Seven years after Jeffrey Epstein was found dead inside a Manhattan federal jail cell, the official determination that he died by suicide is again under scrutiny. A veteran forensic pathologist who observed the autopsy has renewed his claim that the injuries were more consistent with homicide, intensifying debate over one of the most controversial inmate deaths in recent U.S. history.
Epstein, arrested on sex trafficking charges in July 2019, was discovered unresponsive on Aug. 10, 2019, at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a suicide by hanging. But Michael Baden, a former New York City chief medical examiner who attended the autopsy as an observer for Epstein's family, has reiterated that conclusion was flawed.
"My opinion is that his death was most likely caused by strangulation pressure rather than hanging," Baden told The Telegraph, reviving a dispute that has lingered since the initial investigation.
According to Baden, the autopsy findings were not immediately conclusive. He has said that the death certificate initially reflected that uncertainty, listing the cause as pending further investigation. Five days later, then-chief medical examiner Barbara Sampson issued a formal determination of suicide. Sampson, who has consistently defended the ruling, has rejected Baden's assessment.
The renewed clash between two prominent forensic authorities underscores unresolved tensions surrounding the case. Epstein's death occurred while he was awaiting trial on federal charges that threatened to expose influential figures within his social and financial network.
Compounding skepticism were documented failures inside the jail:
- Guards were reportedly asleep or falsifying logs.
- Surveillance cameras near Epstein's cell malfunctioned.
- Internal reviews identified "irregularities" in monitoring procedures.
At the time, then-Attorney General Bill Barr stated he had personally reviewed video footage and was satisfied no unauthorized individual entered Epstein's housing unit that night. Nonetheless, recently disclosed material has added new ambiguity, including references in an FBI report to a "flash of orange" observed on the tier where Epstein was held shortly before his death.
Interpretations of that detail differ. Some investigators viewed it as likely a correctional officer; others speculated it could indicate inmate movement. The lack of definitive visual clarity has fueled ongoing public distrust.
Epstein's legal team had expressed dissatisfaction with the suicide ruling, and his family retained Baden as an independent observer. While no formal reopening of the case has been announced, Baden has argued that the forensic evidence warrants reconsideration.
The broader impact of the dispute extends beyond the technical question of ligature marks or fracture patterns. Epstein's death halted criminal proceedings that might have revealed further details about his network. The absence of a public trial, combined with institutional lapses inside a federal facility, has left a lingering perception gap between official findings and public belief.
