Michelle McNamara Obituary

Michelle McNamara was a true crime author from the United States. McNamara was raised in Oak Park, Illinois.

She graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1988. McNamara earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Notre Dame in 1992.

She graduated from the University of Minnesota with an MFA in creative writing. Michelle McNamara was the author of the true crime book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer.

She helped coin the moniker “Golden State Killer” for the serial killer later identified as Joseph James DeAngelo after her death.

Michelle McNamara died in her sleep in her family’s Los Angeles home on April 21, 2016.

According to the autopsy report, her death was caused by the side effects of multiple prescription drugs (including Adderall, Xanax and the pain medication fentanyl).

According to the same article, several of her medications were not prescribed to her, and she was also found in possession of other drugs such as cocaine and levamisole.

A previously undiagnosed atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (heart disease) played a role. The coroner ruled that it was an unintentional overdose.