Scrutiny continues over the death of wealthy, convicted sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein. The New York City chief medical examiner determined it was a suicide from hanging in his jail cell, but that didn’t put a stop to conspiracy theories stating this was homicide. Is there any piece of evidence that might help people reach a consensus? It reportedly would be the position that his body was found in.
60 Minutes premiered a new segment in which they looked at Epstein’s autopsy notes, photos, and his jail cell. Host Sharyn Alfonsi noted that they spoke to pathologists, who said that without knowing the position that the inmate’s body was found in, it was “almost impossible” to figure out the cause of death with certainty.
“We still don’t have that information,” forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden told Alfonsi. He was hired by Epstein’s brother Mark Epstein to review the autopsy. (Baden is also married to Law&Crime host Linda Kenney Baden.) “So if this was called a suicide without all that information, it was a premature judgment.”
Michael Baden has argued that the injuries to Epstein’s neck–in particular, two fractures to the thyroid cartilage and one to the hyoid bone–is more consistent with a homicide than with a suicide. He reasserted his stance in the new 60 Minutes segment, though he stopped short of arguing that someone killed the inmate. Baden said that all of the evidence wasn’t in.
So, is there any way to get definitive proof on what position Epstein was found? There are pictures of Epstein’s cell, and Epstein’s body after being taken from the cell, but Baden said there are none of Epstein dead in the cell.
The inmate was allegedly taken from the cell to an emergency room, even though it was against Federal Bureau of Prisons rules in how to handle apparent suicides. Officials were supposed to protect the area to the same extent as a crime scene.
[Mugshot via U.S. Marshals Service]
