What Really Happened to Marilyn Monroe?

Whenever a public figure dies, people start to ask questions. They usually want to know why or how it happened. Sometimes, though, no answer is available. Or, if an answer exists, it is not a clear answer or the answer the public wants to hear. This is the case with the death of Marilyn Monroe. The official story was that she was found dead on August 4, 1962, in her Los Angeles home as a result of overdosing on barbiturates, a prescription drug (Vankin and Whalen 101). Her death certificate reads "probable suicide," although many people don't believe this explanation. Forty-five years later, people still question what really happened to Marilyn Monroe.

At the time of Monroe's death, not many people knew about her relationships with John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. She had first started having an affair with President Kennedy at a party at the White House. They met numerous times secretly, but when Monroe decided to sing "Happy Birthday" to the President at his forty-fifth birthday, the President became very angry and embarrassed. At this point, the president decided to end his affair with Monroe. She wouldn't take no for an answer and made several phone calls to the White House, trying to get in touch with the President. J.F.K. sent his brother Bobby to see Monroe and explain that all communication must be cut off. Bobby, however, didn't just deliver the message; he started having his own affair with her. During this time, Bobby, who was the Attorney General, told Monroe information pertaining to his role as Attorney General (Vankin and Whalen 100). At this time, she decided to write down all her conversations between her and Bobby in her diary.

Bobby soon decided to end his relationship with Monroe because he didn't want to threaten his public image. He cut off all forms of communication with her and gave her no explanation. Monroe managed to call Bobby one last time, at which point she told him that she was going to release all the information he had told her at a press conference set on August 5, 1962. Monroe never made it to the press conference because she was found dead on August 4th.

The official story of how Marilyn Monroe died just doesn't add up. Eunice Murray, Monroe's housekeeper, claimed that she had to break into Monroe's window because her bedroom door had been locked. If Monroe's window had been broken from the outside, the glass would have fallen inside the house, rather than outside the home, as it was found. In all likelihood, whoever committed the crime broke the bedroom window from the inside to make it look as if that were how he or she entered. Murray also said that she saw a light under Monroe's door, which alarmed her. This was not possible because Monroe's rug covered all light, therefore, leaving no possibility that the housekeeper could have possibly seen any light at all. Why would she then say that?

Another fact that doesn't add up is that the official story was that she had overdosed with about 50 Nembutals, but her autopsy report showed that there was no pill residue left in her stomach. Also, Clemmons, who was the officer first at the scene, found no drinking glass in the room, leaving one to wonder how she could have possibly swallowed that many pills with nothing to drink.

Eunice Murray claimed that she had found Marilyn dead at midnight and immediately called the police. But in the police reports, she indicated she called at 3:30. According to the autopsy, Monroe died between 9:00 and midnight. Why then did Eunice wait until 3:30 to call the police (National Insecurity Council 130-131)?

Monroe's body had been found in an outstretched position flat on the bed. According to Sgt. Clemmons, overdoses often cause a body to go into convulsions, leaving it contorted (National Insecurity Council 131). It was also reported that the ambulance had picked up Monroe and taken her to the hospital while she was still alive, but then brought her back to the house. Why would ambulance drivers bring a dead body back to the house?

Monroe had