Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? - Who is Caroline Shnay? Details explored

Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? is a three-part American documentary miniseries that debuted on September 29, 2025, on Hulu.

Nancy Schwartzman directs and produces the series as she dives into the haunting death of Ellen Greenberg. Ellen was a 27-year-old teacher in Philly, whose death has remained unresolved, with very little adding up.

It’s a miniseries with just one season, but every episode peels back another layer of the mystery. One minute, the cops are calling it a suicide, the next minute, people are whispering about homicide, while Ellen’s parents (Sandee and Josh) remain on an emotional rollercoaster.

Over the series, viewers see case files, security cam footage, and even the 911 call. Plus, interviews with people who actually knew Ellen. The series is not a watered-down account of what might have happened; you are sifting through the evidence alongside officials.

Ever since Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? dropped, people have naturally been circling it. One name keeps popping up: Caroline Shnay. Who’s she? What’s her connection to Ellen? Let’s dig into that.

Who is Caroline Shnay?

Caroline Shnay is linked to Ellen Greenberg’s case through her marriage to Ellen’s fiancé after Ellen passed away tragically. Caroline Fay Shnay married Samuel Goldberg in a 2014 ceremony at New York City’s famous Plaza Hotel, as reported in The New York Times. The ceremony, officiated by Rabbi Dovi Scheiner, took place three years after Ellen’s death.

Apart from this fact, information linking her to the actual case is limited. She is not a core figure in inquiries or media reports about Ellen Greenberg’s death.

Professionally, Caroline Shnay was a fashion buyer in New York City, working at the retail firm Scoop NYC, where she held various buying positions between 2007 and 2016. She obtained a degree in psychology from Syracuse University. Personally, she has lived a quite private life, particularly regarding Ellen Greenberg’s case. She married Samuel Goldberg in 2014 and is said to have quit her career to focus on motherhood. There is no suggestion or coverage associating her directly with any investigation or controversy related to Ellen's death.

Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg?

Ellen Greenberg was a 27-year-old first-grade teacher at a Philadelphia school. She was found dead in her apartment on January 26, 2011, with 20 stab wounds to her head, neck, chest, abdomen, and back.

Her fiancé, Samuel Goldberg, discovered her body upon returning from the gym. Medical examiners initially determined her death as a homicide. However, that ruling was later controversially changed to suicide. This happened after the medical examiner’s office was contacted by the police department, despite the unusual number and locations of the wounds.

Her death was highly controversial, since it is extremely unusual for a person to stab herself 20 times, including in the back of the neck.

Crime-scene cleaners cleaned the apartment before the completion of a detailed investigation, further complicating the process of collecting evidence. Ellen’s parents have waged a tireless struggle to reopen the case and challenge the verdict of death by suicide. They have employed numerous professionals, including blood-spatter analysts and forensic pathologists, most of whom have found reason to doubt the official verdict.

The case remains unresolved, with strong suspicions that Ellen was murdered. By September 2025, the case had undergone some breakthroughs, but it remains technically unsolved.

In 2025, the pathologist who carried out the original autopsy on Ellen signed an affidavit stating that he no longer believed Ellen committed suicide, indicating that the cause of her death was other than suicide. This was a milestone, countering the controversial initial ruling by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office.

After an early 2025 civil lawsuit settlement between Ellen’s parents and Philadelphia City, the city committed to an "expeditious" re-examination of the case. Nonetheless, as of September 2025, this re-examination has not yet been completed. A Philadelphia judge ordered the city to complete the review by October 14, 2025.

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Meanwhile, Ellen’s parents and their advocates remain adamant that Ellen was killed. They cite expert examinations challenging the suicide verdict, including evidence that some stab wounds were inflicted postmortem.

The case continues to draw attention from both the public and legal observers. The documentary Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? has generated renewed publicity and awareness, raising awareness of the unresolved investigation.

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