The Murder of Thelma Todd

Thelma Todd, also known as Thelma Alice Todd and “Hot Toddy” was an actress on the American Hollywood scene in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Thelma Todd lived in an apartment above the café that she ran on the Roosevelt Highway, the Sidewalk Café. Just uphill from the café, Thelma had a garage. On December 15, 1935, Thelma Todd was found dead inside this garage, behind the steering wheel of her Packard convertible. At the time there were some who believed that she had committed suicide or accidentally killed herself while warming up her car in the garage; however, signs of foul play came to light. Thelma had blood on her mouth and there were traces on blood on the car as well along with a smudged hand print on the car door. Thelma’s blood alcohol level was too high to have allowed her to climb the 300 uphill steps to the garage in her high heel shoes. Despite these findings however, the death of Thelma Todd was ultimately ruled a suicide after the hearing of evidence that she was depressed and occasionally spoke of suicide. The facts still seem to indicate that there was foul play involved in her death though, but unfortunately for Thelma, no one will ever know what really happened in that garage.