Ellen Rae Greenberg had everything going for her when she was found dead in the apartment she shares with her fiancé. Police are quick to say she died by suicide – despite the 20 stab wounds she sustained. But her heartbroken parents are sure she was murdered and their search for answers has raised serious questions about the investigation.
Duration
1h 6m
Broadcast on
02 Oct 2025
Audio Format
other
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Ellen Rae Greenberg had everything going for her when she was found dead in the apartment she shares with her fiancé. Police are quick to say she died by suicide – despite the 20 stab wounds she sustained. But her heartbroken parents are sure she was murdered and their search for answers has raised serious questions about the investigation.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
If you or someone you know is in crisis or feeling suicidal, please reach out for help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), where trained counselors are available 24/7 to provide support.
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Hi, crime junkies, I wanted to bring you some updates on an old case. Lots of you are hitting us up telling us that you're watching the new documentary that just came out on Ellen Greenberg and asking for our thoughts. We covered it in-depth with tons of original reporting back in 2021, and 200 episodes later, we are bringing it back, but with a twist. At the end of the episode, you're going to hear from audio chuck's own Nina Schutzman, who reported on this case. She's going to get you up to speed on everything that has happened between us airing that episode and this new doc, because just because we hit publish on an episode does not mean we stopped following a case. This is the perfect catch-up before you dive into the documentary, and I want to hear from you after. The facts of the case in the doc are pretty much the same as we reported on back then, but there's some interesting insights into Ellen's life in the weeks and hours leading up to her death. And you get to hear from some key witnesses who were in the apartment complex that day. Does it change your opinion at all? Comment if you're in the fan club so we can talk about it, hit us up on social, I want to know your opinion. So let's get into it. This is the mysterious death of Ellen Greenberg. [Music] It's late in the afternoon on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sam Goldberg is getting back to his apartment after a trip to the gym. After a month of snowstorms, the city is in the midst of yet another blizzard and people aren't leaving their homes unless they absolutely have to. But Sam didn't need to go outside to get some exercise because there's a fitness center on site in the Venice Loughs, this luxury condo building where he lives with his fiance, 27-year-old Ellen Ray Greenberg. So when he's done working out, he goes back to his apartment and goes to open the front door, like normal. But according to Sam, there's like this swing bar lock, like a door latch, secured from the inside so he can't get him, even though he's got his key. So he tries calling and texting his fiance, who should be inside, but she doesn't respond and she doesn't open the door. So eventually, he says he just forces the door open. At around 6.30 p.m. 911 dispatch gets a call from Sam. Here is the actual audio from that call, which was provided to us by private investigator Tom Brennan. Oh, I got an idea. I need to learn about everything else. I just walked the right part of life. She answered on the floor with blood everywhere. What is the address? 4601 Flat Rock Road. Please call the call now. 01. Flat Rock Road. Is this a house or a farm? Oh, no. It's the apartment. What apartment? Please, Harry, please. I don't know. I can't tell. No. Does you have to calm yourself down in order to get you some help? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. She, I don't know. I'm looking at her right now. She, I don't know. I can't see anything. She doesn't know there's nothing broken. She bleeds. Ellie. You don't know where she's bleeding from. Can't see what's coming from. It's, I think, her head. I think she hit her head, I think. But it's not everywhere. It's everywhere. I think she might have fallen. Do you know what happened? She, she may have slept his blood on the, on the table. Her face is a little purple. Okay. Hold on for rescue for her. Stay on the phone. I'm going to be if I had a farmer eight, four, two, who's the address? No. 4601 Flat Rock Road. Please, Harry. 4601 Flat Rock. Yes. Let's go. My, my, I just, my, I went downstairs to go work out. I came back up. The door was latched. My fiance's inside. She wasn't, she wasn't answering. So after about a half hour, I decided to break it down. I see her now just on the floor with blood. I, she's not, she's not responding. Okay. She breathing.
Transcription truncated.
Ellen Rae Greenberg had everything going for her when she was found dead in the apartment she shares with her fiancé. Police are quick to say she died by suicide – despite the 20 stab wounds she sustained. But her heartbroken parents are sure she was murdered and their search for answers has raised serious questions about the investigation.