On August 4th 1962 the world learned of Marilyn Monroe’s death. She was discovered by her housekeeper in her bedroom, nude and facedown, on her bed. She died from an overdose of Nembutal and chloral hydrate and her death was ruled a suicide. Whether these substances were self-administered or not, still to this day, are one of debate.
Background
Marilyn Monroe was an all-American success story. She rose from the ranks of orphan to onscreen sex idol. She was married to a sports legend, a literary giant, and had affairs with both John and Bobby Kennedy. She had everything, yet according to her friends, was scared for her life. Her fear was well founded.
It’s a matter of record that her house was bugged and that she was being watched. She was privy to many state secrets, mainly from Bobby Kennedy’s indiscreet pillow talk. She kept a diary of their conversations and had shown this to some close friends. Although the book mysteriously vanished, a close friend of Marilyn’s, Robert Slatzer was able to recall some of her entries. One entry, the intended assassination of Fidel Castro, was known by this individual, prior to it becoming public knowledge during a 1970’s Senate hearing. Marilyn, on many an occasion, had threatened to go public with the knowledge that she had of state matters, but never did.
On the night of her death, she bade her housekeeper good night and took a telephone with a long cord into her bedroom, closing the door behind her, never opening it again.
Murder or Suicide
Many interesting, non-explained phenomena surround Marilyn’s death and are too many to list. Below, however, are some of the most intriguing points to ponder. You can draw your own conclusions.
- There was no suicide note ever recovered.
- How could Marilyn swallow Nembutal tablets when no water glass was found on her nightstand and the plumbing system in the adjacent bathroom was turned off?
- Why did it take four hours after the discovery of her death to inform police and why are there so many discrepancies as to what happened during that time by so many people?
- Her autopsy results showed no trace or residue of any tablet in her stomach or small intestines. Also toxicology studies on these organs were never done.
- She had a fresh bruise on her back that couldn’t be ruled out as an act of violence.
- The autopsy showed a purple discoloration of the large intestine, suggesting that drugs may have been introduced here rather than being swallowed. This discoloration, as noted by one of the medical examiners present, was inconsistent and non-characteristic of oral barbiturate overdose death.
- Peter Lawford, the Kennedy’s brother-in-law stated, "Marilyn took her last big enema".
- Marilyn’s psychiatrist, in response to a reporter’s question concerning her death stated, " I can’t explain myself or defend myself without revealing things that I don’t want to reveal…. because I can’t tell the whole story. Listen.... talk to Bobby Kennedy."
Today the mystery surrounding her death prevails. The sealing of her file by the government, the destruction and loss of the many records during that time and the death of many of the people involved, leave us with conspiracy theories and innuendos only. Unless a lost piece of evidence or concrete proof surfaces, conjecture is all that we have.
References
Roger Wilkes. The Mammoth Book of unsolved Crimes. Carroll and Graf Publishers, 2007
