A pathologist present during Jeffrey Epstein’s post mortem examination has called for authorities to reinvestigate the paedophile’s death, stating he believes the financier was strangled rather than hanged in his New York prison cell.
Dr Michael Baden, who was hired by Epstein’s estate to observe the examination, has urged a fresh inquiry nearly seven years after the convicted sex offender was found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on 10 August 2019. The pathologist remains unconvinced by the New York Medical Examiner’s Office conclusion that Epstein took his own life whilst awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
“My opinion is that his death was most likely caused by strangulation pressure rather than hanging,” Dr Baden told The Telegraph. He added: “Given all the information now available, further investigation into the cause and manner of death is warranted.”
Whilst Dr Baden did not conduct the post mortem himself, he was present throughout the examination acting as an observer on behalf of Epstein’s family. The pathologist stated that both he and the medical examiner agreed at the time that more information was needed to determine the cause and manner of death.
“At the time that the autopsy was done by the medical examiner, we both agreed that, on the basis of the autopsy report and the information available, more information was needed to determine the cause and manner of death,” Dr Baden stated.
His call for reinvestigation follows the release of more than three million documents related to the late sex offender by the US Department of Justice. The files have raised fresh questions about the nature of Epstein’s death and the circumstances surrounding his final hours.
Never-before-seen footage buried in the latest document release reveals the moment prison guards discovered Epstein’s body. Video shows a prison guard approaching a desk near Epstein’s cell at 6.30am on the day of his death. Just 10 seconds later, the person makes his way to the cell.
A little over a minute after this, a guard can be seen moving between the security desk and the area housing Epstein’s cell, shortly joined by two others. The guards are then seen running between the two areas before Epstein was officially declared dead at 6.39am.
The newly-released files also reveal that investigators noticed an orange shape moving up a staircase towards the financier’s cell on the night of his death. Officials from the FBI and the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General flagged the suspicious CCTV footage showing movement at 10.39pm on 9 August 2019.
FBI agents observed that “a flash of orange looks to be going up the L Tier stairs – could possibly be an inmate escorted up to that Tier.” However, the Inspector General disputed this interpretation, writing: “Inmates are currently on lockdown, it is possible someone is carrying inmate linen or bedding up.”
The final OIG report stated: “At approximately 10.39pm, an unidentified CO [correctional officer] appeared to walk up the L Tier stairway, and then reappeared within view of the camera at 10.41pm.”
The conflicting analyses from the two investigative bodies contradict public statements made by senior US officials about the security footage. Bill Barr, who served as US attorney general during President Trump’s first term, claimed in a 2019 interview that he had personally reviewed footage confirming no one entered the area where Epstein was housed on the night he died.
Former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino told Fox News last May: “There’s video clear as day. He’s the only person in there and the only person coming out. You can see it.”
Dr Baden’s professional opinion that strangulation rather than hanging caused Epstein’s death carries significant weight given his extensive experience and presence at the post mortem examination. His call for further investigation in light of the newly available information signals ongoing doubts about the official narrative surrounding the financier’s death.
The pathologist’s statement that more information was needed from the outset of the investigation suggests concerns existed even during the initial examination. The subsequent release of CCTV footage showing unexplained movement near Epstein’s cell and contradictory official statements have amplified these concerns nearly seven years later.
Epstein’s death at 6.39am on 10 August 2019 abruptly halted one of the most closely watched federal criminal cases in recent memory. The circumstances surrounding his final hours remain subject to scrutiny as new documentary evidence continues emerging through DOJ file releases.
