Their Daughter’s 2011 Death Was Ruled a Suicide — Even Though She Had 20 Stab Wounds and Bruises All Over Her Body

For the past 14 years, Sandee and Josh Greenberg have been determined to uncover the truth surrounding the 2011 death of their 27-year-old daughter, Ellen Greenberg.

On Jan. 26, 2011, Ellen’s fiancé, Sam Goldberg, then 28, called 911, reporting he had found her on the kitchen floor of their Philadelphia apartment with a 10-inch kitchen knife lodged in her chest.

The autopsy revealed that the beloved first-grade teacher had suffered 20 stab wounds and had 11 bruises in various stages of healing across her body. Based on the observations of Dr. Marlon Osbourne of the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office, Ellen’s death was initially classified as a homicide.

ABC News Studios Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? , a new three-part documentary premiering Sept. 29 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, chronicles the Greenbergs’ 14-year quest for answers after the Medical Examiner’s Office abruptly changed the autopsy ruling from “homicide” to “suicide” several months later, halting any further official investigation.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE ahead of the docuseries release, Sandee, a retired dental hygienist, and Josh, 75, a retired periodontist, opened up about grappling with the shocking loss of their only child while seeking answers on why the manner of death was switched — and why city officials refused to revert it.

Says Josh: “We are just two parents who want the truth for our daughter. That’s it.”

After years of independent investigation, the Greenbergs filed a lawsuit in 2019 against the City of Philadelphia and others, requesting that Ellen’s manner of death be reinstated as a homicide so police could pursue a formal investigation.

Last Feb. 3, the Greenbergs settled the lawsuits, with city officials agreeing to reevaluate the original autopsy. Meanwhile, Dr. Osbourne signed a statement asserting that the “manner of death should be designated as something other than suicide.”

The city has yet to complete its reevaluation and has been ordered by a Philadelphia judge to finish it by Oct. 14.

“That empowered Josh and I to dig deeper, look harder, find out more,” Sandee tells PEOPLE. “And every step of the way, more things begin to unravel.”

The Greenbergs’ relentless pursuit of answers is a central focus of Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg?, executive producer Nancy Schwartzman explains.

“I think what’s so incredible about the story is that Sandee and Josh were never going to give up,” Schwartzman says.

Referring to the team of professionals and experts who assisted the Greenbergs in uncovering new evidence raising questions about Ellen’s death, Schwartzman adds:

“This community of really talented people saw the facts and details of this case as discovered by the Greenbergs themselves and collectively came together and said, ‘This is not right. Based on our expertise, none of this adds up.’ ”