Jeffery Epstein's Death

[Mick West]

Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who was long dogged by accusations of sexual abuse of girls and who was able to cultivate a stream of high-profile friends despite his lurid lifestyle, killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell, two law enforcement officials said on Saturday.

Mr. Epstein hanged himself, the officials said. He was found at roughly 6:30 a.m. Saturday at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement.

Last month, a week after being denied bail on federal sex trafficking charges, Mr. Epstein was found unconscious in his cell at the jail with marks on his neck. Prison officials had been investigating that incident as a possible suicide attempt.

Mr. Epstein was housed in a special unit with extra security, the Bureau of Prisons said, but it was not immediately clear whether he had been under suicide watch or whether the authorities had put in additional safeguards after the earlier incident.

Content from external source

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/10/nyregion/jeffrey-epstein-suicide.html

There were already a range of conspiracy theories swirling around Epstein, ranging from the older style theories about satanic child sacrifice, up to the more modern QAnon theories of a valiant attempt by Trump, et al., to uncover a deep state adrenochrome harvesting operation.

Bot Sentinel reports #ClintonBodyCount and #EpsteinSuicide as trending topics pushed by troll bots.




The Clinton Body Count theory seems most popular
Source: https://twitter.com/Jekklez1980/status/1160222645499113473


Suspicious seems to cross political lines here, with various people speculating that he was killed not by "the Clintons" but by Trump, to help various powerful allies, possibly including Prince Andrew.

Then there's QAnon supporters, who normally laud Trump, who think Trump did it for personal reasons.
Source: https://twitter.com/BryaninSeattle2/status/1160222792228339714


The most obvious explanation is that Epstein killed himself because he was looking at spending the rest of his life in jail as a child sex offender. This leads to a "let it happen" conspiracy theory, where someone arranged for him to not be on suicide watch, knowing he'd tried to kill himself before.

This is very high profile, and will attract a lot of attention. Expect the theories to grow in complexity in the coming months.

 

[Mick West]

And of course there are the theories about his death being faked.

This by Shepard Ambellas, an Infowars guy.

However, don’t let the smoke and mirrors fool you. Jeffrey Epstein is likely an intelligence asset employed by the Central Intelligence Agency and may still be alive.

The fact is, Epstein was a key player in running the largest deep state-sponsored blackmail honey pot operation in history as many big names have already been implicated. This is how most if not all politicians in America have been put under deep state control.

Content from external source

https://www.intellihub.com/sex-traf...y-but-is-he-really-dead/#.XU7onAa7SKQ.twitter

 

[Agent K]

It's not just Infowars and QAnon.

"Conspiracy Theories Erupt After Jeffrey Epstein’s Death"
https://www.thedailybeast.com/conspiracy-theories-erupt-after-jeffrey-epsteins-death

“Hillary’d!!” Lynne Patton, a Trump-appointed head of public housing in New York and New Jersey posted on Instagram shortly after Epstein was reported dead...
FOX Business host Lou Dobbs tweeted a similar version of the theory claiming that “Epstein should have been at least on Arkanside Watch,” a mashup of “suicide” and Bill Clinton’s home state of Arkansas...
Claire McCaskill, a former Democratic senator from Missouri appeared to imply foul play with a Saturday morning tweet. “Something stinks to high heaven,” McCaskill wrote. “How does someone on suicide watch hang himself with no intervention? Impossible. Unless.....”
Joe Scarborough, an MSNBC host and former Republican congressman (now a registered independent) appeared to blame Russian interference for the death.“A guy who had information that would have destroyed rich and powerful men’s lives ends up dead in his jail cell. How predictably...Russian,” Scarborough tweeted. “He reportedly tried to kill himself two weeks ago. And is allowed to finish the job now? Bullshit.”
Meanwhile followers of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory suggested that Epstein faked his death. Believers in the theory circulated a picture of a corpse and questioned whether it looked like Epstein.

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I don't think Scarborough was blaming Russian interference, he was probably making a comparison to Sergei Magnitsky.

NY Times columnist Paul Krugman tweeted, "If we were living in a paranoid fantasy universe, I would be very suspicious about the Epstein suicide, even about whether it was really suicide. And you know what? The Epstein case itself shows that we *are* kind of living in a paranoid fantasy universe"
Source: https://twitter.com/paulkrugman/status/1160191016726609920

 

[deirdre]

I think Trump and Bill deserve whatever they get for hanging out with such skeevy people. It's not like any of this stuff is provable or debunkable. I think his girlfriend used witchcraft to kill him so she didn't have to suffer anymore embarrassment. Debunk that!

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

Three weeks before his death, on July 23, Epstein had been found semiconscious in his cell with marks on his neck — though it was not clear if he had tried to harm himself or had been attacked. Prison officials investigated the injury as a possible suicide attempt and put Epstein on suicide watch, which would entail being placed in a special cell where he could be constantly monitored by prison personnel and prevented from having access to any means by which he could take his own life. Epstein was also subject to a daily psychiatric evaluation during this time, according to a source who spoke with the New York Times.

But for reasons still unknown as of Saturday afternoon, Epstein was taken off of suicide watch on July 29 and returned to the MCC’s special housing unit, according to the Times. Typically, that should have only happened if the prison’s chief psychologist approved the change after evaluating the inmate and justifying why they are no longer at risk of harming themselves.

Content from external source

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/08/jeffrey-epstein-dies-by-suicide-report.html

I think it's reasonable to assume that there are limited or severely limited resources - the special cell - compared to need. It follows that there are many cases in which a prisoner should be on suicide watch but is not. There must be an official, or unofficial but commonly followed, protocol for deciding who is put on the top of the list and who drops off the list. A type of triage. If Epstein were not getting special treatment it's reasonable to assume that he was one of these prisoners who should have been on suicide watch but was not, because there was someone who was even more at risk.

The most boring explanation is that Epstein was not given special status. According to my Boring World Hypothesis - the world is boring therefore the most boring explanation is most likely to be true - this is the most likely explanation. Therefore the prison officials are not guilty of CYA - giving the most important prisoner special treatment. It bit them.

There may have well have been a prisoner more at risk, who according to the CYA rule should have been bumped because he was a less important person. If that less important person had committed suicide the world would never know.

 

[derwoodii]

Coroner forensic toxicology and the jail CCtv records in time should reveal some helpful info..

 

[Getoffthisplanet]

Twitter was instantly awash in "that's not Epstein".

Granted, this is a quick and dirty comparison that could surely use more in depth measurements and was originally just to satisfy my own curiosity, but then I decided to share:

Source: https://youtu.be/UwLxIEIi5Yc


The "alive" image I'm comparing to the "dead" image to has been flipped (and is 5 years old), so I'm actually comparing the old right side of his face to the recent left side.

Still looks like him to me, though.

Curious how, and impressed, the photographer, William Farrington, managed to be at the right place at the right time.

Also curious about the 1.5 pixel aspect ratio on the NYP's image(s), don't see that too often on the web.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

We're looking at a Rigor Mortis face.

There are other changes of course. It's a dead body for Pete's sake.

 

[igoddard]

Nice work Getoffthisplanet! It's him for sure. I'm wondering if there are sings that his head took a severe blow. There seem to be indications of blueish discoloration and possible deformation at and around the ear.



The area just above his ear looks a bit caved-in.

It's a ghastly thing to wonder, but can we find higher-resolution copies?

 

[igoddard]

I think the cavity I'm seeing above the ear (specifically forward/above the Tragus), may be caused by the neck collar pushing tissue upwards, over-inflating the area forward (further above) the ear, thereby creating the cavity just forward, or above (given the photo's orientation), the Tragus (ear anatomy below).





But there looks like a possible linear bruise across Epstein's cheekbone.

 

[igoddard]

There are reports that he was on "suicide watch" and it may have been terminated just before he died. So here's some background on suicide watch, which the Bureau of Prisons calls its suicide prevention program.

The Federal code @ https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/28/552.40

From a Bureau of Prisons document linked below...

d. Watch Termination and Post-Watch Report. Based upon clinical findings, the Program Coordinator or designee will:

1) Remove the inmate from suicide watch when the inmate is
no longer at imminent risk for suicide, or

2) Arrange for the inmate’s transfer to a medical referral
center or contract health care facility.

Once an inmate has been placed on watch, the watch may not be terminated, under any circumstance, without the Program Coordinator or designee performing a face-to-face evaluation. Only the Program Coordinator will have the authority to remove an inmate from suicide watch. Generally, the post-watch report should be completed in PDS prior to terminating the watch, or as soon as possible following watch termination, to ensure appropriate continuity of care. Copies of the report will be forwarded to the central file, medical record, psychology file, and the Warden. There should be a clear description of the resolution of the crisis and guidelines for follow-up care.

At a minimum, the post-watch report will include:

• risk factors assessed,
• changes in risk factors since the onset of watch,
• reasons for removal from watch, and
• follow-up recommendations.

Content from external source

https://www.bop.gov/policy/progstat/5324_008.pdf

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

I think this mark in front of the ear is a mark from whatever it was Epstein used to form the noose. It seems more like a cord or thin rope than cloth.



There is a lot of post mortem lividity on his face, which may mean he was face down, which indicates a partial hanging (feet not on floor). There are many scenarios including kneeling on the bed. So the position could be different than in these two photos below.

Two examples of how the mark on Epstein's face in front of the ear could have been made.


These are sad and awful, so I'm posting links. You decide if you want to see.

The loop of the noose; if in front of ear instead of behind. It's doable if he was face down.
https://i.imgur.com/oLFQCc7.png

More likely. The knot of noose.
https://i.imgur.com/SE8TJ8V.png

The knot could make both the linear mark in front of the ear and the damage to the front part of the ear - the tragus.

 

[Getoffthisplanet]

Nice work Getoffthisplanet! It's him for sure. I'm wondering if there are sings that his head took a severe blow. There seem to be indications of blueish discoloration and possible deformation at and around the ear.

Thanks. I'm certainly not an expert in suicide by hanging, but I would imagine there is a lot of violent thrashing around. So, perhaps that's what caused what looks facial bruising?

Went looking for images of the Metropolitan Correctional Center, specifically the Special Housing Unit Epstein was reportedly held in.

DailyMail has this illustration of the MCC SHU, but they've been using for it years, so not sure if it's relevant:



Source

And ABC News has an article and video about "El Chapo's" time in the MCC SHU.



Source

Aren't these SHU's explicitly designed to prevent suicide by hanging?

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

I'm certainly not an expert in suicide by hanging, but I would imagine there is a lot of violent thrashing around. So, perhaps that's what caused what looks facial bruising?

More likely post mortem lividity, also known as Livor Mortis.

https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/law/crime-and-law-enforcement/lividity

The term lividity refers to an unnatural color of the skin. Lividity can be a useful reaction in determining the position of a body at the time of death and even whether a body was moved within the first few hours after death.

There are various forms of lividity. In a living person, a blow can result in the localized rupturing of cells and the pooling of blood. When the blood cells begin to decompose, the release of the blood forms a bluish-purple bruise.

Lividity [Livor Mortis] can also result when blood flow ceases after death. The blood that was formerly flowing through the body can be drawn to the lowest point in the body by the influence of gravity. For example, if a victim was lying on her right side at the time of death, lividity would be evident on the right side of the face, hip, and on the areas of the right arm and leg that were closest to the ground.

Content from external source

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

If there really are exposed bars all one needs is a short length of cord or rope. There are a number of ways to perform a partial hanging with face down.

In this scenario we have to ask where that cord came from.

 

[deirdre]

There are reports that he was on "suicide watch" and it may have been terminated just before he died.

the NYTimes says the suicide watch was terminated July 29th (I don't want to waste my free articles by clicking the link sorry)



That big court file was just unsealed on Friday, but maybe he just liked to choke himself to get high (or because he's a perv) and he's too old for that stuff.

 

[deirdre]

There is a lot of post mortem lividity on his face

articles say the jail called in emt at 6:30am. and the photo was at 7:30 am. they are still trying to resuscitate him in that photo, so it's unclear if he is actually dead (probably) in that photo or how long he was dead. his forehead is pretty white, and it is summer. perhaps a lot of coloring is just a tan. ??

 

[Getoffthisplanet]

In this scenario we have to ask where that cord came from.

Since he was no longer under suicide watch would he have been allowed regular bedding rather than nothing or a "suicide blanket?

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

articles say the jail called in emt at 6:30am. and the photo was at 7:30 am. they are still trying to resuscitate him in that photo, so it's unclear if he is actually dead (probably) in that photo or how long he was dead. his forehead is pretty white, and it is summer. perhaps a lot of coloring is just a tan. ??

That ain't a tan. It could be cyanosis and Epstein may have been showing a flicker of life.

My guess is that someone at the prison started CPR on a dead body before EMT showed up, and once begun CPR legally had to be continued until examination by a physician.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

https://www.newsweek.com/epstein-dead-jail-cell-sex-trafficking-suicide-1453635

The bureau said in a written statement that, at approximately 6:30 a.m., Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell from "an apparent suicide" attempt. Life-saving measures were initiated immediately afterward while staff arranged an emergency transport to a local hospital.

Upon arrival at the emergency room, he was subsequently pronounced dead by hospital staff.

Content from external source

My emphasis. If I'm right and Epstein's face had marks of post mortem lividity, EMT would have refused to initiate treatment as this is recognized as an obvious sign of death: because lividity doesn't become obvious for a significant time after death. But someone more naive or scared initiated CPR at the prison.



https://www.dallasnews.com/business...cused-sex-trafficking-reportedly-kills-prison

The Fire Department said it received a call at 6:39 a.m. Saturday that Epstein was in cardiac arrest, and he was pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.

Content from external source

No heart beat. One can live only a short time after cardiac arrest. They just happened to find him very shortly after the heart stopped?

 

[Mick West]

The Alive/Dead ear comparisons are rather misleading. The shape of ears varies when you are standing or laying down, and if you are smiling, and if you are dead the face is completely slack, and there's no blood pressure.

Spoiler: Large Photo Comparison of live vs. dead Epstein

5

And of course hanging yourself can have a significant effect on the postmortem shape of your ears.

Here's a quick experiment I did, just comparing sitting while grinning to laying own while (relatively) relaxed.



And here's the relative positions.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

Interesting but Epstein's face and ear looks much more damaged.



But I agree this is speculative. As already mentioned by member "igoddard," the collar pushing up the flesh may be the major factor.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

Since he was no longer under suicide watch would he have been allowed regular bedding rather than nothing or a "suicide blanket?

I guess you could wrap up a sheet into a tight twisted cord.

 

[Getoffthisplanet]

The Alive/Dead ear comparisons are rather misleading. The shape of ears varies when you are standing or laying down, and if you are smiling, and if you are dead the face is completely slack, and there's no blood pressure.

I think the general shapes are close enough to indicate a match, though.

On the left is your proned ear photo compared to Epstein on the gurney. On the right is Epstein's 5 year year old right ear compared to yesterday's photo:

 

[deirdre]

I think the general shapes are close enough to indicate a match,

I think him having the same face indicates a match

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

Trump has retweeted this:

Terrence K. Williams
@w_terrence

Died of SUICIDE on 24/7 SUICIDE WATCH ? Yeah right! How does that happen #JefferyEpstein had information on Bill Clinton & now he’s dead I see #TrumpBodyCount trending but we know who did this! RT if you’re not Surprised #EpsteinSuicide #ClintonBodyCount #ClintonCrimeFamily

Content from external source

 

[deirdre]

That ain't a tan.

I don't think all of it is tan, but he has a baseball cap line on his forehead. hard to believe he'd have that obvious line of pale forehead from just lack of oxygen.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

I don't think all of it is tan, but he has a baseball cap line on his forehead. hard to believe he'd have that obvious line of pale forehead from just lack of oxygen.

Please re-read what post mortem lividity is.

 

[igoddard]

Mick's test show the skin folding that creates an apparent cavity forward of Epstein's ear. But the neck collar that we can just see is pushing tissue upwards too, inflating the area forward of the ear so magnifying the fold and resulting cavity.

 

[deirdre]

Please re-read what post mortem lividity is.

i'm aware of what post mortem lividity is thanks.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

We've been getting into (our typical) micro-analysis/speculation.

But what about the President of the United States implicitly charging a sitting Senator and/or an
ex-President of conspiracy to commit first degree murder?

Is this what we've come to?

And what particular conspiracy is in the lead now?

Clintons did it.

Trump did it.

Cabal of Pedophiles did it.

Saudi Arabians did it.

Prince Andrew did it.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

It looks as if #TrumpBodyCount was created to fight fire with conspiratorial fire. There are serious, semi-serious and satirical charges against Trump. An example of satire: People are referring to Donald Trump Jr. as "Trump's alleged son." If you repeat it often enough it will become his official nickname. Clearly in response to Trump's habit of giving derisive nicknames to opponents.

A more serious remark that's coming up frequently is:

How did the Clintons kill Epstein when he was under the protection of Trump 's DOJ?

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On his Twitter account, Trump Jr is feuding with just about anyone, including Lance Armstrong. He's promoting his own conspiracy theory against Twitter:

Twitter allowing “Trump Body Count” to trend while “Clinton Body Count” has WAY more tweets (but isn’t trending) is peak Twitter.

Content from external source

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt in that he probably doesn't understand what "trending" really means.


I can understand the impulse behind #TrumpBodyCount, but the end result is just an increase in the conspiratorial and Us against Them mindset

 

[Agent K]

Why do news stories say that Epstein "was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday morning" without mentioning if he was hanging by the neck?
Previously, he was "found injured with marks on his neck." No mention of a noose. Did he choke himself with his hands or what?

 

[Agent K]

If there really are exposed bars all one needs is a short length of cord or rope. There are a number of ways to perform a partial hanging with face down.

In this scenario we have to ask where that cord came from.

A former inmate said there are no exposed bars.
"Former MCC inmate: There’s ‘no way’ Jeffrey Epstein killed himself"
https://nypost.com/2019/08/10/former-mcc-inmate-theres-no-way-jeffrey-epstein-killed-himself/

There’s no way that man could have killed himself. I’ve done too much time in those units. It’s an impossibility.
Between the floor and the ceiling is like eight or nine feet. There’s no way for you to connect to anything.
You have sheets, but they’re paper level, not strong enough. He was 200 pounds — it would never happen...
Could he have done it from the bed? No sir. There’s a steel frame, but you can’t move it. There’s no light fixture. There’s no bars.

Content from external source

 

[Agent K]

Went looking for images of the Metropolitan Correctional Center, specifically the Special Housing Unit Epstein was reportedly held in.

DailyMail has this illustration of the MCC SHU, but they've been using for it years, so not sure if it's relevant:



Source

And ABC News has an article and video about "El Chapo's" time in the MCC SHU.



Source

Aren't these SHU's explicitly designed to prevent suicide by hanging?

The screenshot doesn't look like the illustration. There are no bars before the door.

 

[Agent K]

"Epstein questions deepen after report that jail broke rules"
https://www.apnews.com/b609668da05c4ac5bbc9aa50c9e6b6d2

Jail staff failed to follow protocols leading up to Jeffrey Epstein’s death , according to a report from The New York Times, deepening the fallout from what led to the highly connected financier’s apparent suicide.
Epstein should have been checked on by guards in his cell every 30 minutes, but that didn’t happen the night before his apparent suicide, a law enforcement official told the Times.
A law enforcement source also said he was alone in his cell Saturday night after his cellmate was transferred. An official with knowledge of the investigation told the Times that the Justice Department was told Epstein would have a cellmate and be monitored by a guard every 30 minutes.

Content from external source

 

[Joe_the_Joe]

Just to point it out, aside from the "exotic" theories of high-ranking assassination and the mundane theory of incompetence, there is (ought to be?) also the moderately mundane theory of internal vigilantism. That is to say, staff on hand may have killed him or allowed him to die by his own/ an inmate's hands for being a pedophile. Such treatment of pedophiles is popularly considered common in the lower tiers of the justice system, though I have yet to see a firm statistic to back that popularity up, and of course in this particular case it is but mildly plausible speculation.

 

[deirdre]

A law enforcement source also said he was alone in his cell Saturday night after his cellmate was transferred.

a cellmate probably means bunk beds. so those pics may not be at all accurate.

if the fbi is investigating then we will eventually (maybe) get more details.

 

[Agent K]

Coroner forensic toxicology and the jail CCtv records in time should reveal some helpful info..

"There’s no video of Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide: sources"
https://nypost.com/2019/08/11/theres-no-video-of-jeffrey-epsteins-apparent-suicide-sources/

There’s no surveillance video of the incident during which Jeffrey Epstein apparently hanged himself in a federal lockup in Lower Manhattan, law-enforcement officials told The Post on Sunday.
Although there are cameras in the 9 South wing where the convicted pedophile was being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, they are trained on the areas outside the cells and not inside, according to sources familiar with the setup there...
“Something doesn’t smell right – and it’s not his dead body,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said.

Content from external source

 

[Getoffthisplanet]

Such treatment of pedophiles is popularly considered common in the lower tiers of the justice system

I'm not defending the man, but Epstein isn't technically a pedophile.

Based on their reported ages, "he had probably brought him 70 to 80 girls who were all 14 and 15 years old.”

That put's him in the ephebophile range.

I don't know. What's worse a pedophile or ephebophile?

a cellmate probably means bunk beds. so those pics may not be at all accurate.

The New York Post claims he was "found unresponsive in his cell in the Special Housing Unit of Manhattan Correctional Center".

I assumed the SHU meant solitary confinement, but I guess not.

U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons Special Housing Units

"Special Housing Units (SHUs) are housing units in Bureau institutions where inmates are securely separated from the general inmate population, and may be housed either alone or with other inmates."