Jean Spangler by Abby Edgerton

Part 1

Part 2

Introduction

            A beautiful, young woman goes missing- typical missing person’s case, right? Wrong, there’s more to this case. Jean Spangler, a 26 year old model and aspiring actress left her home in Los Angeles on October 7th, 1949, at 5:00pm, only to never return home again. There are many conspiracies as to how and why Jean went missing because she was known to “get around” with many men. (Lyons) Some of the most likely conspiracies are:

1.) She got pregnant and wanted an illegal abortion which ended up being fatal. (Healy)

            2.) LA mob boss, Mickey Cohen, killed Jean, Frank Niccoli, and Davey Ogul, who all went 
                 missing around the same time. (Page 1)
            3.) Her ex-husband, Dexter Benner, murdered her because of constant tension between them
                 due to custody of their daughter. (Page 1)

The most realistic conspiracy is that she got pregnant by a man named Kirk, planned to get an abortion by mysterious “Dr. Scott”, and the abortion went wrong. Not long before her disappearance, Jean confided in one of her best friends that she was pregnant. Then, shortly after her disappearance, Jean’s purse was found in a park with an unfinished note that stated, “Kirk: Can’t wait any longer, going to see Dr. Scott. It will work best this way while mother is away” However, in 1949 abortion was still illegal, so it is believed that this alleged “Dr. Scott” was just an alias so that the real doctor wouldn’t get caught if anything went wrong. (Page 1) Although this is the conspiracy that seems most likely, some things about this case still don’t add up. Why was her purse left in the park? Why was the note not finished? Why would she want to abort a baby when she already had a child whom she fought for the custody of? Almost 66 years later and these questions remain unanswered.  

             Character Analysis

            Jean Spangler was a young woman, who had her whole life ahead of her. Jean was a model, and aspiring actress. She had landed a few minor roles… But, she was unaware that what would make her famous would be her own demise. Standing at 5 feet and 6 inches, with hair the color of luscious dark chocolate, Jean Spangler was a Hollywood beauty. Her inherent good looks made her irresistible to many men, and although she was married, she had many affairs (Healy). Although Jean Spangler held many beautiful external qualities, her internal qualities weren’t up to par. She wasn’t necessarily a bad person; she just possessed a few minor, selfish attributes. Jean was a compulsive liar, she was constantly telling her family she was going places such as work, when she would really go out and party. Jean behaved this way all the way up to her death. The night she disappeared, “Jean told her sister-in-law that she was going to meet with her ex-husband, Dexter Benner, to talk about an increase in child support payments. After that, she was going to work on a night shoot for a new film” (Lyons). However, all of this was false. Dexter Benner and his wife “said they had been together all evening, and they never saw Spangler. Detectives believed them” and on top of that, police later found out she wasn’t working on any movies either (Healy). These qualities led her to be the perfect candidate for this Hollywood murder.          

Description (Conspiracy Theories)

            In the missing person’s case of Jean Spangler, there were numerous conspiracy theories as to what actually happened the night of her death. It’s difficult to pinpoint which conspiracy is true because there is so much in her case to highlight many of these conspiracies.

            The first conspiracy states that she got pregnant, and didn’t want the baby. Since abortion was illegal at the time she had to go through an illegal abortionist, who may have not had “proper equipment”, which ultimately resulted in her death (Healy). Police found Jean Spangler’s purse abandoned in a park, with a note in it that stated, “Kirk: Can’t wait any longer, going to see Dr. Scott. It will work best this way while mother is away”. Investigators believe the alleged “Dr. Scott” was the abortionist, however they searched the city and there was no Dr. Scott to be found. However, it was verified that Jean’s mother was in fact away to Kentucky at the time of Jean’s murder (Lyons).  This conspiracy has a lot of information to back it up, and it seems likely she would want to abort her child considering she was known to be a “wild-child” herself. Also, her ex-husband, Dexter Benner, had been fighting for custody of their daughter for so long because he felt she was an unfit mother (Page 1).

            The second conspiracy is that she was abducted and murdered by LA mob boss, Mickey Cohen. Mickey Cohen has a history of murder, tax evasion, illegal gambling operations, and many other illegal activities, so he is known to be a very dangerous man to be around or even be associated with. Two other men, Frank Niccoli and Davey Ogul, who were also known to cohort with Mickey Cohen, also went missing around a similar time as Jean. According to an informant, “Jean had been seen with Ogul in the desert only days before her disappearance.” (Lyons). Mickey Cohen was very well known to be hanging around in Palm Springs, but although Jean Spangler was seen with a few of his henchman, nothing out of the ordinary surfaced (Page 1). This conspiracy has some information that could lead people to believe she was murdered at the hands of Mickey Cohen or one of his henchmen, however there is too much evidence to highlight other conspiracies, such as the note found in her purse discussing her secret need to see a doctor (Healy).

            The third and final conspiracy is that she was murdered by her ex-husband, Dexter Benner, after a long dispute over the custody of their child. After their divorce was finalized, Dexter gained custody of their daughter, Christine, due to Jean’s crazy lifestyle and infidelity (Historic Horrors). After a long battle, Jean took Dexter to court to regain custody of Christine, and she won. This was one year before her death (Page 1). The conspiracy uses this as a motive for Dexter to have it out for Jean, because she took their daughter back after he fought for her, and he believed Jean was an unfit mother. Also, the night of Jean’s disappearance she stated that she was going to Dexter’s house to discuss a late child support payment, and then she was going to work on a movie set. However, police investigated and found out that Jean was lying about going to work on a movie, as she wasn’t involved in any movie at the time. Dexter and his wife both state that they did not see Jean on the night of her disappearance, in fact they hadn’t seen her in over a week (Lyons). For these reasons, this conspiracy has been ruled out.

            Conclusion

Jean Spangler disappeared on the evening of October 7th, 1949. Although the case is still unsolved, quite a few conspiracy theories surfaced as to what actually happened to Jean on this unfortunate night. Three of the most likely conspiracies are:

1) Jean Spangler was three months pregnant and needed an abortion fast, and because abortion was illegal the secret doctor she went to did not have proper equipment, thus resulting in her death (Lyons).

2) Mickey Cohen, a notorious LA mob boss, killed her and two of his other henchman. Jean was seen with Davy Ogul just days before her disappearance. Shortly after her disappearance, Davy Ogul and Frank Niccoli were also reported missing (Healy).

3)  Dexter Benner murdered Jean after a long dispute over the custody of their daughter, Christine. Dexter received custody because of Jean’s lifestyle of partying and sleeping around, but after Jean took him to court in 1948, she received custody. Some believe this sent Dexter over the edge and his only option was to kill her (Page 1).

Although nothing has been proved, I believe it is most likely that Jean had an illegal abortion and was killed during the process because of the lack of proper equipment. Evidence from the case points to this, such as the note in Jeans purse stating she needed to see a doctor immediately while her mother was gone. Why was she keeping the doctor a secret? I believe it was to protect his identity because abortion was illegal during this time. However, Jean is long gone, and any people involved in the case, such as her husband, have also passed away, so it is likely that this case will remain a mystery.

 

 Works Cited

Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <https://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljggwbynj51qza3vro1_r1_500.jpg>.

Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.genealogy.the-spanglers.net/JeanESp.jpg>.

Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <https://historichorrors.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/jean_spangler_purse.jpg>.

Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://classicmoviechat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Mickey-Cohen-1949-2.jpg>.

"Disappearance." Disappearance. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.

"The Disappearance of Jean Elizabeth Spangler." Historic Horrors. 9 Mar. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.

"The Mysterious Disappearance of Jean Spangler." Palm Springs Mystery &amp; Murder. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.

 

The Death of Marilyn Monroe by Alyse Delcambre

            On August 5, 1962, after many failed attempts to communicate with Marilyn Monroe through her bedroom door, an innocent house keeper, Eunice Murray, and psychiatrist, Ralph Greeson, kicked the barrier down and discovered her lifeless corpse lying face-down next to a scattered bottle of pills (Vultaggio). Eunice Murray explained “I was alarmed,” after noticing a telephone wire outside the door that was plugged in down the hall. Marilyn normally disconnected the phone at night so, as a result, Murray called Ralph Greenson who began to analyze Marilyn’s mechanism of injury that could have caused her death. (Youtube). A series of strange coincidences and lack of evidence have raised questions on how the famous American sex symbol actually died. However, to the disappointment of the unreasonably suspicious conspirators, the most logical explanation rejects dramatic fabrications of murder and suicide and confirms a more realistic resolution of accidental demise.

 

            Even after 50 years, Marilyn Monroe remains a provocative, glamorous icon among her fans and could still be considered one of America’s most famous blondes. However, Marilyn was also known for having a very unsteady, troubled life. Her stardom emerged on accident when she came across David Conover who recognized her talent when he photographed her for an assignment he was doing about women in the war effort (Dole 3). Infatuated by her new home on camera, Monroe pursued sexier pin-up characters where she began to build her promiscuous reputation. Her life became a series of scandalous, front-page rumors, drug use, and affairs, one of which involved President John F. Kennedy. However, her carefree, vivacious personality on camera far from emulated her hopeless childhood in and out of foster homes and orphanages (Dole 2). Her abusive drug use possibly derived from the constant anxiety and internal conflict she suffered as a child by fearing her genetic fate of mental instability and desperately needing her absent, deadbeat father (Dole 1,2). The downward spirals continued with external conflict including unbelieved stories of sexual molestation by her step-father that could have resulted in her sexual confusion and aggression as an adult (Dole 2). Therefore, it is safe to say that Monroe’s questionable behavior is simply a misunderstood product of her constant, early misfortune.
           Marilyn Monroe’s sudden death has raised many questions regarding what exactly caused her demise. The first and most popular theory suggests that Monroe was secretly murdered by the Kennedys. After her death, Peter Lawford explained, “Bobby Kennedy was determined to shut her up, regardless of the consequences” (Howe).  Conspirators that believe in the murder argue that Monroe was harboring many secrets in a little red diary and was threatening to use them against the Kennedys. Apparently, after many sexual encounters with Marilyn, John F. Kennedy expressed to her that he had plans to leave his wife and make her the new First Lady. However, Marilyn soon realized that Kennedy’s promises were simply false fantasies that Kennedy never intended to carry out and Marilyn began to seek revenge by spilling information about their family. These secrets included her affairs with Robert, Bobby, and John F. Kennedy and other scandalous information that could be potentially career-ending to them if exposed (History.com). Additionally, years after Marilyn’s death, a phone call between Greeson and an investigator was released. When Ralph was questioned about Monroe’s demise, the psychiatrist responded, “Ask Bobby Kennedy,” revealing that he knows of the Kennedy’s taking part in her murder (Youtube). As a result, it is believed that the Kennedys ordered the murder of Marilyn Monroe in the effort of maintaining their honorable reputations. The murder was supposedly conducted through an enema that contained a strong dose of lethal chemicals like Nembutal and Choral hydrates which caused her to overdose and eventually die (Creighton).

            To this day, Monroe’s death is ruled a “probable suicide” (Welkos). Her unfortunate upbringing, constant fragile mental state, and previous suicide attempts make this theory appear very believable. In her last interview with LIFE Magazine, Marilyn expressed, “You see, I was brought up differently from the average American child because the average child is brought up expecting to be happy” (Dole). Marilyn already had a record for failed suicide attempts that many assume were dramatic stunts in order to draw desperately needed attention to unrevived career (www.smh.com.au). In addition, Marilyn suffered from severe insomnia, anxiety, and even had a history of depression. Eunice Murray mentioned in an interview with BBC, “This particular day, she was not lively and enthusiastic; she was very quiet” (Youtube). With the rollercoaster of events surrounding Monroe’s life and it would be easy for conspirators to believe that she simply got pushed over the edge and found suicide as her only outlet to escape all the chaos of Hollywood. But was her death really a fake suicide attempt gone awry or a product of her disappointing downfall? 
            Marilyn Monroe’s death was most likely caused by an accidental overdose from Nembutal and chloral hydrate which could have been provoked by a mixture of alcohol. Marilyn’s medically negligent doctor could have also contributed to her tragic death on accident by prescribing her with these drugs without properly conveying that mixing the two or taking too much of one substance could be heavily lethal. After all, Marilyn had an intense enjoyment for celebrating and spending time by getting unreasonably intoxicated with alcohol and barbiturates. Also, although Marilyn was known for having an emotionally unstable life, James Bacon, a close friend of Monroe explained, contradicting Murray’s report, “She wasn't the least bit depressed. She was in very good spirits that day - of course, the champagne and vodka helped.” (Welkos). It was also explained that Monroe’s career was beginning to get back on track with numerous acting and modeling opportunities. Many reports mention her positive change of attitude and levity due to the fact that she was finally settling down and even purchased her very first home. Bacon continued, “She was drinking champagne and straight vodka and occasionally popping a pill. I said, 'Marilyn, the combination of pills and alcohol will kill you.' And she said, 'It hasn't killed me yet.' Then she took another drink and popped another pill. I know at night she took barbiturates” (Welkos). Even Monroe’s housekeeper, Eunice Murray reported, “I wouldn’t, as a lament, describe her as depressed” (Youtube). Monroe’s naivety toward the dangers of medication and alcohol was lethal and very frequently expressed, therefore, Monroe’s demise could have been caused by accident and had nothing to do with emotional instability or depression.

            Decades after Marilyn Monroe’s death, her fan’s unwavering curiosity regarding her mechanism of injury remains unsatisfied. Although her demise was ruled as a probable suicide, breaches in evidence and inconsistent explanations lead investigators to be suspicious of the conspiracy theories that emerged and three of them tend to stand out to conspirators:

1.      Marilyn Monroe intentionally committed suicide by overdosing herself with lethal doses of barbiturates.

2.      Marilyn’s death was a result of the Kennedy’s fatal plot to kill her in order to keep their family secrets hidden.

3.      Marilyn’s death was simply a mere accident caused by her careless and excessive barbiturate drug use.

However, even though the most logical explanation confirms accidental demise, no one will surely know what happened to Monroe unless further evidence is presented. 

Works Cited

Creighton, Sam. "Marilyn Monroe Died as Result of 'medical Negligence' and Suffered from Bipolar Disorder, Claims New Documentary." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 13 May 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. Secondary.

Dole, Susan. "Marilyn Monroe Marries Jim Dougherty." HowStuffWorks. 28 Aug. 2007. Web. 8 Oct. 2015. Tertiary and Secondary.

"Eunice Murray Talks About The Day Marilyn Monroe Died." Eunice Murray Talks About the Day Marilyn Monroe Died. YouTube, 17 Jan. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. Primary.

Howe, Caroline. "EXCLUSIVE - Bobby Kennedy Ordered Marilyn Monroe's Murder by Lethal Injection to Prevent Her from Revealing Her Torrid Affairs with RFK and JFK: New Book Sensationally Claims to Have Finally Solved the Mystery Surrounding Her Death." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 26 July 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. Secondary.

Mallia, Daniel. "How Did Marilyn Monroe Die?" History News Network. Web. 4 Dec. 2015. Secondary.

"Marilyn Monroe - Dr Ralph Greenson in Secretly Taped Phone Conversation." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. Primary.

"Marilyn Monroe Is Found Dead." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. Secondary.

Vultaggio, Maria. Marilyn Monroe Death Conspiracy Theories: How Did Norma Jean Die?. International Business Times, 7 Sept 2015. Web. Secondary.

Welkos, Robert W. "New Chapter in the Mystery of Marilyn: Her Own Words?" Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2005. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. Primary.

"Www.smh.com.au." FBI File Links Kennedy to Monroe's Death. The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 Mar. 2007. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. Secondary.

"Eunice Murray Talks About The Day Marilyn Monroe Died." Eunice Murray Talks About the Day Marilyn Monroe Died. YouTube, 17 Jan. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. Primary.

 

 

 

Marilyn by Jon Palomeque

                                                                

Marilyn Monroe became a sex symbol during the 50’s as well as a very popular actress. From her popularity in films and her sensuality, she got the name The Blonde Bombshell (Denny Jackson). Alongside her acting career was her personal life that was full of events and controversies, some of which involved very well-known people. Her death revealed many secrets, raised many mysteries, and fore came many speculations and theories of how she died. The media and press believe that she was very stressed with her personal life and could have been mentally unstable at the time of death causing her to commit suicide. Others believe that it was not self-inflicted death, by barbiturate overdose, but that she was murdered out of revenge or to possibly silence her from revealing truths that could harm personal images of very important people in politics. An examination of various sources should help shine some light or at least make a crack in the cocoon which holds lies, secrets and incriminating evidence (Biography.com Editors)

Details

   Ms. Monroe was a beautiful, elegant woman yet she had various issues in her life that clouded her judgement. She had several problems in her life both internally and externally. Along with being a grand movie star, came side effects that some may not be able to handle.

     In her acting career, she would have conflicts with directors due to her tendency to be late to the set costing the directors thousands in delays. In effect to the mal habits she got fired from productions and her career was plummeting to the ground faster than Al Capone could have someone killed. She was also troubled in her personal life by her marriages due to her dedication to her career.  Ms. Monroe was only married with pro baseball player, Joe DiMaggio for about a year and 10 months while with writer, Arthur Miller she was married for about 4 and a half years (Denny Jackson).  

     Beside her external conflicts with her marriages and problems with her career, she also was diagnosed with mental issues (Education.com Editors). Her psychoanalyst came to the conclusion that Marilyn would be on the edge of suicide if not admitted to an institution. With the conclusion made by her shrink, Marilyn was deadly afraid of mental institutions (Biography.com Editors). Previous family members had been in mental institutions, like her mother and grandmother, although her grandmother never made it out of there alive. She eventually got taken out of the institution and prescribed medicines which she used in an abusive manner.

Ideas

   As with the passing of the great actress came many speculations as to how she died. They are many ideas about how she died and the truth behind her death. Three of these theories are the most notable and most reasonable to society. I asked 20 random individuals their thoughts about how this blonde diva lost her life. The majority of them believed she was murdered.  They couldn’t explain how or why but they all did believe she had been murdered.

   Many speculate that her death was caused by herself, that she committed suicide. It is said that she committed suicide by taking on overwhelming large amount of sleeping pills (Maria Vultaggio). The pills found on the bed were in a sketchy arrangement that did not seem accurate to the situation. She was also found naked in her own bed next to the telephone. This idea was brought to life (such irony) because of her mental issues that she had in her life.

   The next death conspiracy is thought to be that her death was not her intention. Some individuals believe that her death was caused by a barbiturate overdose. Other information, such as her previous encounters with medication misuse, helped created this idea of how she died. The press and other official offices found that this was the cause of her death as it was the most probable. Now this conspiracy has other smaller theories within in. the overdose could have been accidental or deliberately done to cause death.

   Now, the third conspiracy theory is that she was…murdered. This theory came forth due to many ties she had in many high places. The most popular theory of murder involves, political family, the Kennedys (Maria Vultaggio). It was known that, but not confirmed; Monroe had an affair with President John F. Kennedy and his sibling Robert Kennedy, thus giving the motive for wanting her dead. To make matters worse she threatened to tell the world about political secrets they had told her.

   After her death there was guilt shown amongst one person, Peter Lawford. Given the evidence that was found at the scene, there was no way her death was caused by overdose. Part of this conspiracy is that she was given a lethal injection via enema (Denny Jackson).

   All these conspiracies have been investigated by various people trying to find the truth about how she Marilyn Monroe, the blonde bombshell, died. Now let’s go in more depth as we investigate all the deep crevices of this conspiracy to find the facts. The facts will reveal why she died, how she died, as well as where.

Conclusion

   Now will all these contradictions and commotion brought up by these theories people want the truth. These three theories are how the public views the death of the impeccable star we know as Marilyn Monroe.

•           Suicide- People say her private life drove her crazy multiple times and and she had already tried to kill herself. With her prior activity in a mental institution she proclaimed she was okay and got released when her mind was still very unstable.

•           Accidental overdose- This was found to be the cause of death by officials but still remains uncertain. The the officials found sleeping pills on her bed and presumed that as the cause cause she already had a  prior drug abuse problem an assumed this must have been part of that.

•           Murder- It is believed that the Kennedys might have wanted her dead. She knew about political secrets about the president and his brother. As any real boss knows in a business you can’t have loose ends so it is believed that they took care of it. To take care of her the simply just killed her. The conspiracy is based off of that she was killed with lethal injection via enema.

This concludes my investigation into this web of deception, lies, secrets, and politics. The death of the beloved Marilyn will always be a secret that only she knows and the world will never hear it. The people who loved her and idolized her will never know why. With her death, were buried mysteries and secrets that only she will ever know. 

 Works cited

•           Website Title: International Business Times

Article Title: Marilyn Monroe Death Conspiracy Theories: How Did Norma Jean Die? [PHOTOS]

Electronically Published: May 30, 2015

Date Accessed: December 09, 2015

•           Website Title: IMDb

Article Title: Biography

Publisher: IMDb.com

Date Accessed: December 09, 2015

•           Website Title: About.com Education

Article Title: Marilyn Monroe: From the Orphanage to an American Icon

Date Accessed: December 09, 2015

Area 51 by Jordan Sukiennik

 

 

                Area 51 is American worst kept secret. The government has been denying its existence from when it was manufactured in the 40’s until 1990 when they told the world that area 51 does exist. Area 51 goes by multiple names such as Area 51, Groom Lake, and Americas worst kept secret. It is located roughly 100 miles outside of Las Vegas Nevada and the faculty must be flown in by un marked Boeing 737’s. There are no major roads leading to this military base just rough trails being patrolled by men in camo gear in 4x4 vehicles.

            There are two main conspiracies for Area 51. The first conspiracy theory is we are using Area 51 to gather alien technology from the aliens that we are keeping there. People have claimed that we have been harvesting aliens to gather their information and to get a better understanding of the technology that they are working with. When the UFO crashed in Roswell New Mexico, Americans have claimed to see disk like aircraft fly from Area 51 almost every night. They have renamed the highway running through it extraterrestrial highway, due to all of the UFO sightings along it. People have speculated for years we’ve had to of had some help from the fourth kind to get the technology that we have now. The technology jump from the WWII era to the Cold War era was such a drastic leap from all of the nuclear weapons and jet technology that aliens must have gave technology to certain people in the military.

            Thousands of years now, there have been sightings in the sky of UFOS’s. Sightings have been traced back to the stone ages were Neanderthal’s carved the images they have seen into stone walls and in caves. Everyday people claim to see UFO’s souring across the sky leaving everyone dazed and confused on what they had just encountered. There are some instances were citizens have filed police reports on these un-identified flying objects; some people have even went on national television to talk to the world about what they have seen. There are an ample amount of books and articles published about UFO’s and aliens. In Nevada, there is a highway named Extraterrestrial Highway after all of the claims of seeing UFO’s fly across the sky while people drive down the street.

            This brings us to the part where we ask do aliens really exist? People have claimed for thousands of years that aliens have visited Earth and have either been nice or hostile. When people think about aliens, they think that they are small grey men with huge brown eyes that like to come to Earth to abduct people and run tests on them. Paul Hellyer, the now 90-year-old former defense minister of Canada, claimed in his recent interview with Russia Today that there are over 80 different species of alien life, from places like Andromeda, Pleiades and Zeta Reticuloia, and some look like us.

In his research he believes that there are some aliens that could actually walk down the street and not a single person would think of them as anything else but human. The “Nordic blondes” have been known to be the aliens that helped Area 51 in Nevada. The most famous of the alien species of aliens are the Greys, which are small skinny creatures which usually are around 5 feet tall with skinny arms and legs. You can see the Greys in multiple cartoons and T.V shows were they are portrayed as the only kind of Aliens, which is not true at all.

            Some people believe that aliens have been coming to our planet these last couple of decades because they are scared we will do something to destroy ourselves. U.F.O’s were seen multiple times during the Cold War because of our threats to use nuclear weapons against one another, and worried about us as a planet not a species. People have claimed to talk to the aliens and they said that they do not care about humans and do not want to aid us in any way they just want our planet and believe that they would be a much better host of it.

Works cited

International business times. “International business times. Web.5

DarkGovernment.” DarkGovernment.Web.16 Sept.2015