Philadelphia, PA — On a snowy January evening in 2011, 27-year-old schoolteacher Ellen Rae Greenberg was found dead in her Manayunk apartment. She had suffered 20 stab wounds, including 10 to the back of her neck and head, and bore multiple bruises in various stages of healing. A knife was still lodged in her chest.
What might have been a straightforward homicide investigation quickly became one of the most controversial and enduring mysteries in American true crime. Despite the violent nature of her injuries, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her death a suicide — a decision that has sparked more than a decade of legal battles, expert disputes, and public outrage.
Early Life and Career
Born: June 23, 1983, New York City
Family: Only child of Joshua and Sandra Greenberg
Education: Graduated from Susquehanna Township High School; earned a communications degree at Penn State; later pursued teaching credentials at Temple University
Career: First-grade teacher at Juniata Park Academy in Philadelphia, remembered by colleagues and students as warm, dedicated, and patient
By 2011, Ellen was engaged to Samuel Goldberg, a television producer. The couple lived together in a luxury apartment complex in Manayunk, a neighborhood popular with young professionals.
January 26, 2011: The Night of Her Death
A snowstorm had blanketed Philadelphia, leaving roads treacherous.
Ellen left work early and returned home.
Later that evening, Goldberg reported being locked out of their apartment after returning from the gym. He claimed he forced entry and discovered Ellen’s body in the kitchen.
She was slumped against the cabinets, a knife embedded in her chest.
The autopsy revealed:
20 stab wounds (10 to the back of the neck and head, others to the chest and abdomen)
11 bruises in various stages of healing on her arms, abdomen, and legs
No defensive wounds are typically associated with a self-inflicted stabbing
The Shifting Rulings
Initial ruling (2011): Homicide
Revised ruling (2011): Suicide, after consultation with police investigators
Subsequent reviews (2019–2025): Despite new forensic reports highlighting inconsistencies, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office reaffirmed suicide as the official cause
This reversal has been the central controversy. Dr. Marlon Osbourne, the original medical examiner, later admitted he had considered homicide or undetermined, but changed his ruling under pressure.
Expert Disputes
Independent forensic pathologists have repeatedly challenged the suicide ruling:
Physical Improbability: Experts argue it is nearly impossible for someone to stab themselves 20 times, particularly in the back of the neck and head.
Bruising Evidence: The presence of older bruises suggests prior trauma or abuse.
Scene Inconsistencies: No blood spatter consistent with self-inflicted stabbing was documented.
One expert described the wounds as “the act of someone who was enraged at her.”
The Family’s Fight
Joshua and Sandra Greenberg have spent nearly 15 years pursuing justice for their daughter. Their efforts include:
Filing lawsuits against the city of Philadelphia and the medical examiner’s office
Commissioning independent forensic reviews
Launching public campaigns, including petitions and media appearances, to keep Ellen’s case in the spotlight
In October 2025, Philadelphia officials announced the case was closed. The Greenbergs, however, vowed to continue their fight outside the city’s jurisdiction.
Legal and Institutional Questions
The Greenberg case has become emblematic of larger systemic issues:
Forensic Integrity: How much influence should police have over medical examiners’ rulings?
Public Trust: Can institutions admit error without undermining their credibility?
Legal Precedent: The case raises questions about how disputed autopsy findings should be handled in court.
Timeline of Key Events
1983: Ellen Greenberg was born in New York City
1994: Family relocates to Harrisburg, PA
2001–2006: Attends Penn State, later Temple University
2011 (Jan 26): Found dead in Manayunk apartment
2011 (Feb): Death initially ruled homicide, later changed to suicide
2019–2022: Renewed legal challenges by the Greenberg family
2025 (Oct): Philadelphia reaffirms suicide ruling despite new forensic evidence
Fourteen years after her death, Ellen Greenberg’s case remains unresolved in the eyes of many. Officially, her death is classified as a suicide. Unofficially, it is a story of unanswered questions, institutional resistance, and a family’s relentless pursuit of truth.
For Ellen’s parents, the fight is not only about their daughter but about ensuring that no other family endures the same battle against a system that seems unwilling to reconsider its conclusions.
As the Greenbergs continue their search for justice, Ellen’s story endures as both a personal tragedy and a public reckoning — a reminder that sometimes, the hardest wounds to heal are not physical, but institutional.
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