By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
Published: 20:34 BST, 10 August 2026 | Updated: 21:19 BST, 10 August 2026
It was one of the central pieces of physical evidence in the death of Kurt Cobain – and it was destroyed.
The Nirvana frontman was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head at his Seattle, Washington, home on April 8, 1994. At the scene, investigators with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) recovered a suicide note, a shotgun and a nearby heroin kit, leading them to conclude that the 27-year-old musician had taken his own life.
Now, an email obtained by the Daily Mail reveals that the Remington Model 11 20-gauge shotgun was destroyed nearly three decades later at the request of Cobain's family.
SPD Capt James Britt emailed Sgt John Crumb on June 29, 2022, saying 'that the family wishes for the shotgun to be destroyed in accordance with state law,' before instructing that it be included in the department's next gun burn.
A separate police report shows the weapon was incinerated on September 27, 2022, although the documents do not identify which family member requested its destruction.
And, while past reports described the shotgun as resting across Cobain’s chest, in his arms or between his legs, the original SPD evidence file obtained by the Daily Mail also recorded that it was found in his left hand.
The shotgun has remained at the center of debate for decades, but its destruction permanently ended any hopes of new forensic testing.
At the time, investigators did not recover a legible or identifiable fingerprint from the shotgun, pen or shell casings collected at the scene. Four latent prints were lifted from the weapon during the original investigation, but all were smudged and deemed inconclusive.
Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain died on April 5, 1994, at age 27, from a self-inflicted shotgun wound at his Seattle home
An email obtained by the Daily Mail reveals that the Remington Model 11 20-gauge shotgun found at Kurt Cobain's death scene was destroyed at the request of his family in 2022
When asked about the weapon's destruction, an SPD spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'The Seattle Police Department has closed this case.'
Gary Cobain, the rock star's uncle, previously told the Daily Mail that he believes his nephew was murdered. 'There should've been prints all over the gun,' Gary said, adding that Cobain was believed to have placed the barrel in his mouth before pulling the trigger.
The shotgun was purchased for Cobain by his friend Dylan Carlson. A receipt dated March 30, 1994, was found in the right pocket of Cobain's brown jacket.
