The death of Thelma Todd, a prominent Hollywood actress, remains shrouded in mystery nearly 90 years after her passing.

On December 16, 1935, the 29-year-old was found dead in her car, with officials ruling it as accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

However, speculation surrounding the cause of her death continues to this day, with theories of suicide and murder circulating.

Thelma Todd was born in Massachusetts in 1906 and was soon discovered by Hollywood after winning a beauty pageant.

She went on to star in over 120 films and was renowned for her comedic roles alongside the likes of the Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton, earning her the nicknames “Ice Cream Blonde” and “Hot Toddy.”

In 1932, Todd married film producer Pat DiCicco, but the couple had a turbulent relationship and eventually divorced in 1934.

Afterwards, Todd opened a cafe called “Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Cafe” along the Pacific Coast Highway, where she lived with her boyfriend, director Roland West.

On the night of December 14, two days before her death, Todd was the guest of honor at a party at Cafe Trocadero.

During the party, she got into an argument with her ex-husband and became intoxicated. She left the party at 3AM and was driven home, but did not make it inside.

It wasn’t until Monday morning that Todd was discovered dead in her car.

The coroner ruled her death as a suicide due to carbon monoxide poisoning, but those close to her disputed this claim, saying she was always in good spirits and wouldn’t have taken her own life.

The circumstances surrounding her death, such as the state of her hair and shoes, have also been called into question.

One particularly disturbing aspect of Todd’s death is the close-up photos taken of her dead body by paparazzi and published in magazines and newspapers.

Thelma’s friends and family were shocked by the photos, but they serve as a reminder of the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death.

At the time of her death, Todd had peas and carrots in her stomach, which weren’t served at Cafe Trocadero.

Furthermore, the night of the party was windy, yet her hair was styled perfectly.

If Todd had walked to the garage from where her driver dropped her off, her shoes would have been dirty or damaged, yet they were found to be clean and undamaged.

Despite numerous suspects and theories, Thelma Todd’s death remains one of Hollywood’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

To this day, the questions surrounding her death continue to captivate the public’s imagination and spark new investigations.

As Roland West said in a 1935 interview, “Thelma Todd was too full of life to have died of carbon monoxide.”