Newly released Justice Department records are now reportedly renewing scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing that a key public statement from federal prosecutors was drafted a full day before he was found dead in his jail cell.
The draft statement appears in a new batch of Epstein-related documents released by the Department of Justice and dates back to August 9, 2019 — one day before Epstein was discovered unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on the morning of August 10.
At least 23 documents in the release are labeled as statements from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. One version is explicitly dated August 9 and attributed to then–Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. The document is titled, “Statement of Manhattan US Attorney on the Death of Defendant Jeffrey Epstein.”
The statement reads as if it were issued after Epstein’s death, saying the Metropolitan Correctional Center confirmed that Epstein had been found unresponsive in his cell and was later pronounced dead. It also describes the situation as “disturbing” and notes that his death could interfere with efforts to bring justice to victims. The draft further states that the investigation into Epstein’s alleged crimes, including conspiracy charges, would continue.
The existence of a completed draft dated before Epstein’s death has drawn attention, though the documents themselves do not explain why the statement was prepared in advance. The newly released files contain multiple versions of similar draft statements, with redactions that are inconsistent. Some versions leave names and phone numbers visible, while others heavily redact identifying details.
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on federal charges related to sex trafficking of minors. Authorities have said he was discovered hanging with an orange noose that he allegedly fashioned from a sheet or a shirt. His death was officially ruled a suicide, but it has been the subject of intense public skepticism and continued questions.
Additional records reviewed by CBS News point to unresolved issues involving surveillance footage from the night before Epstein’s death. Investigators noted an orange-colored figure moving toward the tier where Epstein’s cell was located around 10:39 p.m. on August 9.
One record describes the figure as “possibly an inmate,” while a Justice Department review identifies it as a corrections officer carrying orange linen. Independent analysts told CBS News that the movement appeared more consistent with that of an inmate. Prison staff reportedly said that escorting an inmate at that hour would have been unusual.
The document release also includes photographs that had not previously been made public. The images were part of a declassified FBI report and show Epstein after he was found unresponsive. Some photographs capture medics attempting resuscitation on a stretcher at 6:49 a.m. on August 10, approximately 16 minutes after he was discovered.
Other images were taken at a hospital, where Epstein was pronounced dead. Several of the photographs misspell his first name as “Jeffery,” an error that has drawn notice in the context of an already controversial case.
An 89-page autopsy report from New York’s medical examiner, referenced in reporting by the BBC, documented fractures to Epstein’s thyroid cartilage.
While the Justice Department maintains the official ruling of suicide, the timing of the drafted prosecutor statement, combined with lingering questions about surveillance footage and jail procedures, is likely to fuel continued scrutiny over one of the most controversial deaths in modern criminal history.
