Using 21st Century Geographic Profiling Software To Investigate the Black Dahlia and Other 1940s “LA Lone Woman Murders”

March 20, 2017
Los Angeles, California

  GEOGRAPHIC PROFILING

“In conclusion, Dragnet (Geographic profiling software) successfully identified both the Hodel residence and the Hodel medical practice as being in areas considered highest probability for the base of the killer(s).

Dr. Evan R. Harrington
Professor of Psychology
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
August 2003

                                                                  Red areas on street map (below) mark location of Dr. Hodel home and medical practice which Geographic Profiling showed to be as locations of “highest probability” for the base of the killer(s).

J. Mori in my “Comments” Section writes:

“I read Black Dahlia Avenger.  Very compelling evidence.  Have not read Most Evil yet, but I have no doubt it is equally compelling.   I grew up with one of the 1977 Hillside Strangler victims.  The LAPD during this case tried to do some geographic mapping of the both where the victims were abducted and where the bodies were dumped.   I am wondering if you have had someone like Dr Kim Rossmo run any geographical analysis of both the Dahlia evidence and Zodiac – and anything else your father may have been suspected to be involved with.   There has been a lot of work lately on geographical profiling and the visualization of crime patterns.”

JM:   Thank you for your kind words and question regarding whether I had thought to use Geographic Profiling?
The answer is Yes, I was fortunate to be contacted early on (2003) by Professor Evan Harrington then working and teaching at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in New York.
Dr. Harrington after receiving and verifying all of the “LA Lone Woman Murder” crime locations used “Dragnet” software to analyze and attempt to predict where the suspect might work or reside.

His dramatic results were then published in my updated edition of BDA in “The Aftermath” chapter, in 2004.

Here is that section on Geographic Profiling as originally published in BDA.

geographic profiling_pdf

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