An FBI timeline details the circumstances surrounding the suicide of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein inside a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019.
The report was included in the millions of documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. Upon his arrival at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, the report states he underwent a psychological intake screening and denied suicidal thoughts or a history of mental health treatment.
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On July 9, Epstein was placed in a cell with another inmate. A suicide risk assessment conducted that day found no signs of suicidal ideation, according to the report. Epstein continued to deny distress during subsequent psychological checks
In the early morning hours of July 23, an officer "observed Epstein laying in the fetal position on the floor of his cell snoring." The report states that Epstein's neck was red, but there were no abrasions.
Epstein reportedly told an officer that his cellmate tried to kill him, but the cellmate claimed he was asleep and woke up to find Epstein with a "string around his neck."
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The report states that Epstein was transported to suicide watch after the incident.
Epstein was deemed a moderate suicide risk. He claimed he was "depressed" and "unhappy" about his current legal situation, but not suicidal. On July 30, the report states that Epstein once again denied suicidal ideations and psych observation was discontinued.
On Aug. 10 at 6:33 a.m., a body alarm was activated in the unit where Epstein was being held. An officer radioed a medical emergency and told a responding lieutenant that “Epstein hung himself.” When the lieutenant arrived at Epstein’s cell, one officer was already performing CPR. The lieutenant also began CPR and ordered emergency services to be called.
During the response, one officer stated, "We did not complete the 3am nor 5am rounds,” while another appeared distraught and said, “We messed up,” and “I messed up, she’s not to blame, we didn’t do any rounds," according to the report.
Epstein was moved to the jail's medical area, where a nurse continued CPR until emergency medical personnel arrived. He was then transported by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:36 a.m., the timeline states.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled Epstein’s death a suicide by hanging.
