Delhi, New Delhi:The doctor who conducted Jeffrey Epstein's post mortem has stated that the convicted sex offender and financier died in 2019 from strangulation rather than hanging in his cell in a New York jail, which has stoked speculation and questions regarding whether foul play was involved.
The forensic pathologist who attended Epstein's post-mortem on behalf of his family, Dr. Michael Baden, has expressed fresh skepticism regarding the official verdict. Baden stated in an interview with The Telegraph that he thinks Epstein's death was more likely to be caused by strangulation than by hanging.
"I believe that strangulation pressure, not hanging, was the most likely cause of his death," Baden told the newspaper. "More research into the cause and manner of death is necessary in light of all the information currently available."
The official decision in questionWhile awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019, Epstein was discovered dead in his cell. The death was determined to be a suicide by hanging by the New York Medical Examiner's Office.
Baden was present as an observer but did not perform the autopsy. He stated that at the time, he and the medical examiner both agreed that more details were needed to ascertain the exact cause and manner of death.
According to Baden, his 2019 professional evaluation was inconclusive. However, Dr. Barbara Sampson, the chief medical examiner at the time, formally declared Epstein's death to be a suicide five days after his death certificate was issued pending additional investigation. Sampson has always maintained her conclusions. "I was not present during the post mortem," Baden told The Telegraph.
Epstein's neck fractures raise questions.According to the official autopsy report, Epstein had three fractures in his neck: two to the thyroid cartilage and one to the left hyoid bone.
In his 50-year career, Baden claimed to have never seen three neck fractures in a hanging suicide case, including inmate deaths in New York jails.
He stated on Fox News in August 2019 that "the evidence points toward homicide rather than suicide."
According to The Telegraph, Epstein's attorneys also expressed dissatisfaction with the medical examiner's findings.
Inadequate security within the prisonLong-standing concerns have been heightened by recent revelations regarding security lapses at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
According to the New York-based publication Daily Express US, a 2023 report by the US Department of Justice revealed numerous shortcomings at the facility. According to reports, Epstein's cell contained extra blankets, linens, and clothes, some of which had been ripped into noose-like strips. According to the report, regular cell searches were not carried out or recorded correctly.
Epstein's cellmate was moved out on August 9, 2019, the day before he passed away, and no one was assigned to take his place. According to CBS, which cited recently made public video logs, mandatory 30-minute welfare checks were not conducted after lockdown at around 8 p.m., until around 10.40 p.m. Later, staff members fabricated documents to indicate that the checks had been finished.
Two guards discovered Epstein unconscious the next morning, hanging from the top bunk in what was said to be a nearly seated position, his body just off the ground. He had an orange strip of material tied around his neck that appeared to be from clothes or bedding. Before he was declared dead at the hospital, the guards took it off and tried CPR.
Later, the two guards were accused of fabricating documents. According to recently made public video logs examined by the Department of Justice, at 10.39 p.m. on August 9, what one account called “a flash of orange” was seen ascending the stairs toward Epstein's remote tier.