About Me - Brutal Awkening

I was born in California and spent thirty years working as a private investigator. I am also a CEO with expertise in security and executive protection, and I have long served as an advocate for victims. Ten years ago, I relocated to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where I have continued my investigative work alongside my writing.

I have provided security for high-profile figures such as Sharon and Kelly Osborne, Chaz Bono, Molly Ringwald, Queen Latifah, Randy Quaid, and Margaret Cho. 

I  have been involved in security and executive protection at prestigious events like the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards, and more. Additionally, I was a member of several organizations, including The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, The National Center for LGBTQ Rights the California Association of Licensed Investigators, The Doris Tate Crime Bureau, Citizens Against Homicide, Peace Over Violence, The National Center for Victims of Crime, Project Sister, and The Doris Day Animal Foundation. 

People often ask whether being a private investigator is fun and glamorous. Fun? At times, absolutely. Glamorous? Not really—unless, of course, you are a Hollywood P.I.

As a child, I was relentlessly curious, always paying attention to things I probably should not have noticed at such a young age. I saw and overheard more than most children do. Playing spy was my favorite game, though I never imagined it would someday become my profession.

The news offers a filtered glimpse of the world’s darker side, but nothing compares to witnessing it firsthand. I have seen young boys using drugs and drinking alcohol before school. I have observed sexual acts carried out openly—by homeless individuals on the street and by cheating spouses in parked cars. I have stood in phone booths while intoxicated strangers relieved themselves nearby, unaware or unconcerned that I was there. Some cases—particularly those involving child abuse or deeply disturbing behavior—left me so shaken that I cried myself to sleep.

Even my vehicle has not been immune. During surveillance, people have spat on it, smeared mayonnaise across the windows, thrown objects, deflated my tires, and even attempted to steal it while I was inside. Once, two men leaned against my van and bragged about manipulating women with false declarations of love to get sex. Every instinct told me to confront them, but preserving my cover always came first.

These experiences have tested my faith and patience in ways I never anticipated. Many times, I have had to ask God for the strength not to take justice into my own hands. Through it all, I came to appreciate life’s simplest blessings: green grass, quiet streets, clean air, domestic animals, wildlife, and genuinely kind people.

Why stay in a profession that exposes you to so much darkness? Justice. I have the privilege of helping victims and survivors find answers, uncovering the truth, and holding dishonest people accountable. For those who feel lost or powerless, I can offer clarity, direction, and support.

Not every day is grim. Surveillance has also given me a front-row seat to the beauty of the world—crows demonstrating remarkable intelligence, squirrels darting with purpose, dogs and cats wandering freely, and breathtaking landscapes stretching across deserts, mountains, and coastlines. I was once even attacked by peacocks in Mendocino County, California—an occupational hazard I never anticipated.

Being a female private investigator comes with advantages. People rarely suspect me. Security guards open gates with a smile. Children and adults alike confide in me because I appear approachable, often dressed in Disney-themed clothing rather than something intimidating.

My work took on an unexpected level of public attention when Kirby Dick and Eddie Schmidt of Chain Camera hired me to investigate the Motion Picture Association of America’s rating system (MPAA). At first, I did not fully grasp the magnitude of what I was stepping into. The deeper I went, the more disturbed I became. The Classification and Rating Administration routinely rated extreme violence more favorably than something as innocent as two fully clothed women kissing.

As a lesbian, a mother, and a rape survivor, I found this deeply troubling. What message does that send to our children—that violence is more acceptable than love? The bias extended further, with gay and lesbian films consistently rated more harshly than their heterosexual counterparts. That injustice strengthened my resolve to expose the truth.

The experience forced me to reflect on the concept of “normal.” What defines a normal family? Some may not see my life with Cheryl and our family as fitting a traditional mold, yet we raised two remarkable children and now cherish our grandchildren. To me, family is defined by unconditional love, understanding, and showing up for one another. Embracing who I truly am allowed me to find the happiness I had long deserved—happiness grounded in love and sustained by faith.

As I continue my work—whether uncovering deception or helping someone heal from betrayal—I remain grateful. This career has shown me humanity at its worst, but it has also taught me to cherish everything I have. None of it would have been possible without Cheryl and God by my side.

I have been in a loving relationship for thirty-five years. Together, we are helping raise our grandson and granddaughter, a source of immense joy in my life. I recently self-published a children’s book, Oolygalees, co-authored with my granddaughter. I am currently completing my novel, Brutal Awakening, with two additional children’s books and my grandfather’s story, Kid from Hell’s Kitchen, planned next.

Brutal Awakening is both a personal reckoning and a broader examination of power, silence, and survival—offering readers an intimate, uncompromising perspective from someone who lived the reality behind the headlines.

My manuscript weaves together my personal history with the stories of my cases over the past thirty years. These include investigations involving domestic violence, child abuse, rape survivors, murder, terrorism, and kidnapping, as well as work within the entertainment industry. Notable cases and professional associations include Randy Quaid, Marilyn Monroe’s assistant Pat Newcomb, comic-book legend Stan Lee, producer David G. Riggs, the exposure of the MPAA through the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated, and my longtime friend Peter F. Paul.

Brutal Awkening is both a personal reckoning and a broader examination of power, silence, and survival—offering readers an intimate, uncompromising perspective from someone who lived the reality behind the headlines.

Marilyn Monroe is found dead.

 On August 5, 1962, movie actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her home in Los Angeles. She was discovered lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand. Empty bottles of pills, prescribed to treat her depression, were littered around the room. After a brief investigation, Los Angeles police concluded that her death was “caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide.”

Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles on June 1, 1926. Her mother was emotionally unstable and frequently confined to an asylum, so Norma Jeane was reared by a succession of foster parents and in an orphanage. At the age of 16, she married a fellow worker in an aircraft factory, but they divorced a few years later. She took up modeling in 1944 and in 1946 signed a short-term contract with 20th Century Fox, taking as her screen name Marilyn Monroe. She had a few bit parts and then returned to modeling, famously posing nude for a calendar in 1949.

She began to attract attention as an actress in 1950 after appearing in minor roles in the The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve. Although she was onscreen only briefly playing a mistress in both films, audiences took note of the blonde bombshell, and she won a new contract from Fox. Her acting career took off in the early 1950s with performances in Love Nest (1951), Monkey Business (1952), and Niagara (1953).

Celebrated for her voluptuousness and wide-eyed charm, she won international fame for her sex-symbol roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and There’s No Business Like Show Business(1954). The Seven-Year Itch (1955) showcased her comedic talents and features the classic scene where she stands over a subway grating and has her white skirt billowed up by the wind from a passing train. In 1954, she married baseball great Joe DiMaggio, attracting further publicity, but they divorced eight months later.

In 1955, she studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York City and subsequently gave a strong performance as a hapless entertainer in Bus Stop (1956). In 1956, she married playwright Arthur Miller. She made The Prince and the Showgirl—a critical and commercial failure—with Laurence Olivier in 1957 but in 1959 gave an acclaimed performance in the hit comedy Some Like It Hot. Her last role, in The Misfits (1961), was directed by John Huston and written by Miller, whom she divorced just one week before the film’s opening.

By 1961, Monroe, beset by depression, was under the constant care of a psychiatrist. Increasingly erratic in the last months of her life, she lived as a virtual recluse in her Brentwood, Los Angeles, home. After midnight on August 5, 1962, her maid, Eunice Murray, noticed Monroe’s bedroom light on. When Murray found the door locked and Marilyn unresponsive to her calls, she called Monroe’s psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, who gained access to the room by breaking a window. Entering, he found Marilyn dead, and the police were called sometime after. An autopsy found a fatal amount of sedatives in her system, and her death was ruled probable suicide.

In recent decades, there have been a number of conspiracy theories about her death, most of which contend that she was murdered by John and/or Robert Kennedy, with whom she allegedly had love affairs. These theories claim that the Kennedys killed her (or had her killed) because they feared she would make public their love affairs and other government secrets she was gathering. On August 4, 1962, Robert Kennedy, then attorney general in his older brother’s cabinet, was in fact in Los Angeles. Two decades after the fact, Monroe’s housekeeper, Eunice Murray, announced for the first time that the attorney general had visited Marilyn on the night of her death and quarreled with her, but the reliability of these and other statements made by Murray are questionable. Decades after her death, Marilyn Monroe remains a major cultural icon.

A Call for Justice: Rectifying Marilyn Monroe's Death

The Issue

For over six decades, the circumstances surrounding the death of Marilyn Monroe have remained cloaked in secrecy, suspicion, and contradiction. As a seasoned private investigator, I have spent years studying the case in depth, and I am convinced that the official cause of death—suicide—does not align with the facts. It is long past time that Marilyn's death certificate be corrected and a new, independent criminal investigation be opened.

The Suicide Narrative Falls Apart Under Scrutiny

The official story—that Marilyn took her own life—is not supported by the available evidence. On the contrary, it is contradicted by the following critical points:

Unquestioned Witnesses with Suspicious Behavior: Two key figures—Sgt. Marvin D. Iannone and Pat Newcomb—were present at the scene of Marilyn’s death, yet neither has ever been thoroughly investigated. Both left the country for extended periods shortly after the incident. Pat Newcomb’s subsequent employment with the U.S. Information Agency raises further questions about her potential role in a cover-up.

Law Enforcement Complicity: Iannone, then a police officer, was reportedly seen assisting Peter Lawford in cleaning up the scene of Marilyn’s death. His known connections to Bobby Kennedy deepen concerns that her death may have involved powerful individuals—and that a conspiracy to obstruct justice took place.

A Failure to Investigate: Despite the disturbing inconsistencies, law enforcement never conducted a complete and impartial investigation. Key witnesses were never interrogated under oath, forensic evidence was compromised or ignored, and crucial timelines were altered or left unexplained.

The Evidence Points to Murder

Despite the passage of time, the core facts remain unchanged—and they point not to suicide, but to homicide. The individuals involved, the sequence of events, and the glaring inconsistencies in the investigation all demand renewed scrutiny. This is not speculation. This is a call for truth.

A Moral and Legal Imperative

Correcting Marilyn Monroe’s death certificate is not merely symbolic—it is a necessary first step toward justice. Those responsible for her death, as well as those who helped conceal the truth, must be held accountable—regardless of their status or whether they are still living. History deserves accuracy. Marilyn Monroe deserves justice.

I am calling on the United States Attorney General to open a new, full-scale criminal investigation into the death of Marilyn Monroe. This is not only a matter of historical significance—it is a moral obligation. We owe it to Marilyn, to her legacy, and to the pursuit of truth.

Rob Bonta

California Attorney General

Email: Rob.Bonta@doj.ca.gov

Jim McDonnell

Los Angeles Chief of Police

Email:  contact.lapdonline@gmail.com

Dr. Odey C. Ukpo

County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner

Email: oukpo@coroner.lacounty.gov

Nathan J. Hochman

Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office

Email:  info@da.lacounty.gov

Pam Bondi

US Attorney General

Email: pam.bondi@usdoj.gov

Email:AskDOJ@usdoj.gov

Anthony Summers

There are two new articles in which Summers claims he is a friend of Pat Newcomb. I know this to be true because I am very close friends with Pat; she told me a lot about that night. She even talked to me about Summers. She will be upset when I tell her about this article. 

She said she didn't want him talking about her, and he did. She asked him not to mention her name in any articles, yet he said some negative things about her in these two articles this week. This is what he said in the articles: 

"However, he reveals that one of her (Marilyn Monroe) surviving friends knows the secret behind her last moments. Monroe's former press agent, Pat Newcomb, can reportedly answer the lingering questions about her death, per Summers. 

And, He said: "She (Newcomb) has always been courteous - yet told me little or nothing at all about the actress's relationship with the Kennedys and the events of her last hours. Newcomb has said two things, one, that my book gets things about right, and two, that she herself has 'forgotten' the details."

So, which is it, Summers? She doesn't remember, or she doesn't want to tell you? 

Let me tell you, Summers, SHE DOES NOT WANT TO TELL YOU!   It's as simple as that, so stop using Newcomb to get more press. 

Ambulance Report

According to Ambulance Report, on The evening of August 4, 1962, James Hall and his partner, Murray Liebowitz, were returning to the UCLA Medical Center When they received an emergency call to 12305 fifth Helena Drive. Hall recalled, “ we were real close practically right around the corner. We were at her within two minutes.” When they arrived a hysterical woman led them to a small guest cottage, separate from the main house, Where they found Marilyn Monroe lying nude face up on the bed. Her respiration and heartbeat were slight; her pulse was weak and rapid. Because CPR requires strong back support, Hall and Liebowitz moved Monroe from the bed to the floor of an adjoining foyer and, placing an airway tube to facilitate breathing, they began resuscitation. Hall recalled, “ the Hysterical woman was giving us trouble. She was trying to climb over us to get to Miss Monroe while I was working on her. She was Screaming She's Dead! She's Dead! Over and over again…. She was hampering what we were doing, but I don't think even a slap on her face would have calm her down-she was that crazy.” “Soon I was getting a perfect exchange of air from Miss Monroe,” “ Her color was starting to come back. I felt she was doing well enough that we could safely take her to the Hospital. I said to Murray “get the gurney.” At that moment a man carrying a doctor's bag entered the guest cottage and said, “ I'm her doctor. Give her positive pressure.” Hall was surprised by the doctor's decision because the resuscitator was doing its job. “ But you never argue with a doctor at the scene of an emergency –never.” You'd lose your job.” Hall said. “So I took the resuscitator off” and began to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while the doctor gave her CPR.” As Her vital signs deteriorated, the doctor opened his bag and pulled out a syringe with a heart needle affixed to it. He filled the syringe from a pharmaceutical bottle of adrenaline. The doctor then attempted to inject the stimulant into her heart in an attempt to revive her. “ he did it at an incorrect angle,” according to Hall, “ the needle hit a rib. Instead of backing it out. He just leaned on it.” Hall stated that he believed Marilyn Monroe Expired at that moment,”  Placing the stethoscope on her chest, the doctor couldn't find a heartbeat, and according to Hall, he said “You can leave, I'm going to pronounce her dead.” While James Hall was writing his report a man in a jumpsuit was trying to calm down the Hysterical woman, who was repeatedly sobbing, “ She's dead! She’s dead!” Hall noticed that a police officer arrived and spoke to the man in the Jumpsuit. Hall later identified the hysterical woman as "PAT NEWCOMB” The man in the jumpsuit as “PETER LAWFORD” The doctor as “RALPH GREENSON” and the police officer as sergeant Marvin Iannone.  {In 1992 James Hall underwent a series of a polygraph tests conducted by Don Fraser of Arcadia, California, a state-Licensed polygraph examiner who majored in police science at the University of South California.}  Fraser states: " There's no question that James Hall is telling the truth. His story regarding the scene and circumstances of Miss Monroe's death is absolutely true. He passed every question in several exhaustive polygraph examinations."

Schaefer Ambulance