U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein (C) appears in court where he pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2008.
Uma Sanghvi | Palm Beach Post | Reuters
The New York City medical examiner said Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy results are expected Sunday afternoon, according to WNBC.
Epstein, accused of sexually assaulting and trafficking girls as young as 14, was found dead Saturday morning after he hanged himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, sources told NBC News.
After a previous suicide attempt on July 23, Epstein was put on 24-hour suicide watch for six days, then removed to a special housing unit with another inmate, according to prison officials. The other inmate was later moved out of the unit, leaving Epstein alone and not properly monitored by guards.
The FBI and Justice Department are investigating the apparent suicide as questions linger over why Epstein was alone without a cellmate after being taken off suicide watch, a decision in violation of the jail’s standard procedure. Guards were also supposed to check on Epstein every half hour, which was apparently not done.
Following the suicide, high-profile politicians, law enforcement officials and Epstein’s victims are demanding answers about why Epstein was not being more carefully watched in the high-security facility.
Attorney General William Barr said Epstein’s death “raises serious questions” and confirmed the inspector general would open an investigation into the circumstances of the death.
Epstein’s suicide came a day after thousands of documents were released that included depositions, police reports, photographs and flight logs revealing new details into what federal prosecutors call Epstein’s longtime sex-trafficking operation.
