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Investigations to Continue as Questions Mount Over Apparent Suicide of Jeffrey Epstein

HeadlineAug 12, 2019

Federal investigators are probing the death of 66-year-old accused serial sex abuser and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein after he was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell Saturday morning of an apparent suicide by hanging. Jeffrey Epstein was reportedly unsupervised in his cell despite being put on suicide watch in July after he was found unconscious with marks on his neck. He had since been removed from suicide watch but should have been checked by guards every 30 minutes, and was supposed to have had a cell mate — neither of which were the case at the time of his death.

Epstein’s death came less than 24 hours after hundreds of pages of court documents were unsealed with testimonies from former employees and new details of sexual abuse committed by Epstein, which also implicated a number of well-known politicians and others in the public eye, including former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson; former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell; Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard law professor; Prince Andrew; and “a well-known Prime Minister.” Many have denied the allegations.

As public speculation mounted following news of his death, President Trump joined in by retweeting, without evidence, a conspiracy theory that Epstein’s death was the result of foul play and somehow connected to the Clintons.

Epstein’s accusers spoke out over the weekend. Jennifer Araoz, who last month came forward to say that Epstein raped her when she was just 15, said in a statement, “We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed, the pain and trauma he caused so many people. Epstein is gone, but justice must still be served. I hope the authorities will pursue and prosecute his accomplices and enablers, and ensure redress for his victims.” New York prosecutors said that the investigation into Epstein’s alleged crimes would continue despite his death. We’ll have more on this story after headlines with the Miami Herald’s senior editor for investigations, Casey Frank.

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