Chief medical examiner confident Epstein’s death was suicide: report

The chief medical examiner of New York City is confident Jeffrey Epstein died from suicide, The New York Times reported, citing a city official.

An autopsy was performed on the billionaire financier Sunday, after authorities found him unresponsive in his jail cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, where he was being held without bail on sex trafficking charges, according to the newspaper.

It added that Dr. Barbara Sampson, the city’s top medical examiner, is waiting for more information before releasing her official determination. 

Sampson said in a statement that the cause of death “is pending further information at this time.”

{mosads} A private pathologist has also observed Epstein’s autopsy on behalf of his representatives, which Sampson told the Times is a “routine practice.” 

Epstein was reportedly placed on suicide watch late last month, after he was found unconscious in his jail cell with marks on his neck. Multiple news reports were published Saturday alleging that he was not under suicide watch when he died. 

The FBI and the Department of Justice’s inspector general have both opened investigations into Epstein’s death in federal custody. Attorney General William Barr said in a statement he was “appalled” by it.

“Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,” Barr said. 

The Hill has reached out to the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner for comment.

President Trump on Saturday retweeted a post promoting a conspiracy theory about Epstein’s death.

The tweet blamed the death on the Clintons without any evidence. In response, Bill Clinton’s spokesman called the post “ridiculous” and “not true.” 

Trump’s critics and 2020 Democratic presidential candidates blasted the president’s retweet as irresponsible.

–Updated at 7:46 a.m.