Ellen Greenberg Was Found Stabbed 20 Times, but Her Death Was Ruled a Suicide. Inside the Suspicious Case Behind Death in Apartment 603

Ellen Greenberg’s family continues to search for answers about her mysterious death in 2011.

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

To this day, Greenberg’s family and friends maintain that she was murdered. In February 2025, the pathologist who conducted her autopsy signed a statement indicating that, after reviewing new information, he no longer believes Greenberg took her own life, according to CNN.

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

While this reversal marks significant progress, her parents still face an uphill battle in seeking a criminal investigation and justice for their daughter.

Who was Ellen Greenberg?

Ellen Greenberg was born in New York City on June 23, 1983, to Josh and Sandee Greenberg. An only child, she grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and attended Pennsylvania State University. Friends and family describe her in the Hulu documentary as “joyful,” “fun-loving,” and “beautiful.”

After college, Greenberg moved to Philadelphia and earned her master’s degree. She began dating Sam Goldberg, a producer for NBC Sports at the time, and the couple eventually got engaged. Greenberg was working as a first-grade teacher at Juniata Park Academy when she died at 27.

What happened to Ellen Greenberg?

On January 26, 2011, a snowstorm canceled classes in Philadelphia. Greenberg returned home early from work to the apartment she shared with Goldberg in the Manayunk neighborhood. Around 4:45 p.m., Goldberg went to the building’s gym. When he returned about 40 minutes later, he allegedly found their door latched from the inside.

After trying to contact Greenberg without success, Goldberg broke down the door and discovered her lying in the kitchen, covered in blood. He called 911 at 6:30 p.m., was instructed to give her CPR, and allegedly discovered a knife in her chest. He reportedly told the operator that she “stabbed herself” or “fell on a knife,” though he admitted he wasn’t certain.

Greenberg had been stabbed 20 times, including 10 times in the back of her neck, and had more than 10 bruises in various stages of healing.

Why was her death ruled a suicide?

When police arrived, Greenberg’s death was initially treated as a suicide, and the Crime Scene Unit was not called. Dr. Marlon Osbourne conducted her autopsy the following day and initially ruled it a homicide, stating she was “stabbed by another person,” according to CNN.

After meeting with law enforcement and learning there were no signs of forced entry or a struggle, the medical examiner changed the ruling to suicide. By that time, the apartment had been professionally cleaned, and a relative of Goldberg’s collected several personal items, including Greenberg’s phone and computer.

Although Greenberg had struggled with anxiety and depression, her parents never accepted the suicide ruling. They have spent nearly two decades seeking a reinvestigation, hiring their own forensic pathologists who raised serious questions about the original case and its handling.

Legal action and recent developments

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

In February 2025, the Greenbergs achieved a major legal victory when the city settled both suits and the Medical Examiner’s Office agreed to reopen the investigation. This followed Dr. Osbourne signing an affidavit stating her death should be classified as “something other than suicide,” according to NBC Philadelphia. He reportedly made this decision after reviewing new information and consulting a pediatric neuropathologist.

The settlement included an undisclosed financial component.

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

What has Sam Goldberg said?

Goldberg has publicly commented on Greenberg’s death only once. In a 2024 email to CNN, he wrote:

“When Ellen took her own life it left me bewildered. She was a wonderful and kind person who had everything to live for. 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 participate in the Hulu docuseries.