The Patriot Ledger reports that MGM, Harlow, and Bern's employers were satisfied with the conclusion that his death was a suicide. In fact, SFGate explains that when Bern's body was first discovered, MGM was called in lieu of the police. Harlow had not been home when her husband had killed himself; she had reportedly gone to her mother's home for dinner. As to why Bern had decided to end his life, Louis B. Mayer, who was then the head of MGM, cited Bern's impotence (he was nearly twice Harlow's age). The police then uncovered a shocking discovery. Despite his recent nuptials to Harlow, Bern was still married to his first wife, Dorothy Millette.

SFGate explains that Bern and Millette met in Toronto, got married, and moved to New York City. For reasons unknown, Millette was later sent to a sanitarium while Bern moved to California to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Bern and Millette kept in touch and he financially supported her. However, Bern eventually met and married Harlow. According to The Sunday Post, it's been theorized that perhaps Millette murdered Bern for his betrayal. Days after Bern's death, Millette, per a 1932 article from The Healdsburg Tribune, killed herself by jumping off a boat in the Sacramento River.

Film Daily writes that this made Millette look guilty. But as SFGate points out, Millette likely killed herself because Bern had changed his will, making Harlow, rather than Millette, his beneficiary. This meant that she had lost both her husband and her finances.

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