When Ellen Greenberg was found stabbed to death inside of her Pennsylvania apartment in January 2011, many people initially assumed that she was murdered. On the latest episode of Us Weekly’s Uncovered, investigative reporter Kristin Thorne looks into why her death ruling was changed from a homicide to a suicide.
Greenberg was found dead at the age of 27 after she suffered 20 stab wounds to her head, neck, chest and back. At first glance, it appeared that no one would have been able to physically stab themselves in the way that Greenberg was attacked.
“Initially, police ruled her death a homicide,” Thorne said. “I mean, it seems pretty obvious, but after the medical examiner got more information from police, the death was changed from a homicide to a suicide.”
Many people, including Greenberg’s family and friends, were left in shock over the changed ruling. “It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t seem possible,” Thorne said of their reactions. “But the District Attorney’s office says there isn’t enough evidence to pursue, at least right now, that this was a homicide.”
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In October 2025, the medical examiner was forced to do a review of the initial autopsy following the Greenberg family’s pleas to reexamine the findings. However, the medical examiner once again concluded that the elementary school teacher died by suicide.
The case has not officially been closed, and the Greenberg family has never stopped fighting for the ruling of her death to be reconsidered. Unfortunately, Thorne said the case is “essentially inactive until they get evidence that would allow them to pursue a homicide angle.”
Thorne spoke to Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? director Nancy Schwartzman throughout the Uncovered episode, who shared even more insight into the inconsistencies in the case.
“There are so many jaw-dropping moments and failures in this investigation,” Schwartzman said. “You’re reading about it, you’re hearing it, and you’re like, ‘Oh my god.’”
Schwartzman also reflected on the medical examiner concluding that Greenberg was suffering from anxiety at the time of her death, which he speculated likely stemmed from her work as a teacher.
“It’s very hard to ask the same institution to give it a cold, hard look, and then take responsibility if they find mistakes, right?” Schwartzman said of the second ruling. “So, it doesn’t surprise me, and it really feels like an outside agency would be far more useful and thorough.”
Both Thorne and Schwartzman expressed their frustrations over the case being at a standstill more than one decade after Greenberg died.
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“There was no evidence of foul play and that Ellen could have inflicted the injuries on herself,” Thorne said. She also pointed out that the medical examiner described the injuries she sustained as “hesitation wounds.”
The fixation on the case is far from over, and many people are determined to not give up until the truth about Greenberg’s death is finally revealed.
“Absolutely everybody involved feels very close to the story and the family,” Schwartzman said. “I would never say I know what happened. I don’t know what happened, you know? There were not cameras in the apartment, there are not cameras in the hallway. We just know … there’s just a common sense, gut feeling that audiences all have, that this is wrong.”
