Statement announcing Jeffrey Epstein’s death emerges from files… but it’s dated a day before he killed himself
A federal statement announcing the death of Jeffrey Epstein has been revealed in newly released Justice Department files, but it appears to pre-date the moment he was officially found dead in his New York jail cell.
In the document published by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and dated Friday, August 9, 2019, it is stated that Epstein was currently found unresponsive and was declared dead.
But prison records and official accounts show that Epstein was not discovered unresponsive until the morning of Aug. 10, 2019, when a corrections officer delivering breakfast found him in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
In the statement, then-Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: ‘Early this morning, the Manhattan Correctional Center confirmed that Jeffrey Epstein, accused by this Office of sex trafficking of minors, was found unresponsive in his cell and was pronounced dead a short time later.
‘Today’s events are troubling, and we are deeply aware of their potential to present a new obstacle to many of Epstein’s victims having their day in court.
‘To the brave young women who have already come forward, and to the many others who have not yet done so, let me reiterate that we remain committed to standing by your side and our investigation into the conduct charged in the Indictment.’
Epstein, 66, had been held in a Manhattan jail since his arrest on July 6, 2019, after federal prosecutors accused him of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy.
The federal statement announcing Jeffrey Epstein’s death was dated August 9, 2019, one day before he was officially found dead
Jeffrey Epstein reportedly died by suicide sometime after 6:30 a.m. on August 10, 2019.
Epstein’s cell after hanging himself at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019
He pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial when he died in custody just over a month later.
According to official statements, Epstein was discovered unresponsive in his cell by a corrections officer shortly after 6:30 a.m. on August 10.
Medical personnel tried to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The New York City medical examiner later ruled his death a suicide by hanging.
Epstein’s death comes amid a series of failures at one of the federal government’s most secure detention facilities.
Prison records show that guards assigned to watch Epstein did not conduct necessary checks the night before his body was found.
According to official findings, the tours planned to be held at 03.00 and 05.00 in the morning were missed.
Moreover, the cameras placed outside Epstein’s cell were not working properly that night.
Photos from Epstein’s cell were among the millions of files released by the Department of Justice
Epstein was found dead at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019.
Investigators later confirmed that at least two security cameras malfunctioned, creating critical gaps in visual monitoring of the area.
Because of these failures, authorities have been unable to establish a definitive timeline for Epstein’s final moments.
To date, an exact official time of death has not been determined.
Earlier this week, newly released DOJ files contain additional details that investigators examined following Epstein’s death, including surveillance observations from inside the facility.
Investigators with the FBI and the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General detected footage showing an unidentified individual moving toward Epstein’s location, records show.
It was reported that an orange shape was captured in the footage climbing up a staircase near Epstein’s residence at night.
Investigators noticed the movement but did not publicly conclude whether the figure had a direct connection to Epstein or his death.
The limitations and malfunctions of the surveillance system prevented investigators from reconstructing a complete visual record of the unit’s activities.
Epstein died while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges
This is a piece of fabric that Epstein used as a noose on the night of his death
At around 10:40 p.m. the night before Epstein was found dead, a shadowy, orange object could be seen moving up the stairs toward Epstein’s cell block in a New York prison.
Epstein’s death brought to an abrupt halt one of the most closely watched federal criminal cases in recent memory.
Prosecutors had accused him of running a years-long sex trafficking operation involving underage girls; Alleged victims were coming forward to describe abuse that spanned multiple states and countries.
His arrest in July 2019 followed years of scrutiny over a controversial plea deal he reached in Florida in 2008 that allowed him to avoid federal investigation at the time.
The new charges brought in New York left Epstein facing the possibility of decades in prison if convicted.
His death ended the criminal case against him but did not end federal investigations into possible accomplices.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment.
