Elizabeth Short or Beth also known as Black Dahlia was an aspiring actress who usually dressed entirely in black. She's 22 years old and has a nice figure and an attractive face so men easily noticed her. Her hair was black and her skin was pale. She spent most of her time trying to make new acquaintances that she could use to her advantage and to make sure that she was in the right nightspots and clubs. Despite the rumors, Beth was never promiscuous and she did not work as a prostitute. She was born on July 29, 1924 in Hyde Park, Massachusetters. Her parents, Cleo and Phoebe Short moved the family to Medford, shortly after Elizabeth was born. Her dad faked his death because of depression and Phoebe was left to deal with five daughters and the bankruptcy. Later on, Cleo offered Beth to live with her in California but eventually threw her out because of laziness and Beth was left to fend for herself. Then, she was booked and fingerprinted but never charge for underage drinking. Beth met Lieutenant Gordon Fickling at the Hollywood Canteen and fell in love, she plans to marry him but her plans was cut short when Gordon was shipped to Europe. Then she fell in love again on New Year's Eve 1945 with a pilot, Major Matt Gordon . Although Matt was sent to India, Beth wrote to him constantly and remained in touch. He promised to marry her but he died in plane crash on way home from India. Then he started to communicate with Gordon Fickling and fell in love again with him but their relationship ended because she was cheating. She dated a lot of man but one of them was Robert "Red" Manley. Beth asked him for a ride back to Hollywood, he agreed and on Jan. 8, he picked her up from the French house and paid for a hotel room for her that night. Red had a appointment the next day at 6:30 p.m. so he left Betty at a hotel who's always making phone calls at the hotel lobby when he saw her last - becoming, along with the hotel employees, the last person to see Beth Short alive.