No Halloween column would be complete without a scary story \u2014 and in this one, I\u2019ll share some little-known local history behind one of Los Angeles\u2019 longest and most notorious cold cases.<\/p>\n
The brutal murder of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, now better known as the Black Dahlia, was found dead on the morning of January 15, 1947. The murder\u2019s gruesome details, like the fact her body was found severed into two pieces in a vacant lot in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles, shocked the nation.<\/p>\n
And though there are many theories about who may have committed the crime all those years back, the case is still unsolved to this day.<\/p>\n
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Esotouric\u2019s Richard Schave talks during a stop on the \u201cEcho Park Book of the Dead\u201d tour. (Photo by Kim Cooper).\n<\/p>\n
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Esotouric\u2019s Richard Schave talks during a stop on the \u201cEcho Park Book of the Dead\u201d tour. (Photo by Kim Cooper).\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n Though you may be familiar with the main details of the Black Dahlia case, you may not know that it was the Long Beach Press-Telegram \u2014 and other local papers \u2014 who first published and popularized the nickname.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Long Beach community shaped the murder legend \u2014 it was Short\u2019s Long Beach friends that shared details (about her),\u201d said Kim Cooper of Esotouric Tours in an interview.<\/p>\n During a recent outing with Esotouric Tours, I learned Elizabeth Short was nicknamed the Black Dahlia by her neighbors when she lived in Long Beach.<\/p>\n She arrived in the Long Beach area by bus in late July 1946 and stayed until December 1946, when she went to San Diego, returning in early January 1947.<\/p>\n While in Long Beach, Short stayed at two locations. The first, At-water Apartments at 65 Linden Ave., is now known as Holly House. Short also lived at The Washington Hotel, 53 Linden Ave., according to various sources.<\/p>\n Cooper explained that the movie \u201cThe Blue Dahlia,\u201d a 1946 film with the original screenplay written by Raymond Chandler, may have inspired Short\u2019s posthumous nickname \u2014 her jet black hair prompting the color change.<\/p>\n Esotouric, which was awarded the The Anne Friedberg Award at NoirCon 2025, hosts many tours delving into Los Angeles\u2019 hidden history. To learn more, go to esotouric.com.<\/p>\n Cemetery Tour<\/p>\n The 39th annual Historical Cemetery Tour, hosted by the Historical Society of Long Beach, got underway last Saturday, Oct. 25.<\/p>\n In the morning, I volunteered to emcee the story of Walter and Ethel Case \u2014 performednby Rick Reischman and Madison Mooney \u2014 and in the afternoon, I told the story of John and Lulu Munholland, played by Sean Wellengard and Lisa Salas.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Munhollands were realtors, attorneys, and City boosters who found quirky and memorable ways to bring visitors and attention to the city,\u201d the Historical Society said in a 2019 social media post.<\/p>\n John Munholland, center, poses with two actors who told his family history during the Historical Society of Long Beach\u2019s 39th annual Historical Cemetery Tour. (Photo courtesy of John Munholland).\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 1<\/p>\n John Munholland, center, poses with two actors who told his family history during the Historical Society of Long Beach\u2019s 39th annual Historical Cemetery Tour. (Photo courtesy of John Munholland).\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n