Marilyn Monroe's Autopsy Blasted as 'Botched' by Coroner-to-the Stars — As Horrific New Theories About Blonde Bombshell's Death Are Revealed
The Hollywood coroner who autopsied Marilyn Monroe's body has been haunted by her death for 'decades.'
Jan. 10 2025, Published 4:20 p.m. ET
Emerging details on the examination of Marilyn Monroe's body could offer the grisly truth behind the actress's final moments.
Dr. Thomas Noguchi's new biography, written by Anne Soon Choi, suggests Monroe may not have died from a "barbituates overdose" as famously reported – especially after unfinished toxicology reports left the Hollywood chief coroner "haunted for decades", RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Dr. Thomas Noguchi performed the autopsy on Monroe's body following her 1962 death.
There has always been widespread speculation surrounding Monroe’s 1962 death, with many considering she was murdered either by political figures or individuals from her personal life.
The incomplete investigation and conflicting reports from the coroner's office only added to the mystery, as described in Choi's biography.
In a new biography, author Anne Soon Choi said Noguchi felt immense 'pressure' to examine the star's body.
She said Noguchi, who was hand-picked by Dr. Theodore Curphey to assess Monroe's body, felt the extreme "pressure" of the task – knowing everything he reported would be dissected by the media.
The very idea that a world-renowned actress had died in such tragic circumstances – and Noguchi would be the one to investigate it – was a huge moment for him, Choi reported.
But still – he had a gut feeling things were "off" from the moment he was faced with the deceased beauty icon.
Choi wrote: "Yet as he prepared for the autopsy, something felt different. That the autopsy had jumped the queue said something about the decedent. He sat down to read the investigator’s report.
"The careful handwriting documented the death scene. White female. Blue eyes. 5’4”, 115 pounds. 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."
Choi delved Noguchi's discoveries in the autopsy room when examining Monroe, noting the movie star had no visual evidence of pills in her stomach.
She wrote: "He began by slowly examining every inch of Monroe’s body with a magnifying glass to search for needle marks that would indicate the injection of drugs. He checked the usual spots: the crook of the elbow, the upper thigh, in the webbing of the fingers and toes.
"He found none. He pushed aside her platinum blond hair to examine her scalp. Nothing. He noted the scar on her lower abdomen, then motioned to the assistant to help him.
"Together, they turned the body over, and Noguchi finished his examination for needle punctures. Nothing. He noted the fresh bruises on her hip and lower back and the cyanosis that cast a bluish tinge to her skin."
She added: "Noguchi found no visual evidence of pills in her stomach or small intestine. This surprised him since Curphey’s note had detailed the assortment of prescription bottles on her bedside table."
Monroe's death was ultimately ruled a suicide, placing it under Coroner Curphey's jurisdiction.
Noguchi followed Curphey’s method, but as an Asian American, faced greater challenges and skepticism – unlike Curphey, whose authority was never questioned.
Along with Noguchi's physical autopsy, Curphey also ordered a psychological autopsy to review Monroe's mental state prior to her death – a method he pioneered.
People have always questioned whether or not Monroe killed herself after her death was ruled a suicide.
While her death was easily blamed on a drug overdose, the investigation still left many unresolved questions – especially due to the coroner's office "failing" to complete the entire toxicology report.
This left the public wondering if Monroe actually died from the amount of depressant drugs in her system.
Choi wrote: "Once the autopsy was completed, Noguchi waited at his desk for the toxicology results. When he received the report, alarm bells went off in his head.
"He had requested a full toxicology analysis of the liver and blood samples as well as an examination of the stomach and other organs. That had not been done. Once Raymond Abernathy, the head toxicologist, noted that the levels of pentobarbital and chloral hydrate were fatal, he made the decision not to run any additional tests.
"Noguchi should have insisted on them but felt like he couldn’t 'challenge the head toxicologist'. A wave of anxiety washed over him. 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."
With political pressure growing, Curphey held a press conference at the Hall of Justice ten days later – despite the psychological autopsy also being incomplete at the time.
His goal was to quell rumors, particularly those claiming Monroe had been poisoned.
The August 17 coroner's report linked Monroe's probable suicide to her history of "psychiatric disturbance", including depression and sedative use.
It noted previous suicide attempts, where she had been rescued, and concluded: "The same pattern was repeated except for the rescue."
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Choi said Monroe's case continued to haunt Noguchi for decades due to unfinished toxicology reports.
Curphey and the department faced backlash as the psychological autopsy raised doubts about Monroe's probable suicide, with many seeing it as a cover-up.
Noguchi struggled when incomplete toxicology results made him appear incompetent. He wanted to test the stomach contents, but they were discarded after the report.
Choi asked: "Was there a chance that she was murdered? Was he a pawn in a coverup?"
As the controversy raged on, Choi said the case "haunted Noguchi to the extreme – even triggering in him an irrational fear that he would be named a suspect in the star's death – and continued to do so for decades afterward."
