An unofficial team of private forensic researchers has questioned the 1994 ruling that Kurt Cobain died by suicide, saying their review of autopsy and scene materials points to homicide, the Daily Mail reported on Wednesday.
The group’s claims surfaced this week, decades after the King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the Seattle Police Department case was a self-inflicted gunshot.
Seattle authorities told the Daily Mail on the record that the case remains closed as a suicide.
Independent researcher Michelle Wilkins said the team enlisted forensic specialist Brian Burnett, who, after reviewing materials, concluded the evidence indicated homicide.
Wilkins said the group’s paper outlines ten points, including organ damage consistent with oxygen deprivation before the gunshot, and alleges a staged scene involving a heroin overdose and a forged note, the Daily Mail reported.
A spokesman for the medical examiner told the Daily Mail that the office conducted a full autopsy with law enforcement and would reconsider only if new evidence emerges, adding that none has been presented to warrant revisiting the suicide determination.
The Seattle Police said the department is not reopening the case and continues to hold that Cobain died by suicide.
Cobain was found dead in his home over 30 years ago
Cobain, 27, was found dead at his Seattle home on April 5, 1994. The case was ruled a suicide by shotgun and has been revisited periodically in popular culture and legal disputes involving Nirvana’s legacy.
For years, Cobain’s life and work have remained in the public eye through documentaries, memorabilia auctions, and litigation related to the band.
As of Wednesday, no US authority has announced any change to the official finding.
“Our detective concluded that he died by suicide, and this continues to be the position held by this department,” Seattle Police told the Daily Mail.