Suicide or homicide? New forensic findings reignite debate on Kurt Cobain's death

New forensic findings have once again reignited the controversy surrounding Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's cause of death.

The Nirvana legend was discovered dead at his Seattle residence on April 5, 1994, at age 27.

The new forensic findings have challenged the ruling that has long been in effect that Kurt Cobain's death was a result of suicide, with researchers calling on officials in Seattle to reopen the case nearly three decades later.

Kurt Cobain’s death was officially ruled as a suicide by the King County Medical Examiner's Office, rather than a homicide, by a shotgun, the Remington Model 11 20-gauge.

Now, in the latest forensic findings, a forensic expert, Brian Burnett, and researcher Michelle Wilkins alleged that some elements of the autopsy and crime scene point to pressing questions.

Burnett has credits for re-examining disputed cases, including the death of Marine Colonel James Sabow, who joined Wilkins’ review inquiry in late 2025.

According to Wilkins, “The necrosis of the brain and liver happens in an overdose. It doesn’t happen in a shotgun death.”

The duo also questioned the physical mechanics of the scene, including whether Cobain would have been capable of firing the ‘shotgun’ if he were in the compromised state commonly described.

Some other concerns that were raised in the independent review include blood patterns, hand placement, the arrangement of drug paraphernalia, and how the receipts and ammunition were arranged at the scene.

In a more chilling finding, researchers have alleged that the crime scene was staged to look like a suicide while casting doubts on the originality of the note discovered at the property.

According to researcher Michelle Wilkins, Burnett stated, “This is a homicide. We’ve got to do something about this.”

However, a spokesperson for the Medical Examiner’s Office said, “The 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,” as reported by The Daily.

The spokesperson revealed that while their department is ready to reopen the case if new evidence surfaces, their office has "seen nothing to date."

They added, Our office is always open to revisiting its conclusions if new evidence comes to light, but our previous determination of death stands.”