Coroner for Marilyn Monroe’s autopsy breaks silence 60 years later with bombshell claim
The coroner who performed Marilyn Monroe’s autopsy has made a devastating claim six decades after her death.
No greater name sparks elegance, sophistication, raw beauty and talent than Marilyn Monroe’s.
The starlet rose to fame after becoming a sex symbol in the 50s and early 60s before her tragic death at the age of 36 in 1962.
Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortensen, had become a top-tier actress, starring in films that grossed $200 million ($2 billion in 2024) during her short career.
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She’s known for her iconic blonde hair, tight dresses and, of course, her sultry rendition of Happy Birthday to the late US president, John F Kennedy. But just two months after she sang that infamous song, her shocking death - which was ruled as suicide - was announced.
Thomas Noguchi was one of the newest deputy coroners in Los Angeles County in August 1962, and he was tasked with carrying out the autopsy of Monroe 64 years ago.
Now, aged 98, he revealed that he’s uncertain she truly died by suicide, and spoke of the moment alarm bells rang in his ears.
In the book LA Coroner by Anne Soon Choi, he revealed that he had read the investigator's report into her death.
It said, as seen by The Daily Mail: "White female. Blue eyes. 5'4’. Numerous bottles of pills were found scattered on a bedside table, including an empty bottle of Nembutal - sleeping pills - and a partially empty bottle of chloral hydrate, a powerful sedative."
Monroe was found lying face down and nude in her bed, with her hand outstretched and resting on the phone near her.
Noguchi claimed that the report revealed Monroe had been given a prescription for Nembutal two days earlier, and she had spoken to her psychiatrist just one day before her death.
"It was straightforward," Noguchi told the author. "But an autopsy would need to be done to confirm the death."
He then examined the body for any signs of injection markers, but found none.
Having searched her scalp and back for any marks, the coroner then made his incision to look at her stomach and small intestine. However, surprisingly to him, there was no visual evidence of pills.
He then went on to collect samples of her blood, urine, liver, kidneys, her stomach and its contents, and intestines for a toxicology report to be conducted.
But, when the lab result concluded, he said 'alarm bells went off in his head'.
That’s because head toxicologist, Raymond Abernathy, found fatal levels of pentobarbital and chloral hydrate in her system, and decided there was no point in running any more tests on her stomach or other organs.
"A wave of anxiety washed over [Noguchi]," wrote Choi. "He knew that not running the additional tests would become a problem for him.
"It left too many questions unanswered, and ultimately, as the pathologist who conducted the physical autopsy, he would be held responsible."
Amid conspiracies that she had been murdered by the CIA after a rumoured affair with President Kennedy, Chief Coroner Theodore Curphey revealed publicly that she had committed suicide.
With many questions left unanswered because of the lack of additional testing, Noguchi 'wanted to rectify the situation by having the stomach's contents and organs tested'.
“But the toxicologist disposed of them once the coroner's report was issued," the book said.
"Without a complete analysis, it was impossible to rule out that Monroe had died by injection rather than by swallowing pills. But what could he do? He couldn't challenge Curphey or the head toxicologist."
That’s when he began to question whether he was inadvertently involved in a 'cover up' of a possible murder.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: Celebrity, Drugs, Health, US News, Mental Health
Britt Jones