FIRST ON FOX: In a breakthrough development, cold case detectives in Los Angeles are re-examining newly uncovered fingerprints from 1943 in the ongoing investigation of the notorious Black Dahlia murder. This chilling case involves the unsolved 1947 killing and mutilation of Elizabeth Short, a young actress with Hollywood dreams.

Elizabeth Short, a 22-year-old originally from Massachusetts, met a gruesome end in Los Angeles. Her body was found dismembered in a vacant lot, nearly 80 years ago. The horrific scene was so meticulously arranged that the woman who stumbled upon the body initially mistook it for a mannequin, a chilling detail recorded by the FBI. Short’s body had been cut in half, drained of blood, and cleaned, making it one of the most disturbing mysteries in American crime history.

Detective Marty Mojarro, one of the LAPD cold case investigators currently working on this case, acknowledges the challenges posed by the passage of time. “This is probably one of the most difficult cases, realistically, because of the time that’s passed,” he noted, emphasizing the complexities faced in solving such an old mystery.

Adding another layer to the intrigue, independent forensic examiner Alex Baber, co-founder of the Cold Case Consultants of America, has recently surfaced with potential evidence. Baber suggests a possible connection between Short’s former boyfriend, Marvin Margolis, and her murder. Intriguingly, this evidence might also tie Margolis to the Zodiac Killer, another infamous and unresolved case haunting California’s history.

Most recently, independent forensic examiner Alex Baber, co-founder of the Cold Case Consultants of America, said he found evidence that could link Short’s ex-boyfriend Marvin Margolis to her murder and to the Zodiac Killer, another infamous, unsolved case in California.

Mojarro said the claim still needs vetting but warrants further investigation, and he has received what Baber says is Margolis’ government fingerprint card from 1943, which had not previously been obtained by police.

“As an investigator, if it potentially could help, I would absolutely not turn it down,” Mojarro told Fox News Digital.

An image of Marvin Merrill in 1969. (Courtesy of Alex Baber)

Margolis served in the Pacific in the Navy in World War II. He lived in Los Angeles after the war with a roommate named Bill Robinson, who was a Navy cryptologist, and he dated Short.

Margolis was among 22 persons of interest in her death identified in 1951, according to police records Baber shared with Fox News Digital previously. Later, he changed his name to Marvin Merrill, then again to Marty Merrill, and settled in the Midwest.

Mojarro said he could not comment on what other evidence the LAPD may or may not have in the case file to compare the exemplars to.

Baber said he believes this image shows Black Dahlia victim Elizabeth Short and was drawn by Marvin Margolis, who may have used the aliases Marvin Merrill and Marty Merrill. Margolis was an early suspect in Short’s 1947 murder. He was never charged and has since died. According to Baber, there are indentations from a pencil visible in person that add texture and new clues to the image, including wounds that are consistent with those found on Short and, more explosively, the word “Zodiac” in the lower right. (Alex Baber)

The FBI has revealed previously that there was a letter that may have been sent to authorities by Short’s killer. Fingerprints on the packaging were not a match for anything in the FBI’s database in the past.

According to Baber, his team at Cold Case Consultants was unable to exclude a print on the package, which was sent to the Los Angeles Herald Express on Jan. 24, 1947.

“It contained 23 pieces of Elizabeth’s personal belongings that would’ve been in her purse the night she was abducted and murdered on Jan. 14,” Baber said.

Alex Baber of Cold Case Consultants of America poses for a photo in the courtyard of the East Hampton Library during the Hamptons Whodunit event on Saturday, April 18. Baber presented evidence he says shows the Black Dahlia murder and Zodiac serial slayings were linked. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

For the LAPD’s cold case investigators, all leads with potential are worth vetting.

“We don’t have live witnesses to interview,” Mojarro said. “All the physical evidence that was ever collected — it is what it is.”

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NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City, made a return to his regular broadcast on Wednesday evening following a recent hospitalization for viral pneumonia earlier this month. This marked his first appearance on “The Rudy Giuliani Show” since his health scare.

The 81-year-old began his conservative talk show by reassuring listeners of his ongoing recovery, although he acknowledged he hasn’t completely bounced back yet. Earlier in May, Giuliani had faced a critical health crisis, requiring a ventilator during his stay at a Palm Beach, Florida hospital.

News of Giuliani’s condition prompted a wave of support and messages of goodwill from prominent political figures on both sides of the aisle.

“I want to express my gratitude to everyone who offered prayers and positive thoughts,” Giuliani conveyed, extending special thanks to his family, the medical professionals who cared for him, and former U.S. President Donald Trump, who reached out with a phone call during his illness.

“It’s great to be back,” Giuliani remarked before heading into the first commercial break of the show.

Giuliani was previously hospitalized last September after suffering a fractured vertebra and other injuries in a car crash in New Hampshire.

After Giuliani’s eight-year tenure as mayor, which was punctuated by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, the longtime Republican politician ran unsuccessfully for president in 2008 and eventually became a personal attorney and adviser to Trump.

Giuliani was a vocal proponent of the president’s allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump and his backers lost dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud, and numerous recounts, reviews and audits of the election results turned up no signs of significant wrongdoing or error.

Two former Georgia election workers later won a $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani. As they sought to collect the judgment, the former federal prosecutor was found in contempt of court and faced a trial this winter over the ownership of some of his assets.

Giuliani ultimately struck a deal that let him keep his homes and various belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to stop speaking ill of the ex-election workers.

Last year, Trump said he was awarding Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The Jets swiftly decided to part ways with their rookie kicker.

A source has revealed that the team is releasing kicker Will Ferrin. Ferrin’s stint with the Jets was brief, having been signed as an undrafted free agent shortly after last month’s NFL draft.

During last weekend’s rookie minicamp, Ferrin, who hails from BYU, showed inconsistent performance. Despite receiving a $18,750 guarantee, as reported by Spotrac, his future with the team was short-lived.

The decision to release Ferrin comes as the Jets aim to make room on the roster for wide receiver Tim Patrick, with whom they finalized a contract on Wednesday.

Following Nick Folk’s departure to the Falcons during free agency, the Jets are on the lookout for a reliable kicker. Currently, the roster includes Cade York and Lenny Krieg in that role, but adjustments are expected as they continue their search for a dependable option throughout spring and summer.

In a recent Los Angeles outing, pop icon Britney Spears reportedly stirred up a scene at a local restaurant, just after exiting rehab and settling a DUI case.

According to eyewitnesses, the 44-year-old singer appeared visibly upset during her visit to the Blue Dog Tavern in Sherman Oaks, as reported by TMZ.

Observers noted a tense and peculiar atmosphere, with Spears allegedly raising her voice, shouting, and even mimicking barking noises.

During the visit, some diners expressed alarm when Spears walked by holding a knife, fearing she might inadvertently cause harm.

Witnesses also reported that Spears was accompanied by an unidentified man, with whom she shared food and exchanged affectionate words, including “I love you,” leaving some to wonder if her remarks were sincere or made in jest.

Restaurant staff reportedly had to intervene when Spears lit a cigarette near the entrance. 

The Daily Mail has contacted Spears’ representatives, as well as the Blue Dog Tavern, for comment. 

Britney Spears reportedly caused a stir during a night out at the Blue Dog Tavern in LA on Wednesday, just days after leaving rehab and resolving a recent DUI case

Sources describe a tense and unusual atmosphere as Spears reportedly raised her voice, yelled, made barking sounds and walked past a table holding a knife; (pictured in 2023) 

The Blue Dog Tavern in Sherman Oaks

According to the outlet’s sources, Spears was eventually escorted home by her security team. 

The insiders said diners didn’t realize the erratic behavior was coming from the pop star herself until after she had left. 

Left on her table was a crumpled, folded menu. 

The scene under Spears’ table also drew attention, with one witness remarking it looked ‘like a toddler had been there.’

As for her meal, sources say Spears ordered a burger and fries but ate very little, focusing mainly on the fries. 

Several items, including what appeared to be a glass of orange juice, were left untouched.

The unusual scene quickly became the ‘talk of the restaurant’, with one witness remarking that would ‘only happen in L.A.’

The incident follows Spears missing a rare family gathering on Saturday, where relatives had come together to celebrate her niece Maddie’s high school graduation. 

The singer has been riding a rollercoaster of chaos lately, pleading guilty to a DUI last week, just two months after her arrest. 

Left on Spears’ table was a crumpled menu

Witnesses say Spears shared food with an unidentified man accompanying her and appeared affectionate, telling him ‘I love you,’ though it was unclear whether the comment was serious or playful; (pictured February)

Only days before entering the plea, she left a substance abuse rehab facility after a three-week stay. 

The antics didn’t stop there: earlier this year, she was spotted tottering out of a bar clutching a champagne flute, while her Instagram feed has been filled with topless snaps.

Amid all the drama, the pop star was notably absent from her niece’s milestone celebration. 

Exclusive Daily Mail photos show the rest of the Spears clan turning it into a family affair, with her son Preston, sister Jamie Lynn, mom Lynne, and amputee dad Jamie taking center stage.

The graduation comes after Spears’ family members were reportedly among the first people to check in with her following her shocking DUI arrest in March.

Family sources said that Spears’s mother Lynne gave her a call as soon as she learned of the arrest, at which point Spears had already been released from custody.

Sources also said that singer also spoke with her sons Sean Preston and Jayden, 19,  both of whom moved to Hawaii with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline , in 2023, after she returned home.

Spears’s mother allegedly wanted to let the singer know that she had her support.

Restaurant staff reportedly had to intervene when Spears lit a cigarette near the entrance; (pictured February)

Despite their infamous ups and downs in the four years since Spears’s conservatorship was ended, the two were said to be on good terms.

Jayden and Sean Preston allegedly became estranged from Spears in 2022, and they moved to Hawaii with their father the following year.

However, Spears reportedly reconciled with her sons. 

Last year, Federline released the memoir You Thought You Knew, in which he spoke about how his sons developed a strained relationship with their mother after she allegedly ’emotionally traumatized’ them. 

On February 12, she was photographed taking a spin around Los Angeles while she appeared to be talking on the phone, which is illegal in California under the ‘No Touch’ law.

She was not charged in relation to the incident. 

It was, however, not an isolated incident for Spears, who, in recent months, was filmed swerving into the wrong lane on a highway after a night out. 

At the time, sources feared she was ‘spiraling’ amid the release of Federline’s memoir. 

In 2024, Britney reconciled with Jayden and has since shared social media posts of their reunions on multiple occasions in the past year. In September, a source revealed that Britney and her eldest son Sean Preston are also ‘slowly rebuilding’ their relationship; (pictured in April 2013)

Spears also has a history of knife-related drama: in 2023, police reportedly visited her home after a video surfaced of her brandishing knives, though no charges were ever filed. 

The pop star has faced very public personal struggles for nearly two decades. 

In 2007, the star famously suffered a harrowing breakdown after exhibiting worrying behavior in the months leading up to her infamous psychiatric hold.

The then 25-year-old had fans concerned after she shaved her head and attacked a paparazzi’s car with a green umbrella, before she checked into a rehab facility.

The Toxic singer suffered another setback after a disastrous performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, when her performance of Gimme More was heavily criticized by both fans and critics alike.

Then, in January 2008, she was put under lockdown at a facility after refusing to hand over her young son to Federline. 

More recently, Spears has been open about issues with her family, as in early February, when she claimed she is ‘scared’ of them and ‘lucky to be alive’ in a bombshell social media post. 

The hitmaker claimed that her relatives will ‘never take responsibility’ as she criticized them for ‘isolating’ her. 

With her father Jamie, brother Bryan, sister Jamie-Lynn and mom Lynne in 2003

‘I’m incredibly lucky to even be alive with how my family treated me once in my life and now I’m scared of them,’ the singer wrote in a lengthy caption.

‘They will never take responsibility for what they did,’ she wrote, adding, ‘We can forgive as people but u don’t ever forget.’

Spears has had a contentious relationship with her family members for years following her 13-year conservatorship that ended in November 2021. 

The pop star and her father have remained at odds since finally settling their long-running legal battle over the infamous conservatorship that controlled nearly every aspect of her life for more than a decade.

Spears’ conservatorship officially ended in 2021, following an outcry from fans and the explosive #FreeBritney movement.

She has previously described her father as ‘controlling,’ insisting she still struggles with trust around him.