As the world marks what would have been Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, retired cold case investigator Paul Holes is re-examining one of Hollywood’s most debated celebrity deaths.
Holes, who spent over two decades solving crimes in California and was instrumental in identifying the Golden State Killer, now turns his attention to Monroe’s 1962 death in the new special Celebrity Crime Scene: Marilyn Monroe, produced by TMZ and airing on FOX.
The program uses artificial intelligence to reconstruct Monroe’s home, following Holes, senior crime scene analyst Alina Burroughs, and true crime reporter Kiki Monique as they explore lingering questions and long-standing theories about her passing.
“I knew she died from a drug overdose, officially ruled a probable suicide, but I didn’t know much beyond that until I began looking into the case,” Holes told Fox News Digital. “Many of the doubts surrounding her death stem from how poorly the scene was documented and handled by investigators in 1962—details that could have clarified things were simply missed.”
Monroe was discovered in August 1962, naked in her bed, a phone receiver still in her hand. Police reported finding an empty bottle near the bed that had once held about 50 Nembutal capsules—a strong sedative prescribed for insomnia. No suicide note was ever located.
“The biggest red flag was the lack of documentation,” Holes said. “There are hardly any photos of the scene. But even from the one image we have—her lying in bed—my training immediately picked up on oddities. The sheets were unnaturally neat. Her positioning didn’t match what you’d expect from someone who had just taken a fatal overdose.”
He also pointed to the nightstand, where pill bottles, including the empty Nembutal container, were neatly aligned with labels uniformly facing forward. “That prescription was filled just two days earlier with 50 barbiturate capsules—all gone, the bottle placed carefully with the cap on. People don’t usually tidy up before taking their own life like that. It stands out as inconsistent.”
Holes emphasized that inconsistencies demand scrutiny. “When something doesn’t add up, you have to pause and ask: Is this really how it happened, or is there more beneath the surface?”
Though Monroe, famed for The Seven Year Itch, had well-documented struggles with mental health, Holes’ analysis of the evidence led him to question whether her death was truly self-inflicted.
“No one stages a suicide to make it look more convincing,” he said. “One major contradiction: two days before her death, she picked up a prescription for 50 Nembutal capsules—a fast-acting drug still used in euthanasia. The bottle was empty, yet toxicology found no trace of those pills in her stomach.”
While the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office later stated the drugs could have been fully absorbed into her bloodstream and liver by the time of autopsy—explaining the absence in her stomach—the lack of physical evidence remains notable, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Monroe received prescriptions from both her physician, Dr. Hyman Engelberg, and psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenson. Holes believes her medical care raises concerns about whether proper protocols were followed, particularly given her known reliance on sedatives and sleep medications. In the years before her death, associates and biographers noted her growing dependence on prescription drugs amid ongoing battles with anxiety and insomnia.
The Times of London recently reported that Engelberg claimed he prescribed Nembutal but denied giving her chloral hydrate—another sedative found in her system. Both drugs can be lethal when combined. Andrew Wilson, author of I Wanna Be Loved By You, revealed a June 1962 prescription for chloral hydrate signed by Engelberg, issued roughly two months before Monroe’s death.
Wilson argues that Engelberg may not have been fully transparent about his role in her treatment. He also suggested that under today’s medical standards, a doctor prescribing heavily to a vulnerable patient might face legal consequences.
Engelberg passed away in 2005 at age 92.
On the night of her death, Monroe’s housekeeper, Eunice Murray, contacted Greenson after noticing Monroe had locked herself in her bedroom. Greenson arrived, broke a window to enter, and found her dead. He then called Engelberg, who confirmed her death. However, nearly an hour passed before police were notified—and officers were initially told Monroe had died by suicide.
Greenson died in 1979 at age 68.
Over the decades, speculation about foul play has persisted. The rumors grew so widespread that the District Attorney’s Office reopened the case in 1982. Ultimately, they found no evidence of criminal activity, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Still, Holes maintains that thoroughly evaluating all theories is essential to understanding the full picture of what may have occurred.
“The tools we used for the show include modern technology—combining today’s computing power with artificial intelligence to reconstruct the scene of her death,” Holes explained. “Now, I’m able to walk through a digital recreation that mirrors what officers from the LAPD encountered when they first arrived on site.”
“From a forensic perspective, this case is exhausted. There’s no current scientific method we can apply to uncover new physical evidence. However, there are still investigative paths worth exploring.”
“The most promising leads now involve witness accounts,” he said. “Most firsthand witnesses have passed away, but speaking with their close contacts or family members could reveal information those individuals shared privately over the years—details never given to law enforcement.”
During her final years, Monroe was under surveillance by the FBI. Declassified files confirm agents monitored her relationships with people suspected of having Communist affiliations, though no evidence ever linked Monroe herself to the Communist Party. The documents made public focus on her associations and activities, not the circumstances surrounding her death.
“What other records might the FBI still hold that haven’t been disclosed?” Holes asked. “We know there are heavily redacted files related to the bureau’s surveillance of Monroe.”
“But if she was privy to sensitive national security information from President John F. Kennedy or Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, any such intelligence would remain classified. Eventually, through Freedom of Information Act requests, those materials might become available. For someone in my field, that would be an invaluable resource to examine.”
Claims of a connection between Monroe and the Kennedys have circulated for decades.
Audiences watching “Celebrity Crime Scene” will form their own opinions about what truly happened. Officially, Monroe’s death was classified as probable suicide, and authorities have never acknowledged evidence of misconduct in the investigation.
Still, Holes has reservations about how the original case was handled.
“In 1962, the LAPD should have taken a different approach,” he stated. “They didn’t follow standard protocols. The proper procedure is to treat any unexplained death as a potential homicide until evidence rules it out. That’s how investigations should be conducted today.”
“It raises questions: Given the LAPD’s resources and experience, why did they fall short in this case? It almost suggests outside influence may have led them to downplay the situation, quickly label it a suicide, and close the door on deeper inquiry.”
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Original article source:Golden State Killer investigator finds ‘red flags’ in Marilyn Monroe death scene decades later