Did the heiress murder her friend? And, did the butler murder her?!

The historically wealthiest families in the United States may sound familiar to you. Consider the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the Waltons, the Hearsts... But, you probably don’t immediately consider the Duke family, who pioneered the Tobacco industry. James Duke’s only daughter Doris Duke was a woman wrought with scandal throughout her life, and today on Found Objects, we will tackle all that AND the mysterious death of Doris’ long-time friend and employee, Eduardo Tirella. This was either the biggest murder cover up of the 1960s, or the most unfortunate case of the wrong place at the wrong time…

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Sources:

“6 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Doris Duke.” Newport Restoration Foundation, 24 Jan. 2024, www.newportrestoration.org/6-most-frequently-asked-questions-about-doris-duke/.

Amore, Samson. “How America’s Most Famous Heiress Got Away with Killing Her Gay Confidant.” Advocate.Com, Advocate.com, 24 Jan. 2024, www.advocate.com/crime/doris-duke-eduardo-tirella#toggle-gdpr.

Colacello, Bob. “Doris Duke’s Final Mystery: Vanity Fair.” Vanity Fair | The Complete Archive, Vanity Fair, 1 Mar. 1994, archive.vanityfair.com/article/1994/3/doris-dukes-final-mystery.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “James Buchanan Duke.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2024, www.britannica.com/money/James-Buchanan-Duke.

Lance, Peter. “The Doris Duke Cold Case Reopens: The Only Known Eyewitness Speaks.” Vanity Fair, 5 Aug. 2021, www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/08/the-doris-duke-cold-case-reopens-eyewitness-speaks.