Michael Jackson Autopsy Picture and Death Photo Hooks

There is considerable amount of traffic online concerning a Michael Jackson autopsy picture. In fact, the stories and articles concerning a Michael Jackson autopsy picture have been circulating for a couple of weeks, hitting the internet right after the autopsy report (of course) by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office and about the same time as the reported death photo, a photo taken supposedly just after Michael Jackson expired and as they were loading him onto the emergency vehicle in the driveway of his Holmby Hills residence. Then OK! Magazine published what they said was the last known photo of a living Michael Jackson (the "near death" photo), much to the outrage of many. Still, thus far, an actual Michael Jackson autopsy picture or photo has yet to surface, no matter the claims of tabloids and online articles.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office conducted a three-hour autopsy on June 26, the day after Michael Jackson died. The cause of death was left as undetermined until a toxicology screen and other more extensive tests could be performed.

The Jackson family, voicing their suspicions publicly that they believed that Michael Jackson met with foul play, ordered a second, independent autopsy performed. The results of that autopsy have been turned over to the family but nothing is known of its contents except LaToya's statement to the Daily Mail that Michael Jackson's neck had four fresh puncture wounds and that there were needle marks on his arms.

A leaked autopsy report made headlines in The Sun but was later refuted as almost totally false by a statement made by the L. A. County Coroner's Office. The Coroner's said that they had no idea where The Sun got their information and that much of it was untrue.

It must be noted that it is a common practice for crime scene investigators to take photos of a death scene, sometimes with the body of the dead individual in situ, or in its undisturbed place at time of death. However, Michael Jackson was not only worked on by Dr. Conrad Murray, but also by paramedics as they attempted to revive Michael Jackson from a cardiac arrest. There were no photos taken (that is known) except for the two photos of Jackson being borne on a gurney into the back of waiting ambulance.

It is also customary for medical examiners to take photos of the deceased for their records. The Sun ran an article with the headline proclaiming an autopsy photo, but they ran a picture of Michael Jackson on a gurney. The photo seems to be one of Michael Jackson outside his home, possibly in the series of photos that have already appeared as his death photo (Entertainment Tonight) and his last known living photo (the "near death" photo published as the cover for OK! Magazine that caused an outcry). Giving the benefit of doubt, the photo could have been taken before Jackson's body was placed in preparation for the autopsy.

There is little doubt that after the body of Michael Jackson was turned over to the Jackson family that copious numbers of death photos were taken, if only to be used in some criminal or legal proceeding later. There is also little doubt that there were pictures taken of the second autopsy ordered by the family.

But an actual Michael Jackson autopsy photo from either the L.A. County Coroner's Office or the family-ordered autopsy has yet to surface.

So why claim that one exists? Why state in a title or headline that one has a Michael Jackson autopsy photo or that one might have an internet link to a site that actually has an autopsy photo (or photos)?

Money. It all revolves around money. The curiosity factor is well known in advertising circles. The more strange, shocking, creative, beautiful, different, original, or humorous an ad or title is, the more likely it will be to garner attention and pull in viewers and users and clients and readers. Using the "Michael Jackson Autopsy Picture" uses the provocatively strange, the mysterious, and the shocking to pull attention. It is the hook that allows potential customers to be reeled in.

Misleading and unfair? Perhaps, but that is a constant in the advertising field. To sell a product, it is sometimes sold through hyperbole or minimalization, omitting certain details or attributing to the product qualities which it actually does not have. It is standard practice. The "Michael Jackson Autopsy Picture" is just as misleading as "Sarah Palin Naked Photos," but it works as a hook for the curious. "Got you to look," as they say. And getting people to look, to watch, to observe, also allows those using the attention-grabber to offer other products and gain publicity for their advertisers.

Although there is little doubt that Michael Jackson autopsy pictures actually exist, there is little evidence that they actually exist online (which could change at any second, given how much certain entities are willing to pay for exclusive rights to photos concerning the deaths of stars). Attempting to track down Michael Jackson autopsy photos bears no fruit, except that one might find the death photos already familiar to the public.

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Sources:

TheSun.co.uk
DailyMail.co.uk
OK! Magazine
Entertainment Tonight