The Black Dahlia Case
There have been many crimes in history that become well known to the public. Whether solved or unsolved the investigation is the main cause of the status of the case. Investigators have the largest role in solving the case. Some investigations may be performed very well but not solve the case. Others may be performed poorly resulting in no solution or a wrongful one. The Black Dahli case is one that I believe could have been performed much better. Though there are some theories about the person responsible, the Black Dahlia case is considered unsolved by the FBI. The Black Dahlia case is the murder and mutilation of twenty two year old Elizabeth Short. Elizabeth was last seen alive on January 9th 1947 leaving the Biltmore Hotel lobby
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Due to the accessibility of police radio stations at this time, reporters were often the first to arrive on crime scenes. This was no different in the case of The Black Dahlia. Reporters were the first on the scene, gathering any photos they could before police arrived. Investigators and reporters had a close relationship and the scene remained open to reporters once they arrived. Investigators and police would give reporters inside information for a story and in return reporters would give information to the public from police in hopes of solving crimes. There was very little confidentiality when it came to information about a specific case. Though civilians could not contaminate the scene, reporters being first on the scene and being allowed access to the scene could. They were walking all over trying to get the best pictures while possibly contaminating evidence (Hodel, 2003). Investigators should not have let the reporters into the secure crime scene area. They could have been destroying evidence and leaving evidence behind. They could have reported their findings to reporters while keeping them behind the “human barrier” they created with police officers. According to Hodel (2003) there were tire tracks and a bloody heel print at the crime scene that were never collected. The tire tracks can be seen in some of the available photos of the case. These are vital pieces of evidence that could have changed the outcome of this case entirely. Having a shoe print and tire track, they could have compared the vehicles and shoes of those on the suspect list to narrow
Due to the accessibility of police radio stations at this time, reporters were often the first to arrive on crime scenes. This was no different in the case of The Black Dahlia. Reporters were the first on the scene, gathering any photos they could before police arrived. Investigators and reporters had a close relationship and the scene remained open to reporters once they arrived. Investigators and police would give reporters inside information for a story and in return reporters would give information to the public from police in hopes of solving crimes. There was very little confidentiality when it came to information about a specific case. Though civilians could not contaminate the scene, reporters being first on the scene and being allowed access to the scene could. They were walking all over trying to get the best pictures while possibly contaminating evidence (Hodel, 2003). Investigators should not have let the reporters into the secure crime scene area. They could have been destroying evidence and leaving evidence behind. They could have reported their findings to reporters while keeping them behind the “human barrier” they created with police officers. According to Hodel (2003) there were tire tracks and a bloody heel print at the crime scene that were never collected. The tire tracks can be seen in some of the available photos of the case. These are vital pieces of evidence that could have changed the outcome of this case entirely. Having a shoe print and tire track, they could have compared the vehicles and shoes of those on the suspect list to narrow