Inside the disappearance of Hollywood starlet Jean Spangler that saw Kirk Douglas dragged into investigation... after mysterious note bombshell

By EVE BUCKLAND, US SHOWBUSINESS DEPUTY EDITOR Published: 15:14, 14 June 2026 | Updated: 15:23, 14 June 2026 In Hollywood's golden age, Jean Spangler was just one of countless young starlets dreaming of a fairytale rise to fame. With her porcelain doll looks and willowy 5ft8 frame, along with a resume of film bit parts, Spangler seemed destined to make some kind of mark in Tinseltown - even if it was not with her name in lights alongside darlings Betty Grable or Olivia De Havilland.  Tragically, the fame Spangler would so desperately seek would not come from her onscreen appearances, but her haunting disappearance in 1949. All Spangler left behind was a ripped purse, a mysterious note and a young daughter who never knew why her mother failed to come home.  The vanishing of the 26-year-old even saw megastar Kirk Douglas dragged into the fracas. Theories swung wildly - from her death during a botched abortion to Spangler leaving LA with gangsters.  In Hollywood's golden age, Jean Spangler was just one of countless young starlets dreaming of a fairytale rise to fame Tragically, the fame Spangler would so desperately seek would not come from her onscreen appearances, but her haunting disappearance in 1949, which has left a lasting legacy on the city of Los Angeles - pictured with daughter Christine  Spangler (L) is seen in When My Baby Smiles at Me in 1948 with Betty Grable (center) Spangler's short life story begins in Seattle, Washington in 1923.  She married plastics manufacturer Dexter Benner in 1942 but filed for divorce just six months later, citing cruelty. The pair reconciled and welcomed a daughter, Christine, in April 1944. The marriage ended again in 1946, with Benner granted full custody of their toddler daughter. This led to a 'bitter' custody battle which Spangler won in 1948, before embarking on her Hollywood career. Spangler appeared as a dancer in films including Walter Lang's When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948), the comedy Chicken Every Sunday (1949) and the musical drama Young Man with a Horn (1950) alongside Douglas.  She juggled her set time with regular work at LA hotspot Florentine Gardens and the Earl Carroll Theatre.  At the time of her disappearance Spangler lived with her mother Florence, five-year-old daughter Christine, brother Edward, and sister-in-law Sophie, on Colgate Avenue in Miracle Mile, LA. She had recently wrapped production on what would be her final film, The Petty Girl, in which she played a 'nightclub patron' alongside good friend Robert Cummings.  October 7, 1949 seemed like any other normal day for the family. While Florence was away, Spangler asked Sophie to care for Christine while she met Benner to ask for an increase in child support. Two days later, a breakthrough happened when a Griffith Park employee found Spangler's black purse around 5.5 miles from her home. The item told a tale of a vicious struggle, with its handle torn in half as if it had been ripped off Spangler's arm, but its contents were unsullied The LAPD are seen combing the Hollywood Hills in 1949 in a bid to find Spangler  Spangler did not leave the house with any cash - but the purse contained a mysterious note in her handwriting addressed to an unknown man. It read, 'Kirk--Can't wait any longer. Going to see Dr. Scott. It will work out best this way while Mother is away,'.... Spangler had just completed filming film Young Man with a Horn starring Kirk Douglas. Inevitably, Douglas was linked to the note - leading to the star himself calling police and denying any association with Spangler - pictured in the film with Doris Day She told Sophie she would then go to work on a film night shoot - before heading out the door at 5.30pm. Two hours later, Spangler called home to check on Christine and told Sophie she would 'have to work the full eight hours' and would not be home that evening. The next day her disappearance was reported to police. Police checked with surrounding studios and the Screen Extras Guild and found no evidence that Spangler had gone to work that night. A saleswoman at the Farmers Market close to the Spangler home said they saw the actress around 6pm browsing for groceries, claiming that she 'appeared to be waiting for someone.' Per newspaper accounts, Spangler was seen at a Sunset Strip restaurant around 2.30am on October 8, where she was seen 'arguing with two men.' Two days later, a breakthrough happened when a Griffith Park employee found Spangler's black purse around 5.5 miles from her home.  The item told a tale of a vicious struggle, with its handle torn in half as if it had been ripped off Spangler's arm. Robbery was quickly ruled out as a motive - Spangler did not leave the house with any cash - but the purse contained a mysterious note in her handwriting addressed to an unknown man.  It read, 'Kirk--Can't wait any longer. Going to see Dr. Scott. It will work out best this way while Mother is away,'.... Baffled family and friends did not know any Dr Scott or Kirk.  Spangler had just completed filming film Young Man with a Horn starring Douglas. Inevitably, Douglas was linked to the note - leading to the Oscar winner himself calling police, saying he was in Palm Springs at the time, and denying any association with Spangler. Spangler disappeared just two years after the heinous murder of Elizabeth Short, who is immortalized in true crime history as the Black Dahlia. Spangler's striking resemblance to Short, combined with her work at Florentine Gardens, owned by Short's acquaintance and murder suspect Mark Hansen, saw police wonder if she was another victim of the killer Short was found with her torso chopped in half, drained of blood and a joker smile carved into her face. Pictured: Short's body at the crime scene in 1947 Two months before Spangler walked away forever, Hollywood socialite Mimi Boomhower, 48, vanished from her Bel-Air mansion after telling a friend she was meeting a man at her home Florentine Gardens was tied to the underworld and a favored haunt of the LA Mafia On October 12, Douglas made a formal statement, which read: 'I told Detective Chief Thad Brown that I didn't remember the girl or the name until a friend recalled it was she who worked as an extra in a scene with me in my picture Young Man with a Horn... then I recalled that she was a tall girl in a green dress.  'I talked and kidded with her a bit on the set... But I never saw her before or after that and have never been out with her.' Benner too denied ever seeing Spangler that night - an alibi corroborated by his new wife of one month - and said he had in fact not seen her for weeks before she vanished.  Her friends then claimed she had been three months pregnant when she vanished and that she had talked about having an abortion. In the 1940s, LA was a major hub for illegal abortions, with women forced to turn to underground networks of physicians and unlicensed practitioners to end their unwanted pregnancies. Spangler was also linked to David 'Little Davy' Ogul, an associate of mobster Micky Cohen (Cohen pictured) There were whispers of a former medical student nicknamed 'Doc' who performed illegal abortions - but police could not even prove he existed.  Her colorful love life fell under the microscope, with Spangler telling Cummings she was having a 'casual affair' and 'having the time of my life' - was this Kirk?  Spangler disappeared just two years after the heinous murder of Elizabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia.  Her striking resemblance to Short, combined with her work at Florentine Gardens, owned by Short's acquaintance and murder suspect Mark Hansen, saw police wonder if she was another victim of the killer.   George Hodel, a well-known surgeon who lived and worked in Los Angeles at the time of the murder also emerged as a suspect - with his son, retired LAPD homicide detective Steve Hodel claiming he had murdered Spangler and Short in 2003 book, Black Dahlia Avenger. George Hodel, a well-known surgeon who lived and worked in Los Angeles at the time of the murder also emerged as a suspect - with his son, retired LAPD homicide detective Steve Hodel claiming he had murdered Spangler and Short in 2003 book, Black Dahlia Avenger  Two months before Spangler walked away forever, Hollywood socialite Mimi Boomhower, 48, mysteriously vanished from her Bel-Air mansion after telling a friend she was meeting a man at her home. Spangler was also linked to David 'Little Davy' Ogul, an associate of mobster Micky Cohen. Witnesses reported seeing Spangler and Ogul in Palm Springs a week before she disappeared. In a further twist, Ogul himself vanished just two days before Spangler, after having been indicted on conspiracy charges  Los Angeles detectives were tipped off that Spangler, Ogul and the missing Frank Niccoli - a bodyguard and collector for Cohen - were seen in El Paso, Texas. An employee at a hotel identified Spangler from her photograph - with US Customs Agents saying they believed Spangler had travelled to Las Vegas. The sightings continued all over Northern California, Phoenix, the San Fernando Valley, Mexico City and Palm Springs, but Spangler was never tracked down. Spangler's mother Florence denied her daughter was ever 'mixed up with gangsters' - pictured holding a photo of Spangler at their home Florence denied Spangler was ever 'mixed up with gangsters.'  In 1951 Benner's second wife Lynn tried to adopt Christine, a judge blocked the move citing no proof that Spangler abandoned her daughter. Benner died in 2007 - having refused all interviews.  As of 2017, the LAPD still class her case as open. The Daily Mail has contacted the LAPD for further comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. 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