Bryn Mawr native Nancy Schwartzman has built her career on filming investigative, socially‑conscious documentaries, many of which delve into gender-based violence, consent, and the cultural systems that enable or suppress justice.
“I’m bothered by injustice,” she said. “I’m bothered by easy scapegoats.”
Which is why the Emmy Award-winning documentarian and fearless storyteller recently turned her critical lens toward her hometown.
Schwartzman served as director of Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg?, a gripping docuseries from ABC News Studios that’s set to launch on Hulu today, Sept. 29.
The three-part docuseries follows the haunting, still-unresolved death of Ellen Greenberg, a beloved 27-year-old first-grade teacher from Harrisburg, who was found with 20 stab wounds in her locked Manayunk apartment in 2011.
To the shock of many who knew her, detectives on the scene treated her death as a suicide — until the autopsy ruled it a homicide.
But shortly thereafter, the manner of death was inexplicably reversed back to suicide, and the city of Philadelphia closed the case without further investigation.
“The facts of the case are quite shocking,” said Schwartzman. “A young woman was found dead in her apartment with 20 stab wounds, 10 of which are in the back of the head and her back, and the city called it a suicide? That, in itself, is pretty shocking.”
Death in Apartment 603 follows the 14-year quest to find out what really happened, as Greenberg’s family fights to reopen the case and expose a chain of institutional failures.
Schwartzman, who brings a distinct voice and exceptional journalistic rigor to the true crime genre, has a rare, personal connection to the story. She grew up in the Lower Merion School District and briefly attended Harriton High School before transferring to The Shipley School, where Greenberg’s fiancé graduated.
“Personally, I very connected to the area,” said Schwartzman. “I could really relate to Ellen and her family. The people that loved her felt like people I knew as well.”
Josh and Sandra Greenberg, Ellen’s parents, retained numerous independent forensic experts who questioned authorities’ findings that their daughter’s death was a suicide.
Represented by Lamb McErlane attorneys Joe Podraza and William Trask, the Greenbergs alleged that police “embarrassingly botched” their investigation and a “contemptible conspiracy” has since continued to cover it up.
Philadelphia officials recently reached an agreement with the Greenbergs to reopen the investigation.
“Finally, the issuing pathologist has changed his position 180 degrees,” said Podraza. “It’s consistent with what the Greenbergs have been contending all along.”
With the case still unresolved and the Greenbergs continuing their fight for answers, Schwartzman hopes the docuseries will amplify their call for accountability.
“Ellen Greenberg was a lovely young woman,” she said. “Twenty stabbings does not mean suicide. Her family deserves better.”
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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on VISTA Today in September 2025.
