Independent forensic report disputes suicide ruling in Kurt Cobain death

New report claims possible homicide and urges Seattle authorities to reconsider suicide ruling on Kurt Cobain case

A new independent forensic report is challenging the long-standing ruling that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain died by suicide, urging authorities in Seattle to re-examine the case nearly three decades after his death.

Cobain was found dead at his Seattle home on April 5, 1994, aged 27. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that he died by suicide from a self-inflicted shotgun wound. That determination has remained in place despite ongoing public debate.

Forensic specialist Brian Burnett and researcher Michelle Wilkins have conducted an independent review of the autopsy and crime scene evidence. Burnett, known for revisiting disputed cases including the death of Marine Colonel James Sabow, joined the review in late 2025.

According to Wilkins, their findings point to what they describe as organ damage more consistent with a heroin overdose than an immediate shotgun death. “The necrosis of the brain and liver happens in an overdose. It doesn’t happen in a shotgun death,” she said, suggesting Cobain may have been incapacitated prior to the gunshot.

The pair also questioned whether Cobain would have been physically capable of firing the weapon if compromised. Additional concerns raised include blood patterns, hand placement, the arrangement of drug paraphernalia, and the positioning of receipts and ammunition. They have also cast doubt on the authenticity of the note found at the property.

Wilkins said Burnett concluded during the review: “This is a homicide. We’ve got to do something about this.” The comment reflects the opinion of the private forensic team and not a formal finding by law enforcement.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office said it remains open to reviewing new evidence but has “seen nothing to date that would warrant re-opening of this case and our previous determination of death.” The Seattle Police Department has previously declined to revisit the investigation.