When king of ’90s alt, Nirvana vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain died of a gunshot wound in April 1994 in Seattle, Washington, the tragedy was ruled a suicide by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office and the police. However, a new report says a team of private sector forensic scientists is questioning that conclusion.
GettyThe Daily Mail reported on February 10, 2026 that “an unofficial private sector team of forensic scientists” has come together to analyze the mega-famous musician’s autopsy and the crime scene materials. The report says the team includes Brian Burnett, a specialist with experience in overdoses and gunshot trauma.
The Mail says another member of the team, independent researcher Michelle Wilkins, told them that after 3 days of examining the evidence, Burnett declared, “This is a homicide. We’ve got to do something about this.” The report says Wilkins cited “an exhaustive review of the autopsy findings, which revealed signs inconsistent with an instantaneous gunshot death.”
Based on its investigation, Wilkins says the team published a 10-point peer-reviewed paper proposing that “one or more assailants” used drugs to incapacitate Cobain before shooting him, placing the gun in his arms, and forging a suicide note.
Detailing the parts of the autopsy upon which the team based their theory, the Mail says Wilkins explained, “There are things in the autopsy that go, well, wait, this person didn’t die very quickly of a gunshot blast. The necrosis of the brain and liver happens in an overdose. It doesn’t happen in a shotgun death.”
A Suspicious Portion of Kurt Cobain’s Final Letter Has Received Ongoing Scrutiny
GettyUpon Cobain’s death, a handwritten letter was found which was accepted by authorities as a suicide note. Two days later at a memorial for the star which was attended by thousands of fans, his wife, Courtney Love, played a recording for the crowd of herself reading portions of the note aloud.
The note, which can be viewed here on a website for Cobain that says it is “dedicated to preserving and celebrating Kurt Cobain’s musical legacy and cultural impact.”
The last few lines of the note have been hotly debated by fans and experts alike for decades, due to its different appearance from the rest of the letter. Handwriting expert Marcel Matley told Unsolved Mysteries, “As to the last four lines, there are more than a dozen differences that should give us pause. And we would have to reasonably explain these differences before we can conclude that the same person wrote the four lines that wrote the body of it.”
Seattle Police Department Is Not Reopening Kurt Cobain Case
The Daily Mail says a spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department told them, “Our detective concluded that he died by suicide, and this continues to be the position held by this department.”
Likewise, the outlet quotes a spokesperson for the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as saying, “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. 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.”
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, dial 988 to reach the toll-free Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week (dial 888-628-9454 for assistance in Spanish). You can also speak with a trained crisis counselor anytime by texting HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
