The first photos of deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein following his jail cell suicide have been made public among over three million documents released by the US Department of Justice.
A file (EFTA00134598) shows images of Epstein after being found in his cell. An orange strip of cloth was seen on the floor, with another hanging from the metal bed frame. The photo shows him with a face collar, oxygen tube, defibrillator pads, and an IV drip. His face was swollen, with a cut at the corner of his mouth and a dark red ligature mark on his neck.
An autopsy report noted his thyroid cartilage was nearly completely fractured.
A separate report (EFTA00161494) reconstructed his final hours. On August 9, 2019, after his last court appearance and his cellmate's transfer, Epstein was allowed a 20-minute phone call. A guard helped dial the number (the recipient was not specified, though some reports suggest his Belarusian girlfriend Karyna Shuliak). He was then handed over to two other guards for an overnight shift.
The two overnight guards later admitted negligence, with one stating "we did not complete the 3am and 5am rounds" and another saying "we messed up."
At 6.33am on August 10, an alarm sounded. Epstein was found, moved to a medical unit for CPR where no pulse was detected, and later pronounced dead at Beekman Hospital at 7.36am.
It was also revealed that two days before his death, on August 8, Epstein signed a will planning to leave an estate worth hundreds of millions of dollars, including his infamous "pedophile island," a 33-carat diamond ring, and a New York townhouse, to his girlfriend. However, his assets ultimately went into a trust fund to compensate victims, pay taxes, and cover legal costs, with the latest accounts showing just over $100 million remaining.
