The author of the classic crime novel “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” Michelle McNamara, pἀssed away on April 21, 2016. After McNamara’s untimely pἀssing, the book was published posthumously on February 27, 2018, and it immediately became a New York Times nonfiction bestseller.
McNamara dἰed at age 46, leaving behind a husband (Patton Oswalt) and a daughter (Alice), who was then 7 years old. Tragically, she had just received “the motherlode” – forty boxes of case files from Orange County — which she believed would help her track down the Golden State Killer, the book’s topic, when she pἀssed away.
What Was Michelle Mcnamara Cause of Deἀth?
On April 21, 2016, McNamara never woke up from her sleep. In February 2017, the results of an autopsy showed that she dἰed because of the effects of several drugs. Her deἀth was thought to be an accident. The medical examiner also said that McNamara had a condition called “atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease” that contributed to her deἀth but was not the direct cause.
McNamara’s spouse, comedian Patton Oswalt, made the following statement on February 3, 2017:
“We learned today the combination of drugs in Michelle’s system, along with a condition we were unaware of, proved lethal.” The medical examiner found a mix of drugs in her system, including Adderall, Xanax and fentanyl, according to the autopsy report.
Oswalt discussed the final hours of her life. McNamara was obsessed with the book and her study into the Golden State Killer, which caused her anxiety and nightmares. “She had overloaded her mind with information with very dark implications,” Oswalt told The New York Times of her insomniac client.
He recommended Xanax to her without knowing her other prescriptions or how much she relied on them. He told People he got up early on April 21 to prepare their daughter Alice for school.
After returning home at 9:40 a.m., he placed a cup of coffee beside McNamara’s bed. He claimed that he went back to check on her a few hours later and found that she had stopped breathing. Paramedics pronounced her deceased at the site.
Have you heard of the stunning Marisol Malaret Contreras? She was a multi-talented Puerto Rican who graced the screens as a television host, model, and beauty queen. She departed this world on a serene Sunday, the 19th of March in 2023, at the ripe age of 73. The cause of her passing remains a mystery, shrouded in the mysterious veil of the unknown.
Behold the tweet from her beloved spouse dedicated to his cherished wife, presented below-
You did it, baby. The book is excellent, the writing brilliant. You tried to bring kindness to chaos, which was your way. #IllBeGoneInTheDark #MichelleMcNamara pic.twitter.com/xUKgEXOmR7
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 27, 2018
Oswalt told the Times soon after her pἀssing that the book needed to be completed:
“Knowing how horrible this guy was, there was this feeling of; you’re not going to silence another victim. Michelle dἰed, but her testimony is going to get out there.”
McNamara’s researcher, Paul Haynes, and Billy Jensen, an investigative journalist, worked together to piece together the story found on McNamara’s hard drive. Instead of mimicking McNamara’s writing style, Haynes and Jensen let the project’s flaws appear and highlight the chapters stitched together from her notes.
The final product is unpolished, revealing both the depth and breadth of McNamara’s investigation into the topic (she searched through many theories and facts) and her irritation at repeatedly hitting deἀd ends.