Jeffrey Epstein autopsy photo revealed: What we know about his death (2024)

Newly revealed autopsy photographs of Jeffrey Epstein raise new questions about his death, his brother Mark Epstein has said.

Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender who shared connections with many high-profile celebrities and public figures, was indicted in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking involving underage girls. He was found dead in his jail cell while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide, but Epstein's lawyers have challenged that ruling. It has sparked a flurry of theories from skeptics who do not believe his death was a suicide.

During an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show that aired Friday, his brother Mark Epstein, who has been critical of the official findings, revealed a new photograph from his autopsy. The photograph, which is graphic in nature, showed a mark on Epstein's neck, during the autopsy, according to his brother.

Mark Epstein said the autopsy photos suggest he was dead for at least two hours before he was discovered, pointing to the way the mark was "embedded into his neck," and that his body was improperly moved.

He also said a photograph of his brother's legs, which had been previously released, further challenged the description of the position in which his body was found in the official report, which said he was found hanging in a seated position with his legs extended in front of him.

If this were the case, Mark Epstein said, his legs would have been discolored due to lividity, the discoloration of a person's skin after they die when blood stops being pumped through the body. However, his legs do not appear to show signs of lividity in the photo, he said, leaving "doubt" into the official report into his death.

Newsweek reached out to Epstein via email and the Justice Department via their contact form for comment.

What We Know About Jeffrey Epstein's Death

The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report in June 2023 detailing the findings of their investigation into his death. The report concluded that Epstein "died by suicide on August 10, 2019 while in BOP [Federal Bureau of Prisons] custody" but still found "numerous and serious failures" by staff at Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York, where he was being held.

The report found that staff failed to ensure he was assigned a cellmate following an earlier incident that resulted in him being placed on suicide watch and to ensure security camera systems were fully functioning, resulting in limited recorded video evidence.

Staff also failed to "undertake required measures" to ensure Epstein and other inmates were accounted for, including not conducting searches of his cell or doing inmate counts after 4 p.m, according to the report. Two employees were charged with falsifying records for allegedly writing false count slips and round sheets that showed they were performed when they were not.

Still, the report found "no evidence" that would doubt the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)'s determination that there was no criminal activity involved in the death.

"While the OIG [Office of Inspector General] determined MCC New York staff engaged in significant misconduct and dereliction of their duties, we did not uncover evidence contradicting the FBI's determination regarding the absence of criminality in connection with Epstein's death," the report reads.

The New York Medical Examiner's office ruled that his death was a suicide following its own investigation. Dr. Michael Baden, a private pathologist hired by Mark Epstein, has disputed this conclusion. Baden has pointed to a broken bone in Epstein's neck that he says suggests his death was a homicide.

"Our investigation concluded that the cause of Mr. Epstein's death was hanging and the manner of death was suicide. We stand by that determination," New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson said in a 2019 written statement.

She continued: "We continue to share information around the medical investigation with Mr. Epstein's family, their representatives, and their pathology consultant. The original medical investigation was thorough and complete. There is no reason for a second medical investigation by our office."