More than three decades after Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s death, a retired Seattle Police captain says the evidence points to homicide, not suicide. Former police captain Neil Low told the Daily Mail he believes the official investigation into Cobain’s 1994 death was mishandled and should be reopened. “I think it’s a homicide, and I do think the case should be reopened,” Low said. “I just am not buying that Kurt did that to himself.”
Low spent 50 years with the Seattle Police Department and was asked in 2005 to review the original case. He now claims investigators failed to treat the scene as a possible homicide and rushed to declare suicide. He said the forensic evidence “does not add up,” noting physical inconsistencies such as unusually clean hands, questionable blood spatter, and misplaced items around Cobain’s body. “The birdshot went into his skull and really did a number,” Low added. “The impact would have produced a significant spray, not just a little, a large spray.”
Low says photos from the scene show inconsistencies that point to evidence being disturbed or altered. He also mentioned reports of missing notes and errors in documentation that may have influenced investigators. “One thing about report writing is the human error factor,” he said, stressing that mistakes and omissions can lead investigators “astray.” According to Low, at least 12 officers entered and exited the room where Cobain’s body was found, a level of access he says likely compromised evidence integrity.
Nirvana - You Know You're Right (LP Version)
When Cobain’s body was discovered on April 5, 1994, Seattle police spokeswoman Vinette Tishi told reporters that a suicide note was found at the scene. Low argues that comment was premature. “Statements like that must come from the medical examiner,” he said, suggesting the early framing of the case shaped the entire investigation. The note allegedly included Cobain’s now-famous phrase, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away,” followed by requests to his wife, Courtney Love, to “please keep going,” and remarks about their daughter Frances.
The King County Medical Examiner ruled the death a suicide by shotgun in 1994, a conclusion authorities have upheld for more than 30 years. But Low believes the SPD “went in with their mind made up.” He said homicide detectives typically are not called to investigate apparent suicides, limiting scrutiny of the original findings. The 2005 audit he led was meant to ensure accountability and training improvements, not to reverse the case ruling, though he now says the evidence warrants deeper review.
The Daily Mail noted that Low’s statements carry unusual weight because he once accepted the suicide ruling himself. Independent researchers share some of his doubts, pointing to irregularities in police and autopsy reports. A 1994 SPD report described a taxi driver who picked up a man “who he thought did not match with the residence” at Cobain’s address. The man reportedly asked to buy bullets but couldn’t find a store before being dropped ten miles away. A 2014 SPD follow-up report referenced the same cab ride but omitted the key line about the passenger’s identity being uncertain.
Independent researcher Michelle Wilkins, who leads a private forensic review of the case, says such discrepancies “strengthen concerns” over how the investigation was conducted. “The original report explicitly says the passenger didn’t match the residence. That alone suggests it may not have been Kurt,” Wilkins told the Daily Mail. She added that Cobain, an experienced gun owner, would have known where to buy ammunition and would not have needed to search for it.
Another unresolved detail involves a handwritten note found in Cobain’s jacket pocket. The autopsy report described it as a message referencing ammunition and a Remington shotgun, while the SPD’s 1994 report listed it as a gun purchase receipt signed by Cobain’s friend Dylan R. Carlson. The receipt was dated March 30, 1994 — just days before the musician’s death.
In response to questions from the Daily Mail about the case, the Seattle Police Department repeated its longstanding conclusion: “Kurt Cobain died by suicide in 1994. This continues to be the position held by the Seattle Police Department.” Analysts say the controversy, now reignited by one of the department’s own, is far from over.
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