While there
are aspects of the suicide theory that support Monroe’s death being result of
her self-administration of the drug Nembutal, there are many aspects of the
theory that are flawed. The suspicious crime scene and Monroe’s unusual
behaviours pose questions as to whether she did take her own life, while the
disappearances of Monroe’s organs and tissues from her autopsy and the absence
of pill residue in the stomach suggest that the death may not have been the
result of suicide. Authorities officially reported Monroe’s death as a pill
overdose, however Monroe, “apparently was known to struggle with washing down
pills and needed big gulps of water”[1].
Monroe allegedly swallowed approximately sixty to seventy Nembutal pills to end
her life, yet when police searched her room after her body had been found,
there was no glass of water in sight. “Mysteriously a glass was later found on
the floor by her bed but police swear that it wasn’t there when they first
searched the room”[2],
adding to suspicions that her death was not self-inflicted. Most sources agree that Monroe’s body was found at approximately 0300, however the time
at which the police were notified varies vastly. The documentary Marilyn Monroe: The Ultimate Investigation
Into A Suspicious Death stated that the police were not notified until at
least 0420, over an hour after the body had been discovered. The lack of one
consistent reported time of police arrival could suggest that there is more to
the story of Monroe’s death than has been unveiled
to the public and one of the many theories is that she was murdered due to her
involvement with the Kennedy brothers. Another contributing factor adding to
doubts Monroe’s death was suicide is her purchase of an expensive chest of
drawers the day prior to her death, “an act Harvard-trained Dr S. David Bernstein believes is inconsistent
with someone contemplating suicide” [3].
John Miner, a former prosecutor in Los Angeles, was present during
the investigations surrounding Monroe’s death and publicly concluded that he
believed Marilyn Monroe had been murdered. As a witness of the events, it is
highly intriguing that Miner is so conclusive on Monroe’s
death, and a strong supporter for the argument that Monroe did not commit suicide. Miner repeatedly commented on the disappearances of many
of Monroe’s organs, leading him to conclude that Monroe had not
committed suicide, but had been murdered. Many believe
that Monroe’s death was not a result of suicide, and supportive evidence such
as Monroe’s; situational factors of the time, organs being misplaced
surrounding the autopsy, and the lack of pill residue in her stomach suggest
her death was not a result of suicide.
[1] British Pathé, Monroe’s
Last Night, https://britishpathe.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/marilyn-monroes-last-night/,
(Accessed 01/09/15).
[2] Ibid.
