operandi, and Behavioral Profile (83:45–99:18)

[Graphic Segment Alert: Highly Disturbing Content; 83:45–99:18]

• Autopsy Insights & Unreleased Evidence:
  • Many details of the autopsy remain unreleased; her organs were lost.
• Paul Holes’s Behavioral Reconstruction:
  • The killer inflicted intense, sadistic torture:
    • Excised nipple/breast, post-mortem cutting and mutilation.
    • Excised tattoo, found in her vagina.
    • Shaved pubic hair, crammed into rectum.
    • “Smile” cuts from corner of mouth to ears—done alive to force mouth open for torture.
    • Cross-hatch knife marks: inflicted while alive for pain.
    • Feces in stomach, indicating forced ingestion—coprophilia (sexual arousal from feces), not caused by accident during body separation.
    • Suggests five-point restraint—possibly a predatory sexual sadist used to BDSM “torture rooms.”
    • “What was done to Elizabeth is done by a sexual sadist. This is the worst type of offender that you can run into.” (91:53)
    • Offender wanted attention and shocked the public and authorities.

8. Linkage to Other Cases & Paul’s Theory (99:18–102:29)

• Historical Context: “West Coast Fiend” Theory
  • Parallels with a series of sadistic murders in San Diego (1931–1936)—victims displayed, sometimes posthumously posed.
  • Paul suggests the killer likely has a history, possibly includes these similar, pre-meditated, sadistic LA/San Diego attacks: “If this is the same guy, he’s operating down in San Diego and then possibly relocates up to LA and then somehow some way crosses paths with Elizabeth.” (100:35)
• Reliance on Modern Profiling:
  • Paul downplays the likelihood that any of the men close to Elizabeth committed the murder: “With what happened to Elizabeth, I’m just not seeing somebody doing that unless they have that secret life and just decided to go after somebody that they had an association with.” (98:00)
  • Binds not deep; possible drugging or incapacitation to explain lack of struggle.

9. Remembering Elizabeth Short (103:47–105:09)

• The show closes by memorializing Elizabeth Short as a vibrant but lost young woman—not just as a notorious crime victim.
• Kate Winkler Dawson: “No matter how much she lied, no matter who she had in this black book, no matter what she did. You know, this was an illustration of just how terrible things can go. But...the fact that we’re still talking about this case, I am hoping LAPD will reach out to Paul or somebody who can help...” (104:32)

Notable Quotes

• Paul Holes:

  • “Victimology is huge. You have to understand who the victim is.” (06:08)
  • “There is nothing about the transection...that indicates you’re dealing with somebody that had to have medical training or was a surgeon.” (28:49)
  • “This is what we call posing... He has taken the time to put her in this position. He wants that shock.” (31:19)
  • “This is a disturbing case to me. So just recognize that I am not showing any of the images at all... I am going to talk in graphic detail about her injuries.” (83:45)
  • “What was done to Elizabeth is done by a sexual sadist. This is the worst type of offender that you can run into.” (91:53)

• Kate Winkler Dawson:

  • “The pressure was really incredible on lapd, and I think in some ways still is probably, otherwise they’d be looking for all kinds of help... They go back to every man that they could find in her life, and they end up finding some more...” (67:05)
  • “This was an illustration of just how terrible things can go. But...the fact that we’re still talking about this case, I am hoping LAPD will reach out to Paul or somebody who can help. Right, right...” (104:32)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Elizabeth Short: Life & Personality: 05:02–18:11
• Last Days & Timeline: 18:11–25:38
• Discovery, Forensics & Crime Scene: 27:13–35:15
• Time, Location, Cause of Death: 38:26–46:58
• Suspects/Profile Discussion: 47:33–72:48
• Theories & Notorious Suspects: 72:48–82:20
• Forensic Analysis & Sadistic Profile: 83:45–99:18 (explicit, graphic)
• Parallels to Other Cases/Paul’s Hypothesis: 99:18–102:29
• Memorializing the Victim/Closing: 103:47–105:09

Memorable Moments

• Kate’s “fish and houseguests” analogy for Elizabeth outstaying her welcome among friends. (21:06)
• Discussion of police “holdbacks,” media interference, overwhelming false confessions, and the circus of public involvement. (47:33–49:29)
• Paul’s expert debunking of the “only a doctor could have done this” fallacy. (28:49)
• The deep dive into the psychological and forensic minutiae of sadistic crime, as Paul reconstructs not just the “how,” but the “why.” (83:45–99:18)
• The show’s insistence on restoring Elizabeth Short’s humanity, closing with empathy for the victim and frustration at the cold case status. (103:47–105:09)

Tone and Style

• Candid, thorough, and sensitive, with honest admission of the case’s remaining mysteries.
• Paul’s forensic discussions are methodical and graphic but focused on understanding rather than sensationalizing.
• Kate counters with compassion, humor, and historical perspective, anchoring the violence in Elizabeth’s lost potential.

Summary

This episode is a balanced, expert-level blend of historical research, modern forensic interpretation, speculation, and empathy. It honors Elizabeth Short as a human being and exposes the truly horrifying nature of her murder, while also exploring the profound difficulties investigators have faced—both then and now. The case is presented as unsolved but, perhaps, not truly unresolvable; advances in behavioral profiling and forensics continue to chip away at the mystery, while, as ever, the world remembers the Black Dahlia as both victim and symbol.