Top official ends speculation: Epstein hanged himself

NEW YORK— The New York City medical examiner on Friday ruled Jeffrey Epstein’s death a suicide, confirming after nearly a week of speculation that the financier hanged himself in his jail cell.

Epstein, 66, was found dead at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Aug. 10, touching off outrage that such a high-profile prisoner could have gone unwatched.

The chief medical examiner, Dr. Barbara Sampson, said she made the suicide determination after a “careful review of all investigative information,” including the “complete autopsy findings.”

At the time of Epstein’s death, the Bureau of Prisons said he had apparently killed himself, but that did not squelch conspiracy theories.

One of Epstein’s lawyers, Marc Fernich, declined to comment. An office telephone number for Dr. Michael Baden, the pathologist hired by Epstein’s representatives to observe the autopsy, rang unanswered.

Epstein was charged with sexually abusing underage girls over several years.

He had been placed on suicide watch after he was found on his cell floor with bruises on his neck. Sources say he was taken off the watch after about a week. But he was still supposed to be checked every 30 minutes.

Attorney General William Barr says officials have uncovered “serious irregularities” at the jail.

Jail guards on duty the night of Epstein’s death are suspected of falsifying log entries to show they were checking on inmates every half hour as required.