A Question Mark: An Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Elliot Smith by Alyson Camus
An open case neglected by the LAPD and the press for almost 20 years
Los Angeles, CA: Alyson Camus has spent close to 10 years investigating and documenting the case of singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, who died of two stab wounds in the chest on October 21, 2003. The Los Angeles-based musician rose to mainstream prominence when his song, “Miss Misery,” got nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category for Gus Van Sant’s film “Good Will Hunting” in 1998. Because of his history of drug addiction, depression, and suicide ideation, it was not difficult for many people to believe he had committed suicide when he was “found” by his live-in girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, with a knife in his chest. However, very few people are aware that his autopsy was not conclusive, and the case is still open to this day.
Very early on, Alyson Camus noted many discrepancies and inconsistencies in the girlfriend’s testimony, behavior, and diverse declarations. After the autopsy report was made public and revealed that Jennifer Chiba refused to talk to the police and removed the knife from Elliott’s chest when he was still standing, Alyson became even more suspicious of the suicide narrative largely perpetrated by the media.
For almost a decade, Alyson has restlessly researched the case, while focusing on facts and forensic details. She has talked with numerous people – fans, musicians, and people who knew Elliott – she has interviewed Dr. Scheinin, who performed the autopsy on Elliott, and has communicated with several forensic experts who have reviewed the autopsy and the toxicology report. Because of the nature of an open case, no other physical evidence has been released by the police despite the existence of an alleged suicide note written on a post-it, but this did not prevent Alyson from communicating with LAPD homicide detectives PJ Morris and J King, the detective who is still in charge of the case.
The book includes communication with more than 40 people, from all avenues, and even an exchange with a member of Elliott’s immediate family. While this person didn’t want to be identified by their real name, it was the first time that someone from Elliott’s close family was providing any information. While several people have declined to speak on the record, several have accepted to speak publicly, including Jennifer Chiba’s next-door neighbor who witnessed some of the events on that tragic day. With the help of legal documents, Alyson has also exposed important information related to Jennifer Chiba’s numerous lawsuits that she subsequently attempted against Elliott’s estate and her own lawyer.
Almost 20 years later, the Los Angeles Police Department hasn’t closed the case, we still don’t know what happened to Elliott. However, the police are unlikely to resuscitate the dormant investigation. In an attempt to put the pieces of the puzzle together, Alyson was able to establish a probable timeline of the events that occurred on October 21, 2003, and the story that emerges is probably quite different from the one that has been too often portrayed in the media. In “A Question Mark, an investigation into the mysterious death of Elliott Smith,” she goes over the case in meticulous detail, detailing not only the facts but the most popular misconception about the famous singer-songwriter and his work. She finally establishes that the circumstances surrounding Elliott Smith’s death are very probably much murkier than a simple suicide.
About the author
Alyson Camus is a teacher living in Los Angeles California. As a fan and someone living in the same neighborhood as Elliott used to, the circumstances around the beloved singer-songwriter’s death never sat well with her. She started researching the case more seriously and used the pseudonym Alyson Camus to build a website gathering all her findings and exploring plenty of aspects of the case. Because of the success of the website, she wrote the book “A Question Mark, an investigation into the mysterious death of Elliott Smith,” which was published by Genius Book in 2021.
About Genius Book Publishing
Genius Book Publishing is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based publisher focused on true crime, fiction, and music-related books. Established in 2011, Genius Book Publishing has published authors such as Dr. Al Carlisle, The Rock and Roll Detective® Jim Berkenstadt, Dr. Don Redden (FBI Ret), Dr. Mark Hewitt, Sheriff’s Capt. Dean T. Olson (Ret), Police Chief David Dean (Ret), journalist James Kirkpatrick Davis, Detective Steve Rush (Ret), journalist Monique Patterson, and others. Our books and other information can be found at https://geniusbookpublishing.com
