US federal investigation spotlights lapses leading to Epstein’s mysterious death in Manhattan jail

Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein

A recently disclosed federal probe has shed new light on the circumstances leading up to the 2019 death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a Manhattan jail, revealing oversights such as the provision of additional linens, a lack of cellmate assignment, and other security breaches.

Epstein, who was waiting for a federal trial on sex trafficking charges at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, died in August 2019. The exhaustive 128-page report detects critical missteps by the Bureau of Prisons and its staff but found no evidence contradicting the conclusion that Epstein's death was a suicide, Fox News reported Tuesday.

The Justice Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG), which unveiled the much-awaited report on Tuesday, identified negligence and misconduct, forming conditions that permitted Epstein to take his own life. This act subsequently deprived "his numerous victims, many of whom were underage girls at the time of the alleged crimes, of their ability to seek justice through the criminal justice process."

While the city's medical examiner declared Epstein's death a suicide, lingering doubts about the circumstances surrounding his demise continue, fueled in part by Epstein's ex-girlfriend and alleged accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who publicly expressed her belief that Epstein was murdered.

The report details an incident approximately a month before his death when Epstein's former cellmate reported Epstein had attempted to hang himself. Following the incident, Epstein spent a day on suicide watch and was then cleared by authorities.

Investigations by both the FBI and the inspector general have found no substantiation to support the theory of homicide. However, the OIG report did highlight "significant job performance and management failures" by BOP personnel and a widespread dismissal of policies meant to maintain inmate safety and well-being.

Among the deficiencies highlighted were a malfunctioning surveillance camera system, an unmonitored phone call made by Epstein against BOP policy, and repeated missed head counts and rounds by guards on the night of Epstein's death. Epstein was also left alone and unwatched in his cell overnight, after his cellmate had been transferred.

Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year federal sentence, reiterated her belief in Epstein's murder in a prison interview earlier this year. Former Attorney General Bill Barr had also expressed that Epstein's "death raises serious questions that must be answered."

Epstein's connections to influential figures, including Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and the British royal family, have further amplified speculations of foul play.