Seattle Police Department

Detective That Took A Closer Look At Kurt Cobain's Death File Explains Evidence

New pictures have been developed from the evidence file from the scene of Kurt Cobain's death.

The 25th Anniversary Of Cobain's Death

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2019 marked the 25th anniversary of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's untimely death, and a homicide detective from the Seattle Police was requested to review the information in Cobain's death.

Reviewing The Evidence

Mike Ciesynski, who has reviewed the file since 2014, revealed some of what he found relating to the case to CBS News.

Releasing The Photos

Photos from the death scene that were previously undeveloped have also been released, as well as photos of the items in the evidence file.

Ciesynski explained that the original team decided "to not develop the film and to have it placed in the records room safe along with the case file so that no one would swipe anything."

Drugs In His System

Ciesynski also expressed his shock at what the biopsy report revealed about Cobain's drug levels at the time of his suicide.

"When I received the autopsy report I remembered leaning back in my chair and giving a "whoa" after seeing the morphine level Kurt had in his system. It also showed track marks, and there were several grams of black tar heroin left in his kit."

Proof Against Conspiracy Theories

There are a vast number of conspiracy theories around Cobain's death, particularly the idea that girlfriend Courtney Love was actually the one who killed him. Ciesynski claims that the evidence collected only strengthens the case that Cobain killed himself.

"I located the receipt of the purchased shotgun shells from a Seattle Gun store that matched the time and location where a Seattle cab driver said he dropped off a male matching Cobain's description after picking him up from the Cobain residence. Also, when I had questions about the positioning of the shotgun found in Cobain's hand and the location of the spent shell casing, I interviewed an experienced weapons armorer who explained the dynamics of what had likely occurred."

The Toll Of Depression

Ciesynski ends his report lamenting the power of depression, and that no one, even rich and talented stars on the rise, are immune.

"Why would a millionaire musician with a bright future of unlimited potential take his own life? I wish we could ask all the others who have done so who have seemed outwardly 'fine.' 'He or she would never commit suicide,' is one of the most common things we hear when working a case that turns out to be a suicide.

It has been my experience as a homicide detective that depression is the most common underlying reason people commit suicide."