Suspicions in the case of Jeffrey Epstein's death: “Further investigation is necessary”, says the doctor who attended the autopsy
The death of controversial financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is back in the spotlight after a doctor who attended his autopsy said the circumstances of his death should be re-examined. The specialist states that certain findings raise questions and warrant further analysis of the evidence.
Jeffrey Epstein's death must be reinvestigated, says a doctor PHOTO: Archive
Dr. Michael Baden, a pathologist employed by Epstein's heirs, is not convinced by the New York Medical Examiner's Office's findings that Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. “It is my opinion that his death was most likely caused by strangulation rather than hanging“, Baden told The Telegraph. “Given all the information currently available, a further investigation into the cause and manner of death is required.”.
Although he did not perform the autopsy, Dr. Baden was present as an observer on behalf of Epstein's family. “At the time the coroner performed the autopsy, we both agreed that, based on the autopsy report and available information, more data was needed to determine the cause and manner of death“said the doctor.
New questions about death
The release of government documents and surveillance footage from the night of Epstein's death has fueled intense speculation. Some frames show a “missing minute” in the recording, which fueled theories that someone had entered the pedophile's cell undetected. In another clip, an orange object can be seen for a split second climbing the ladder to Epstein's solitary confinement cell. Authorities admitted that the image could have been “possible” a prisoner.
A redacted version of the post mortem report, released in December 2020 as part of the Justice Department's declassification of the Epstein files, leaves unclear how the death occurred, marking it as “on hold”, without filling in the boxes for suicide or homicide.
Controversy over the replacement of official conclusions
Dr. Baden explains that his professional conclusions from the August 11, 2019 autopsy were “inconclusive“. Five days after the publication of the death certificate, these conclusions were, however, “replacement” by Dr. Barbara Sampson, New York State's chief medical examiner at the time, who ruled that Epstein committed suicide by hanging. Dr. Sampson was not present at the autopsy and publicly rejected claims that the evidence pointed to strangulation, saying that she “firmly” his verdict.
Epstein's lawyers argued that Dr. Baden's concerns were consistent with their own and were not “SATISFIED” of the official conclusions. “We have seen no evidence of further studies, nothing to indicate further investigation into the cause of death”Baden said. “The diagnosis was made a few days after the first cause of death was establishedHe points out that in unusual or highly suspicious cases, it can take weeks or months to determine the exact cause of death.
Felony Strangulation vs. suicide
Dr. Baden was among the first to voice his concern back in August 2019, telling Fox News that “the evidence points to a homicide rather than a suicide“. In the statement to The Telegraph, the doctor emphasized: “That was my opinion at the time and I still stand by it. The results of the autopsy are much more compatible with a constriction injury caused by criminal strangulation than with an injury caused by suicidal hanging“.
The official report notes three distinct fractures in Epstein's neck: one to the left hyoid bone, one to the right thyroid cartilage, and one to the left. The FBI and Justice Department, during the Donald Trump administration, have said that Epstein committed suicide and that there is no evidence that he was murdered.
