Black Dahlia Case: Murder Crime Scene Found by Dog?
A dog with the special skill of hunting down the scent of cadavers may have shed new light on the age-old Black Dahlia murder.
Buster, a black Labrador with a special nose for death, has pinpointed a location where one man believes the Black Dahlia was murdered. Elizabeth Short was brutally killed in 1947, but her murderer was never found. Short was pegged the "Black Dahlia" by media members, who gave heavy coverage to the case.
Steve Hodel, author of "Black Dahlia Avenger," believes that it was his father, George Hodel, who murdered Short. But Hodel was never able to fully prove that his father committed the brutal crime. New evidence however, has been offered to suggest the place where the crime may have taken place.
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Buster was brought in by Sgt. Paul Dostie of Mammoth Lakes to hunt down the scent of death at the historic Sowden House on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood. The dog has been especially trained for such a job and has in the past, uncovered the scent of many other graves. In 2008 Buster made the news after hitting on five potential gravesites at the former Manson Family house, according to The Sun.
In November, when Buster was released in the home previously owned by George Hodel, the dog was able to quickly pick up a scent.
"Buster immediately took off ... and ran to a vent located at the southwest corner of the property where he alerted, indicating he had picked up the scent of human decomposition," Hodel told The Sun during a recent interview.
Dotsie also confirmed that the dog's detection aroused suspicion.
"It certainly seems like someone was murdered there," Dostie told the local paper. "Something happened."
George Hodel, who was a physician during the 1940s, was considered a prime suspect during the Black Dahlia investigation. He died in 1999, prompting his son Steve to begin his own investigation. He believes that his father is responsible not only for Short's murder but for the murder of many other women as well.
