On August 5, 1962, the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe, one of the most popular Hollywood stars, sent shockwaves throughout the world.
At approximately 3:00 a.m., Eunice Murray, Marilyn’s housekeeper, noticed that the light was on in Monroe’s bedroom, and the door was locked.
She immediately called Marilyn’s psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, and, upon his advice, looked through a window.
There, she saw Marilyn lying facedown on her bed, covered by a sheet and clutching a telephone receiver.
She had been dead an estimated six to eight hours.
After Dr. Greenson arrived, he entered the room by breaking a window and discovered Marilyn Monroe dead.
The Los Angeles Police Department was called to the scene at 4:25 a.m.
An empty bottle found on Monroe’s bedside table contained 50 Nembutal capsules, prescribed only two or three days ago.
Monroe’s personal physician, Dr. Hyman Engelberg, indicated that the capsules were intended to be taken in doses of one per night.
By dawn, reporters and photographers milled around Monroe’s residence, gathering near the lawns and swimming pool.
Monroe’s lifeless body was carefully wrapped in a pale blue blanket and secured to a stretcher before being solemnly removed from her home.
Entrances to her home were sealed with the notice:
“Any person breaking into or entering these premises will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
A special guard was hired to watch the $75,000 house.
After a brief investigation, the LAPD concluded that Marilyn Monroe’s death was “caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide.”
“She committed suicide by barbiturates; that is the reality, and there is nothing very special about it except for the fact that she was Marilyn Monroe,” said Police Chief Daryl F. Gates. “It’s not a pretty story. It’s very tragic.”
Despite the coroner’s verdict on Marilyn Monroe’s death cause, people are still offering numerous conspiracy theories about what really happened to the Hollywood star.
