The original 1995 autopsy report for the tragically murdered Tejano music star, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, has been brought to light by the Daily Mail. This revelation coincides with the release of a new Netflix documentary celebrating her life and enduring legacy.
The Rush for Answers and a Missing Piece of Evidence
Due to immense public interest following the shocking murder, the Nueces County Medical Examiner completed the report in a remarkably swift two and a half hours. The document confirms the beloved 23-year-old Grammy winner was the victim of a homicide.
A perplexing detail emerged from the report: the green sweatshirt Selena was wearing, which bore the entry wound from the fatal bullet, was mysteriously missing when her body arrived from the Corpus Christi Memorial Medical Center. The remainder of her clothing was described as having 'blood present over many areas'.
A Millimetre from Survival: The Fatal Wound
The autopsy provides a harrowing medical account of the injury that ended Selena's life. The single gunshot, fired into her back, severed her right subclavian artery and perforated her right upper lung before exiting her chest.
Coroner Lloyd White officially ruled the death a homicide caused by 'massive bleeding due to a perforating gunshot wound of the thorax'. In a devastating twist of fate, the report indicated that had the bullet's trajectory been just one millimetre higher or lower, the Queen of Tejano Music might have survived the attack.
Crime, Aftermath, and Enduring Legacy
The shooting occurred at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas. Selena was confronting Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club and manager of her boutique, about embezzling approximately $60,000. After being shot, Selena managed to run to the hotel lobby, where she identified Saldívar as her attacker before collapsing.
Saldivar then engaged in a 10-hour standoff with police, during which she threatened to shoot herself. She was later convicted of first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence. In a recent development, on March 27, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied her parole. She will not be eligible for parole again until 2030.
The Quintanilla family and Selena's widow, Chris Pérez, released a statement on Instagram, saying the parole decision 'reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us'.
Selena's cultural impact was immense. Over 78,000 fans attended her public memorial, and her posthumous English album, Dreaming of You, topped the US Billboard 200 chart. Her story is now retold in the new Netflix documentary, Selena y Los Dinos, executive produced by her siblings Suzette and A.B. Quintanilla and featuring never-before-seen footage.
