What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? Why Her Stabbing Was Ruled a Suicide

Ellen Greenberg’s family is still searching for answers about her mysterious 2011 death.

The 27-year-old teacher, whose story is now being told in the Hulu docuseries Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg, was found dead in her Philadelphia apartment on Jan. 26, 2011. Despite suffering 20 stab wounds, Greenberg’s death was ruled a suicide by authorities.

To this day, Greenberg’s family and friends believe she was murdered. In February 2025, the pathologist who conducted her autopsy signed a statement saying that, after reviewing new information in the case, he no longer believes Greenberg died by suicide, according to CNN.

“We’re very excited,” Greenberg’s mother, Sandee, told the outlet. “I mean, never in my wildest dreams did I think anything like this was gonna happen.”

While the reversal is a major step forward in Greenberg’s case, her parents still have an uphill battle as they continue to push for a criminal investigation and justice for their daughter.

So what happened to Ellen Greenberg? Here’s a look inside her mysterious death.

Who was Ellen Greenberg?

Ellen Greenberg was born in New York City on June 23, 1983, to parents Josh and Sandee Greenberg. An only child, Greenberg was raised in Harrisburg, Pa., and went on to attend Pennsylvania State University. Her family and friends described her in the Hulu documentary as “joyful,” “fun-loving” and “beautiful.”

After graduating from college, Greenberg moved to Philadelphia and earned her master’s degree. She eventually began dating Sam Goldberg, a producer for NBC Sports at the time, and after some time together, the couple got engaged.

Greenberg was 27 years old when she died and was working as a first-grade teacher at Juniata Park Academy.

What happened to Ellen Greenberg?

On Jan. 26, 2011, a snow storm hit the Philadelphia area, causing classes at Greenberg’s school to be canceled. After leaving work early, she returned to the apartment she shared with Goldberg in Philadelphia’s Manayunk neighborhood.

Then, at around 4:45 p.m., Goldberg went to work out at their building’s gym. He returned about 40 minutes later and allegedly found their unit door latched from the inside. After attempting to contact Greenberg numerous times, he broke down the door and found her lying on the kitchen floor, covered in blood.

Goldberg called 911 at 6:30 p.m. and was instructed to give his fiancée CPR, which is when he allegedly discovered a knife sticking out of her chest. He then told the operator that she “stabbed herself” or “fell on a knife,” though he noted that he wasn’t entirely sure what happened.

It was later revealed that Greenberg had been stabbed 20 times, including 10 times in the back of her neck. She also had over 10 bruises in various stages of healing across her body.

Why was Ellen Greenberg’s death ruled a suicide?

When police arrived at the couple’s apartment, they treated Greenberg’s death as a straightforward suicide and did not call the Crime Scene Unit. The following day, Dr. Marlon Osbourne conducted Greenberg’s autopsy and initially ruled her death a homicide, writing that she was “stabbed by another person,” per CNN.

However, after meeting with law enforcement and learning details about the scene, including the fact that there was no sign of forced entry or evidence of a struggle, the medical examiner changed her cause of death to suicide.

By this point, the apartment had already been professionally cleaned and wiped of any potential evidence. Additionally, a relative of Goldberg’s was allowed to collect several personal items from the apartment, including Greenberg’s phone and computer.

Although Greenberg struggled with anxiety and depression, her parents never accepted her death as a suicide and have spent nearly two decades fighting to have it investigated as a potential murder. They have also hired their own forensic pathologists, who have raised serious doubts about the case and how it was handled.

What legal action has Ellen Greenberg’s family taken?

Greenberg’s parents filed two civil lawsuits; one in 2019 against the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office and Osbourne to change the ruling on their daughter’s death certificate, and another against the City of Philadelphia, former Chief Medical Examiner Sam Gulino and others involved in 2022, alleging that the investigation was mishandled and covered up by city officials.

In February 2025, the Greenbergs celebrated a major legal victory when the city settled both suits and the Medical Examiner’s Office agreed to reopen its investigation into Greenberg’s cause of death.

This ruling came shortly after Dr. Osbourne signed an affidavit stating that her death should be classified as “something other than suicide,” according to NBC Philadelphia. He reportedly made the decision after reviewing new information in the case and consulting with a pediatric neuropathologist.

The settlement also included an undisclosed amount of money.

“I hope today we made Ellen proud of us, and we were certainly very proud of her as her parents,” Sandee told reporters. “It’s monumental; for 14 years we’ve been dealing with this suicidal label.”

What has Sam Goldberg said about Ellen Greenberg’s death?

Goldberg has only spoken out publicly about his fiancée’s death on one occasion. “When Ellen took her own life it left me bewildered,” he wrote in a 2024 email to CNN. “She was a wonderful and a kind person who had everything to live for.”

He continued, “When she died a part of me died with her. Unimaginably, in the years that have passed I have had to endure the unimaginable passing of my future wife and the pathetic and despicable attempts to desecrate my reputation and her privacy by creating a narrative that embraces lies, distortions and falsehoods in order to avoid the truth. Mental illness is very real and has many victims.”

Goldberg chose not to be a part of the Hulu docuseries.