Police Claim Jeffrey Epstein Committed Suicide in Jail
Jailers at the Manhattan Correctional Facility reportedly found notorious sex trafficking suspect Jeffrey Epstein dead in his cell early Saturday morning.
The Associated Press reports that emergency responders were called to the scene at 6:39 AM after Epstein, 66, was found to be in cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.
A former warden told the AP, “Unequivocally, he should have been on active suicide watch and therefore under direct and constant supervision. When you have an inmate as high profile as Epstein, it’s absolutely imperative the warden set the tone with his or her leadership to ensure these kinds of incidents don’t happen.”
According to Fox News, multiple people reported that Epstein hanged himself. His death came two weeks after he was found unconscious in his cell with wounds to his neck. An autopsy has been ordered.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting a minor for prostitution as part of a deal to avoid facing more dire federal charges. Epstein was allowed to enter a work release program, during which he avoided spending time in county jail by visiting his office in Palm Beach County, Florida, ostensibly to work. The sheriff there had recently opened an investigation into Epstein's actions during work release.
Former Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who played a part in offering Epstein that deal, resigned from the Trump Administration in July after facing heavy scrutiny over his handling of the case while a U.S. attorney in Florida.
On July 6, Epstein was arrested on federal charges of having trafficked minors for sex in New York and Florida between 2002 and 2005. Rumors of Epstein's predilection for underage girls and his connections to wealthy and powerful people have circulated for a number of years.