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Crime writer Michelle McNamara has died aged 46.
McNamara, wife of the comedian and actor Patton Oswalt, passed away in her sleep on Thursday, Oswalt's publicist said. No cause of death has been announced.
She founded the website True Crime Diary, which aims to "find the angle others have overlooked" when investigating breaking crime stories and cold cases.
"I'm drawn to cases that aren't so high profile, that are maybe even a little neglected, but which have enough evidence and clues that anyone with a will and an Internet connection can try to piece together the puzzle. That's exciting to me," she explained in a 2011 interview.
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"It feels like the difference between looking forward or looking back. I get why people would be interested in the psychology of a criminal, but it's more interesting to me to be presented with a puzzle and given the opportunity to try and solve it."
She married Oswalt, a popular stand-up comedian who is also known for his TV roles in The King of Queens and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D , in 2005 and they had a seven-year-old daughter together.
The writer Brooke Magnanti and actors Anna Kendrick and Olivia Munn are among those to have paid tribute to McNamara on Twitter.
"Breaks my heart to hear the news about Michelle McNamara," Munn wrote, sending her love to her family.
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