This Aspiring Hollywood Starlet Vanished, And Then Her Ripped Purse Was Found In A Park, Along With A Strange Handwritten Note

Marco - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only
Marco - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

Jean Elizabeth Spangler was born on September 2, 1923, in Seattle, Washington. But she attended a Los Angeles high school and decided to pursue her Hollywood film dreams after graduating and getting gigs as a dancer.

Then, when Jean was just 19-years-old, she got married to a manufacturer named Dexter Benner. Six months later, though, Jean filed for divorce after the teen accused her husband of cruelty.

Nonetheless, the pair continued engaging in an on-again-off-again relationship for an additional four years. During that time, Jean and Dexter also welcomed a daughter into the world together.

By 1946, though, all of that changed. The pair were officially divorced, and they were forced to enter a long custody battle over their child. But two years later, in 1948, Jean was granted sole custody.

1948 was a significant period in Jean’s career, too. That year, she started to pick up small roles and appearances in Hollywood movies– pushing her dreams slowly toward fruition.

By that point, Jean and her daughter had also moved back into her mother’s house– which was located in Los Angeles’ Wilshire District– with her brother and sister-in-law.

Then, she earned another small role in a musical drama titled “Young Man With a Horn,” which was set to debut in 1950. The leading actor was Kirk Douglas, an iconic star at the time.

Before the film could hit theatres, though, the aspiring actress became well-known throughout the country. But unfortunately, it was not due to her acting.

Instead, on October 7, 1949, Jean told her sister-in-law that she was going to meet up with her ex-husband, Dexter, to discuss a late child support payment. So, she planned to leave home, meet Dexter, and go to work afterward for a night shoot.

Marco – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

Jean never returned home the following day, though. So, worried, her sister-in-law contacted the Wilshire Division of the LAPD and attempted to file a missing person’s report.

Authorities did take down Jean’s details but were reportedly skeptical of the circumstances. In fact, they believed that the young starlet had perhaps gone out or been on a fling and would show up at home at some point.

However, the very next day, Jean’s purse was discovered by Gern Dell, one of the entrances to Griffith Park. One of the purse’s handles had been ripped off, which might have indicated a struggle.

And even though all of Jean’s belongings were still undisturbed in the bag, investigators did find a strange handwritten note inside as well.

“Kirk– Can’t wait any longer. Going to see Dr. Scott. It will work out best this way while mother is away,” the note read.

The note was not signed, but it also ended with a comma– leading the LAPD to believe that Jean did not have enough time to finish writing. Plus, Jean’s mother was away and visiting family in Kentucky on the day that the young actress disappeared.

So this discovery prompted a widespread search of the Griffith Park area. Sixty men ultimately aided the effort, but unfortunately, no other evidence was found.

In turn, investigators were forced to begin piecing together what happened before Jean disappeared.

First, authorities checked with Jean’s ex-husband, Dexter, and his new wife. However, the couple confirmed that they had spent all evening together and never saw or spoke with Jean.

Then, investigators checked Jean’s work and learned that there had actually been no film production occurring on the evening of October 7.

Instead, Jean was reportedly last spotted at a Farmers Market that was just a few blocks away from her home. And according to a clerk, the starlet seemed as though she was “waiting for someone.”

At this point, though, investigators still had no viable suspects. All they were left with was the note and the mystery man “Kirk” to work with.

Well, that was until Kirk Douglas actually reached out to investigators himself while he was vacationing in Palm Springs. Apparently, the actor had heard about the case via news reports and claimed to have a tip.

More specifically, Kirk recalled how a friend of his said that Jean might have acted as an extra in his last movie.

Still, even though Kirk might have talked to Jean before, he claimed to barely remember the young star and also said that he had never gone out with her.

And while investigators cleared Kirk, Jean’s mother remembered that her daughter had spoken of a person named Kirk who was on set. However, Jean’s mom could not recall any additional information, including what studio the actors worked at together.

Afterward, though, one of Jean’s friends divulged a conversation they had with Jean in confidence. Apparently, the actress had revealed that she was pregnant right before her disappearance, which pushed investigators to think that perhaps the “Dr. Scott” may have been for an illegal pregnancy termination.

In turn, every physician in the Los Angeles area who had the last name “Scott” was followed up with. Unfortunately, though, this did not lead investigators to any additional information.

Authorities then canvassed the Sunset Strip in search of a potential suspect, but all they learned was that a former medical student with the nickname “Scotty” would frequent local clubs and bars to perform paid pregnancy terminations.

This “Scotty” was never located, though. So, investigators began to think that Jean might have died due to complications with the illegal procedure.

Still, that theory did not explain why Jean’s damaged purse was discovered in Griffith Park.

But, soon afterward, more information started to come to light. It was learned that Jean reportedly had an affair with an Air Force Lieutenant named “Scotty” during her marriage. That man was allegedly violent toward her, but Scotty’s lawyer claimed that after the affair ended in 1945, the pair never spoke again.

So, the investigators reportedly moved on, and the unrest surrounding Jean’s unsolved case only grew. Soon, the press began referencing the unsolved 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short– which is otherwise known as “the Black Dahlia case.”

Jean’s background as an aspiring actress and even her physical appearance were strangely similar to Elizabeth’s. And due to this, many people began to theorize that perhaps the same person who had mutilated Elizabeth Short was also behind Jean’s disappearance.

And recently, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the son of the prime suspect in Elizabeth Short’s case– Steve Hodel– suggested that his father might have been behind both murders.

Steve claimed that his celebrity doctor father, George Hodel, was the Black Dahlia murderer. And in support of this theory is the fact that Jean’s ripped purse was discovered just a few miles away from George Hodel’s home.

However, George Hodel died on May 17, 1999. So, his involvement in either of the cases will likely remain unconfirmed.

At the time of Jean’s disappearance, this speculation regarding Hodel was also not supported by any evidence. So, three weeks into the investigation, investigators were at a loss.

“The only thing we have been able to find out is that this girl really got around,” one detective even said to the press.

Authorities ultimately found links between Jean and a wealthy nightclub owner, a prominent educator, various jet setters and actors, and even a gangster.

During this era in Hollywood, it was not uncommon for movie stars, studio businessmen, and mobsters to mingle.

Jean was even seeing David Ogul, also known as “Little Davy,” who was once the bodyguard of Mickey Cohen– a Jewish mobster. In fact, witnesses recalled seeing both Jean and David in Palm Springs just a week before she disappeared.

The main problem with this lead, though, was that David actually disappeared a few days before Jean did. He was reportedly under indictment for conspiracy, and it was later reported that David was murdered for speaking with law enforcement.

So, with all of these dead ends, Jean’s case has remained unsolved to this day. Given her custody battle for her 5-year-old daughter, investigators found it unlikely that she would willingly abandon her child.

Unfortunately, though, no trace of the young actress has ever been uncovered. In turn, what exactly happened to Jean Spangler on October 7, 1949, has remained a puzzling mystery.

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Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

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