According to investigators, at least one camera outside of alleged child sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein‘s jail cell is damaged to the point that it can’t be used in their investigation. That said, other footage was reportedly captured in the area.
As of now, it’s unknown why some of the video footage is unusable or what exactly is visible in the usable footage, but the incident is being investigated by both FBI and the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General. The footage has been deemed a critical aspect of the investigations into Epstein’s death, and its absence marks yet another failure by the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
This news follows a torrent of red flags surrounding Epstein’s apparent suicide. For one, the two guards who were supposed to be watching Epstein were both working overtime; they were allegedly sleeping when Epstein died and are suspected of falsifying prison records to show that they checked on him every 30 minutes, as required. Furthermore, one of these guards wasn’t even a corrections officer, though he had worked for the prison in the past.
Besides this, Epstein’s death occurred at a time when he was in the process of getting a new roommate, as Epstein had claimed his former roommate had attacked him. It also happened after a reported suicide attempt, after Epstein had been taken off of suicide watch and after Epstein had signed his last will and testament. At least eight people working at the jail were reportedly aware that Epstein wasn’t to be left alone. Compounding the strangeness further, and creating an endless supply of conspiracy theory fodder, the autopsy found that Epstein’s hyoid bone was broken, one that can break during suicides but is more common in strangulation homicides. The official determination, however, is that Epstein died by suicide.
Epstein’s lawyers are not satisfied with the investigation into their client’s death thus far and intend to “conduct their own independent and complete investigation into the circumstances and cause of Mr. Epstein’s death.”
[Image via Mugshot]
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