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Ellen Rae Greenberg Case Files
- Date and Time of Incident: January 26, 2011, shortly after 6:40 PM.
- Location: Venice Loft apartments, 4601 Flat Rock Road, Philadelphia.
- Discovery of the Body: The woman was found by her fiancé, who reported finding her bloody and unresponsive on the kitchen floor.
- Condition of the Victim: She was found with a knife in her chest and was not breathing.
- Initial Response: Paramedics and EMTs determined she was deceased and left the scene.
- Police Investigation: Officer Jamie Budd arrived at 7:34 PM, requested the medical examiner, and contacted lead investigator Steve Olszewski.
- Scene Details: The bar lock on the front door was broken, consistent with the fiancé’s description. The apartment was tidy, with no signs of struggle or burglary.
- Medications: Alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), and zolpidem (Ambien) were found in the bedside drawer, along with a small notebook detailing medication effects.
- Family Statements: The decedent’s parents mentioned a sudden onset of out-of-character anxiety.
- Investigation: Upon discovering the body, police found no evidence indicating an intruder. The six-story apartment could only be accessed through the front door or an exterior balcony, and the fresh layer of snow outside was undisturbed. There were no signs of a robbery; valuables were visible and untouched. Greenberg’s parents told the police they had no reason to suspect her fiancé.
“Help! I need an ambulance immediately. I just came home, and my fiancée is on the floor, covered in blood,” he said.
During the call, Goldberg struggled to explain Ellen’s injuries until the operator offered to guide him through CPR if he was willing.“I have to, right?”
The operator instructed him to lay Ellen on her back and remove her shirt. Goldberg noticed Ellen was already on her back but had difficulty with her shirt.Her shirt won’t come off. It’s a zipper. Oh my God! She stabbed herself
She fell on a knife. I don’t know. The knife is sticking out.
There’s a knife sticking out of her heart.
I guess so, I don’t know, or she fell on it.
The operator advised him not to perform CPR and to wait for the police. Emergency responders arrived at 6:36 p.m. and found Ellen in a semi-upright position between two corner cabinets. She was pronounced dead shortly afterward. Officer Jamie Budd arrived at 7:34 p.m. and requested the medical examiner. The Official Report: The location of death is in the kitchen of the decedents apartment located at the Venice Loft Apartments, 4601 Flat Rock Rd unit 603, Philadelphia, PA 19127. It is a two bedroom apartment on the 6th floor of the building, shared by the decedent with her fiancé, Samuel GOLDBERG. Items The apartment is well kept, clean. The inside lock to the front door, a common latch/solid bar door guard, is broken with the screws on the door loose, obviously forced in when in a lock ed position. Throughout the entire apartment, there is no evidence of a struggle.- Furniture and items appear in place, nothing is obviously missing or disturbed.
- There are numerous valuables present, money, keys, 3 laptop computers; one in the kitchen on the island (appears to be GOLDBERG’S), one in the master bedroom suite on the floor (appears to be the decedents, as evidenced by wedding material and one on an additional bedroom desk (appears to be the decedents work computer, as evidenced by numerous teaching materials).
- Prescription medication are recovered from a bed stand located in the master bedroom, Prescriber, Dr Ellen Berman Rx: alprazolam, clonazepam and zolpidem.
- A paper booklet is in the decedents pocketbook that’s on a chair at the living room island, resembles a journal of her medications and her state of mind while taking, last dated 1/16..
- The decedents cell phone is in the master bathroom.
Ellen Greenberg – Autopsy
The following day, January 27, an autopsy performed by Dr. Marlon Osbourne determined Ellen’s death was a homicide.
Because the police had left the scene, they needed to prepare affidavits to obtain a search warrant to reenter the apartment. By the time the warrant was obtained and the police returned, the apartment had been cleaned by a crime scene cleanup crew hired by property manager Melissa Ware. Additionally, Ellen’s fiancé’s prominent attorney uncle had entered the premises and removed several items, including Ellen’s work laptop, personal laptop, cell phone, engagement ring, and credit cards. The police did not recover these items until January 29. Despite the opportunity, the fiancé’s family and attorney did not return the items to Ellen’s family during her funeral on January 28 in Harrisburg, PA.
This case underscores the challenges of criminal investigations, particularly when faced with unusual or inconclusive evidence. Ellen Greenberg’s death remains a stark reminder of the need for thorough and unbiased investigations. Despite the alarming nature of her injuries, including 20 stab wounds, the initial ruling was a suicide.
Ellen’s parents, devastated by the official ruling, have been vocal about their belief that Ellen was murdered. They purchased their daughter’s autopsy report and scene photos and, in October 2019, filed a lawsuit against the city with attorney Joseph Podraza Jr. They seek to have Ellen’s manner of death officially changed to homicide or undetermined. This change could allow for the reopening of the investigation and potentially lead to a wrongful-death or misconduct lawsuit against the city. They argue that the nature of her injuries, combined with other aspects of the investigation, suggests the initial ruling was premature or incorrect, pointing out the lack of forced entry and the fact that Ellen’s fiancé, the only other person present, claimed to have been out of the apartment at the time of her death.