Golden State Killer investigator Paul Holes highlights “red flags” in Marilyn Monroe death case, reexamining 1962 ruling

Paul Holes, known for his later role in identifying the Golden State Killer, is taking another long look at a 20th-century mystery in a new FOX entertainment special that revisits the circumstances of Marilyn Monroe’s death in 1962. In the FOX report, Holes is presented as questioning whether the widely accepted explanation of suicide is fully supported by the evidence, and he points to what he describes as “red flags” tied to details that have remained debated by investigators and commentators over the years.

The FOX piece frames Holes’s renewed scrutiny around inconsistencies that he argues do not align neatly with a suicide determination. The article describes him as focusing on elements of the scene and the case’s investigative record, emphasizing that some aspects of the material history of the death have never been treated as settled in the public narrative. The special, as characterized by FOX, uses Holes’s investigative approach to revisit the events surrounding Monroe’s final day and the subsequent conclusion reached at the time.

Holes’s involvement comes as audiences have continued to consume true-crime programming centered on unresolved questions, including cases where authorities have ruled out certain possibilities or where key details are difficult to verify years later. FOX presents Holes as applying renewed attention to the Monroe case with the stated goal of reassessing the evidence landscape after the passage of decades, rather than offering a definitive new conclusion.

In addition to reviewing the death itself, the FOX report ties the special to Holes’s broader investigative reputation, which includes his work on the Golden State Killer. FOX describes Holes as serving as a prominent figure in bringing cold-case techniques into modern media, but the Monroe segment is portrayed as centered on historical fact patterns from the 1960s rather than on any newly recovered forensic results.

The FOX story also notes that the special raises questions about the process that led to the original ruling. It describes Holes as highlighting how some crime-scene elements and case facts, when put together, may warrant continued scrutiny even if they were previously handled under a different evidentiary standard or investigative context.

As the special rolls out, FOX is positioning the Monroe episode as an inquiry into what investigators might consider meaningful gaps and contradictions, while stopping short of treating the case as purely speculative. The article indicates that Holes’s core message is not just that details are controversial, but that the record contains concerns that, in his view, deserve renewed examination.

The timing and public release of the program mean the Monroe case will once again be in front of broad audiences, with Holes serving as a bridge between contemporary true-crime storytelling and historic investigative questions. Because the FOX report discusses alleged “red flags” rather than reporting newly confirmed evidence, viewers and readers are likely to encounter the same fundamental divide that has surrounded Monroe’s death, now reframed through Holes’s investigative lens.

For clarification, the FOX report characterizes Holes’s conclusions as questions and concerns raised for review, tied to inconsistencies he says he sees in the record. The program’s airing does not itself change the historical finding of cause of death, but it does spotlight how enduring uncertainty about a decades-old case can continue to shape public discussion and media coverage.