Overview
- The medical examiner ruled Katherine Hartley Short’s February 23, 2026 death a suicide caused by a self‑inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
- After not hearing from his daughter for more than 24 hours, Martin Short asked a friend to check on her welfare, the friend found notes on a locked bedroom door and called 911, and police forced entry to discover her body.
- Investigators found a Glock 19 9mm at the scene and recovered a written note that has been described as a suicide note.
- The autopsy records a prior suicide attempt in 2017 and a long documented history of depression and other mental‑health issues, and toxicology showed the presence of benzodiazepines at the time of death.
- Martin Short has publicly pressed for taking mental illness seriously and reducing stigma while the family asks for privacy, and the report has renewed attention on suicide prevention and mental‑health outreach, with crisis resources such as the 988 lifeline available.