The Autopsy Results of Tejano Superstar Selena Tell a Heartbreaking Tale of Betrayal

Thirty years after she was killed on March 31, 1995, Tejano superstar singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez remains a topic of conversation for fans and the world in general. The promising performer with the golden voice was cut down in the prime of her life by someone she loved and trusted, making her death at 23 all the more tragic.

Yet for all the publicity and coverage of her passing, there are many questions that fans still have about the how and why of her death. So what do we know about Selena's autopsy results? Here's the sad story.

Selena was friends with 34-year-old superfan and former nurse Yolanda Saldívar when something went very, very wrong. Saldívar formed a fan club for Selena in 1991, and the two met and became friends (via People).

But according to the New York Times, things later went sour when Selena accused Saldívar of embezzling from the singer, leading to a confrontation in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Although she later claimed she meant to take her own life, Saldívar shot and killed Selena after the confrontation. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years (via New York Times).

But what did the autopsy report say about Selena's death? According to reports at the time, Selena was killed after being shot in the upper right back.

Due to the high-profile nature of Selena's death, an autopsy was performed shortly after authorities were able to access her body. The coroner listed the cause of death as a homicide, writing that she experienced "exsanguinating internal and external hemorrhage due to a perforating gunshot wound of the thorax" (via Autopsy Files).

Pathologist Dr. Lloyd White wrote that her body experienced "massive bleeding" due to the wound.

According to AP News, Dr Louis Elkins, who worked as a cardiac surgeon and testified at Saldívar's trial, testified that "there was no evidence of any blood flow to her brain. Her brain was not functioning. She was clinically brain dead."

Although they were able to establish a brief and erratic heartbeat, the damage to her brain was too significant.

The autopsy highlights just how shocking and tragic Selena's death was at the hands of someone she cared for and had previously had a kind and positive relationship with.

In March 2025, Saldívar was up for parole, and fans felt vindicated when her parole was denied.

A statement by the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole read, “After a thorough consideration of all available information, which included any confidential interviews conducted, it was the parole panel’s determination to deny parole to Yolanda Saldívar and set her next parole review for March 2030."

It added, "The record indicates that the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior or conscious selection of victim’s vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety.

And fans, who haven't lost their grief for Selena over the intervening three decades, felt that justice was still being served and that Saldívar's current state of being unable to be paroled is, in a sense, revenge from beyond. But they also acknowledge that she can't safely be released back into the regular world because she would be an instant target.

In a TikTok comment section discussing Saldívar's continued imprisonment, one fan wrote, "She's safer in jail." Another agreed, writing, "They saved her life."

Another fan wrote, "YES!!!! DOESN'T DESERVE IT!!! THANK YOU JUSTICE SYSTEM!"

Others took note of the 2030 date and promised to be watching then to make sure she doesn't escape their expectation of justice then either.

While nothing will bring Selena back, there may be some comfort to her fans to know that her killer is still behind bars and unlikely to taste freedom again for a long, long time.