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Marilyn Monroe, the quintessential bombshell of Hollywood, was one of the most iconic stars. Born as Norma Jeane Mortenson, Marilyn was the sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s and hailed for her beauty. Marilyn was an outstanding actress, way ahead of her time. Though she began her career as a model, fame knocked on her door with films like As Young as You Feel, Monkey Business and Don’t Bother to Knock.
Marilyn Monroe’s life had been a mystery as it was a tumultuous blend of stardom, mental health struggles and her relationships. Born to a mother with paranoid schizophrenia, Marilyn spent her childhood in foster homes and faced abuse. Soon, she was transformed into a sex symbol in the industry, whom every man desired. However, her fame was seeded with insecurities, anxiety and depression. Her death, too, was marred with mysteries.
How did Marilyn Monroe die?
Marilyn Monroe died on August 4, 1962, under mysterious circumstances. It was Marilyn’s house help, Eunice Murray, who sensed something wrong on the morning of August 5, 1962, as she saw light coming out of the actress’s room. When Murray knocked on the door, she received no response from the actress and discovered that it was locked from the inside.
Murray then dialled Marilyn’s psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson, and broke into the room through the window. He found Marilyn nude on the bed, only covered by a sheet. Her face was down with a telephone in one hand. Marilyn’s physician, Hyman Engelberg, arrived at the actress’s house and pronounced her dead at the age of 36. Later, a toxicology report suggested that Marilyn died from acute barbiturate and chloral hydrate poisoning.
What happened to Marilyn Monroe’s after her death? Did her body go missing?
After the doctor declared Marilyn dead, he immediately informed the police, who took her body to the mortuary for an autopsy. After Marilyn’s body was discovered, it took six hours for the corpse to arrive at the morgue, whereas the distance from her home to the hospital was only 45 minutes. There were many claims pertaining to Marilyn Monroe’s dead body as some reports claim that her body was abused by necrophiliacs during this time, but this has never been publicly investigated or proven.
Several reports also surfaced that reporters bribed the morgue guards to acquire photos of Marilyn’s body. There were claims that Marilyn’s dead body too was tampered with as Dr Thomas Noguchi claimed that materials from her stomach and intestines had been ‘destroyed’.
Was Marilyn Monroe’s body tampered?
When Greenson discovered Marilyn’s body, it was facing down. But when her body was taken to the coroner’s office, it was placed on her back. Forensic pathologist, Cyril Wecht explained that since Marilyn’s body was moved after she was discovered, “There was no dual lividity present when she was found.” So it was important to call a medical examiner or a forensic pathologist. But the time lapse in Marilyn’s death changed the entire case.
Marilyn Monroe looked unrecognisable after her body was found
Marilyn Monroe was known for her beauty, but when her lifeless body was found, it was impossible to recognise the gorgeous face which stole millions of hearts. Yes, you read that right. Mortician Allan Abbot claimed in his book, Pardon My Hearse, that Marilyn was unrecognisable and shared:
“When we removed the sheet covering her, it was almost impossible to believe this was the body of Marilyn Monroe. She looked like a very average, ageing woman who had not been taking very good care of herself. Obviously, the circumstances surrounding her death had greatly exacerbated her poor appearance and she was unrecognizable.”
Her unrecognisable appearance also supported the rumours of her body being abused. Despite all the reports and claims, there is ultimately no hard evidence to suggest that Marilyn’s body really did go missing or was tampered with in any way.
Did Marilyn Monroe commit suicide?
After the initial investigation, Marilyn’s death was ruled out as suicide, as a fatal amount of sedatives was found in her system. Suicide was the most common theory since empty medicine bottles were found by her bed, and the dosage in her body was several times over the lethal limit. An 8.0 milligram per cent level of chloral hydrate was found in Marilyn’s body, which was very, very high.
She got her prescriptions a few days before her death. The bottle of chloral hydrate contained 50 capsules on July 31, 1962, and after Marilyn’s death, the bottle only contained ten tablets. So, 40 tablets were used over five days. As per Wecht:
“Remember, she took them daily. We know that she had been taking chloral hydrate for some time from her prescriptions. As a matter of fact, these half-gram, 0.5-gram capsules, it seems like she may have been taking as many as 10 per day.”
Murder conspiracy in Marilyn Monroe’s death
Another conspiracy theory stated that Marilyn was murdered. There had been many reports stating that Marilyn was murdered by John and/or Robert Kennedy, with whom she allegedly had love affairs. The reports also claimed that the Kennedys killed Marilyn since they feared that she would make the relationship public.
The Kennedys also believed that Marilyn would leak many government secrets that she was aware of. Two decades after Marilyn’s death, her housekeeper revealed that Robert Kennedy visited Marilyn on the night of her death and quarrelled with her. However, the credibility of the information is still questionable.
After almost 60 years, Marilyn Monroe’s death is still a mystery, just like she was for her audience.
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