Kayla Brantley

On April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain was found dead in a room above the garage of his Seattle home.

Authorities later revealed that he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

A handwritten note was discovered nearby.

A 20-gauge shotgun was found resting across his body.

The King County medical examiner ruled it a suicide.

The Seattle police closed the case.

But almost from the beginning, doubts and conspiracy theories began to swirl about the note, the toxicology results, the position of the gun, and the blood at the scene.

For more than 30 years, the debate never fully went away.

Now, a new independent team of forensic researchers have reexamined the original autopsy and crime scene material.

They say they identified five key pieces of evidence, from blood pattern analysis to drug levels, that they argue were inconsistent with the official account.

In this special episode of The Trial USA, we spoke to retired Seattle Police Captain Neil Lowe, a veteran of the force who was on duty when Kurt Cobain's death was first investigated.

Lowe explains why Cobain's death has suddenly returned to the headlines, what this new independent team of forensic experts is now examining, and why they believe the evidence points toward homicide rather than suicide.

I'm Kayla Brantley, and this is our special investigation into the death of Kurt Cobain.

We'll be back in just a moment with the interview.

And joining us now is former Chief Neal Lowe, who's a former investigator with the Seattle Police Department and has reviewed the evidence in Cobain's death.

Neal, thank you for being here.

This has been such a big story.

You were a police officer in Seattle in 1994, right?

when Kurt Cobain was found dead.

Can you take us back to that time?