Jean Spangler, part 2

In 1949, aspiring actress and dancer Jean Spangler left her home after telling her sister-in-law she was needed on set for a bit part. She never returned home.

Because her disappearance happened around the same time as some other high profile cases like the Black Dahlia, most of the conversation around Jean is in conjunction with these cases. In this second episode we highlight the search for Jean Spangler.

Search for Jean Spangler

On Sunday, October 9th, Griffith Park employee Henry Anger spots a purse on the ground as he’s unlocking the park gates that morning. He says he knows he didn’t see it on Saturday night when he locked up. Looking through the items in the bag, he calls Sophie, Jean Spangler’s sister-in-law, who then calls police. 

The handles on the bag are torn and there is no money inside or Jean’s lucky silver dollar. Also inside is a note that reads “Kirk- can’t wait any longer. Going to see Doctor Scott. It will work out best this way while mother is away.” This is reportedly in Jean’s own handwriting.

A physical search begins and a search for details about Jean’s life is also underway. The search of the park yields nothing, leading investigators to believe that she was not attacked in the park and the purse placed there later. Some thought it was done to quickly dispose of the purse and others thought it was placed there to mislead them.

Dexter, her ex-husband, denied any involvement in her disappearance and says the two have not seen each other in months.

Theory 1: Abortion
One of the primary theories about Jean’s disappearance has been that she died from an unsafe abortion provided illegally in a time it was prohibited in the United States. While that does seem to be what her letter alluded to, there is not proof that this is what happened and no indication that this was her specific plan that night.

At the time, investigators said that there was a man providing abortion services on the Sunset Strip and that Jean would have been aware of him. Newspapers though indicated that she was “not in trouble,” code for an unplanned pregnancy outside of marriage, but that she was going there for other medical services.

Though Sophie and Jean’s mother, Florence, say they don’t know a Kirk, that was actually untrue. Jean had worked on Young Man With a Horn with actor Kirk Douglas. Douglas denied involvement with Jean at the time and said he barely interacted with her on set. Others said the two seemed quite friendly. At the time, Douglas was married with two young children. While he would later be open about his affairs and about the open marriage with his second wife, this was certainly a different era.

While another actor did say Jean was in a new relationship that was not serious, Jean did not say who this person was.

Theory 2: Serial Killer
At the time of Jean’s disappearance there were other high profile murders of women, including that of Elizabeth Short who is often referred to as the Black Dahlia. There is a connection between Jean and Elizabeth beyond their physical similarities. Elizabeth rented an apartment behind the Florentine Gardens where Jean had worked as a dancer. Though Elizabeth worked as a waitress, many have said in the years since her murder that she also had Hollywood aspirations.

Elizabeth’s murder was brutal, but it was also part of a trend of attacks on women in Los Angeles that also went unsolved. In 1949, Jean’s disappearance was added to this list and it came on the heels of another high profile missing persons case, that of Mimi Boomhower who went missing in August.

While there are many theories that connect these cases and individuals who have pointed their fingers at relatives, we’re leaving that coverage to them. What we do want to emphasize is that these murders and disappearances were not being cleared by the police, a fact that got them slammed by a Grand Jury for their inadequate approaches in these crimes.

Aftermath
With Jean’s disappearance, the family struggled over custody of Jean’s daughter Christine. Although Dexter was awarded custody, her grandmother, Florence, was supposed to have visitation rights as assigned by the courts. Their case went before a judge several times as it seems that Dexter was disinterested in providing visitation as assigned by the court. Eventually, the family moved to Florida and Florence was unable to see her grandchild.

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People and Cases Mentioned in this Episode:
Jean Spangler (unsolved missing person case)
Mimi Boomhower (unsolved missing person case)
Elizabeth Short (unsolved murder)
Jeanne French (unsolved murder)
Evelyn Winters (unsolved murder)
Gladys Kern (unsolved murder)