In very rare instances, people who suspect their fathers, brothers or other family members are long-sought serial killers are dead right and help authorities solve a notorious cold case. But far more often, they pester police with circumstantial evidence backing up wild theories.

After the still-unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short—the 22-year-old woman and aspiring starlet later dubbed 'The Black Dahlia'— the media and preachers used the case to warn young women of what could happen when you try to leave your family and seek fame.