Seattle Police Respond to New Kurt Cobain ‘Homicide’ Claim

Was Kurt Cobain‘s death an actual homicide? An unofficial private sector team of forensic scientists recently conducted their own investigation of the autopsy and crime scene photos and have suggested that their findings were not consistent with that of an instantaneous gunshot death, but the Seattle Police and Medical Examiner have both weighed in with new statements responding to the reports.

As has been reported for years, Cobain died on April 5, 1994 of an apparent self-inflicted wound. The King County Medical Examiner ruled that the singer had taken his own life at the time of his passing.

What Did the Police and Medical Examiner Say?

As word of the new report began to circulate, a spokesperson for the Medical Examiner’s Office told the Daily Mail: ‘King County Medical Examiner’s Office worked with the local law enforcement agency, conducted a full autopsy and followed all of its procedures in coming to the determination of the manner of death as a suicide.”

They added, ‘Our office is always open to revisiting its conclusions if new evidence comes to light, but we’ve seen nothing to date that would warrant re-opening of this case and our previous determination of death.”

As for police, a spokesperson from the Seattle Police Department shared that they would not be reopening the case. ‘Our detective concluded that he died by suicide and this continues to be the position held by this department,’ the spokesperson added.

What Were the Findings of the New Kurt Cobain Death Investigation?

Independent researcher Michelle Wilkins, who was part of the investigative team, spoke with The Daily Mail about their findings. It was her belief in speaking with the paper that the exhaustive review of the autopsy findings were not consistent with that of an instantaneous gunshot death.

A peer-reviewed paper presented 10 points of evidence that suggested that the Nirvana singer had been confronted by one or more assailants who had forced a drug overdose on the musician before staging the body and forging a suicide note.

READ MORE: People Reflect on When They Heard About Kurt Cobain’s Death

The report suggested that the findings were “unusual” for a quick gunshot death. The forensic paper underwent peer review through the editorial process at the International Journal of Forensic Science before being accepted for publication.

Wilkins shared with The Daily Mail that while the team is not seeking arrests, they did want transparency and were asking for a re-examination of the evidence. “If we’re wrong, just prove it to us,” she stated. “That’s all we asked them to do.”

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