Elizabeth Short was born in Boston, Massachusetts on July 29th, 1924. She was the third of five daughters of Cleo Short and Phoebe Mae Sawyer. Short’s father built miniature golf courses until the stock market crash in 1929. Because of the stock market crash he lost all of the family assists. In 1930, his car was found on the bridge abandoned with him not to be found. Short’s mother moved her children to a small apartment in Medford. A few years later Elizabeth discovered that her father was living in California. She had asthma and bronchitis, so her mom sent her to live the winter in Miami, Florida. At the age of 19, Elizabeth traveled to Vallejo, California to live withher father. The two of them moved to Los Angeles in early 1943. But because of a disagreement she left her father’s home and found work at a camp near Lompoc California. On September 23,1943 Short was arrested for underage drinking. Santa Barbara officials sent her back to Medford. While visiting a friend on a long term vacation, Short met Major Matthew Michael Gordon Jr. Jr. was in the United States Army Air Force officer, who was assigned to the 2nd Air Commando Group. Elizabeth told her friends that they were engaged. But Jr. died on August 10, 1945 from a plane crash, so the engament never became official. After the death of Jr. Short wet back to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. On January 15th,1947 Elizabeth Short’s body was discovered in a vacant lot in the Leiment Park district of Los Angeles.