Images taken of Jeffrey Epstein after his death apparently show details consistent with manual strangulation rather than suicide.
The convicted sex offender was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges when he was found dead in his cell in August 2019 with injuries to his neck. An official autopsy ruled the cause of death to be suicide, but many conspiracy theorists believe Epstein was actually murdered.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden addressed the topic in a recent interview on The Dr. Oz Show, during which he examined photographs of Epstein’s eyes and other parts of his body taken during his autopsy.
Watch a clip of Baden on the show below:
Baden was hired by Epstein’s brother, Mark, to be present at the autopsy and spoke of a number of ‘red flags’ that apparently suggested the sex offender was murdered, including discrepancies in Epstein’s eyes and the colour of his legs.
The pathologist highlighted ruptured capillaries in the former financier’s eyes and explained how they were inconsistent with suicide, saying:
In [the way he is supposed to have died], the arteries and the blood vessels, the veins are both clogged off and the person is pale. The face is pale.
[There is] no blood coming in or out… with a manual strangulation, there’s a backup of a pressure and the little capillaries can rupture and they’re best seen in the eye.
See the image of Epstein’s eyes below:
The Dr. Oz Show also revealed pictures of Epstein’s legs, which appeared pale as the autopsy was conducted. However, Baden claimed the legs would be maroon or purple if the body had remained in the position it was supposedly found.
He explained:
The blood settles after we die. The so-called lividity, is on the lower part on the legs. These would be like maroon-purple, front and back and they aren’t.
Baden went on to question the material apparently used during the suicide, citing a lack of blood or tissue found on it.
He also pointed out a pattern on the neck that ‘wouldn’t be made’ by the smooth surface of the material used.
As well as pointing out inconsistencies, Baden questioned the amount of time it took to rule Epstein’s death a suicide.
He commented:
The initial death certificate was issued at the time of the autopsy, it’s pending further study, getting more information.
Five days later it was changed and one of the things the family wishes to know, the estate wishes to know is, what was that additional information that caused them to change it, when five months later the family still doesn’t know what happened to in the first encounter and what happened to him when he was found dead.
The pathologist suggested there has been a ‘total lack of transparency in what happened to Epstein’, which is why people are still questioning what happened to him.
Baden’s presentation of evidence has fuelled the arguments of those who believe foul play was involved in Epstein’s death, with many social media users claiming the information is ‘not surprising’.
However, Baden’s link to the Epstein family has left many in doubt of his findings, with some suggesting Epstein’s brother ‘prefers’ the idea of murder to suicide, indicating Baden may be honing in on details supporting the agenda of his employer.
Baden was briefly the chief medical examiner for New York City in the late 1970s, before going on to become a celebrity forensic witness.
He has weighed in on a number of high-profile cases – including as a defense witness for O.J. Simpson – and was hired by Epstein’s family to perform an independent investigation because they ‘weren’t getting answers’, and Epstein’s brother feared that if the sex offender had been murdered, his family may too be at risk.
When the pathologist spoke to Fox News in October, he referred to fractures in Epstein’s neck, claiming they were ‘extremely unusual’ in Epstein’s form of suicide – though he admitted the evidence was not ‘conclusive’.
Baden reportedly conducted the interview at the request of Epstein’s family, suggesting his employers were keen to encourage people to consider the sex offender could have been murdered.
Despite the pathologist’s findings, New York City Chief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson, whose office performed Epstein’s autopsy, stood by the ruling of death by suicide.
In a statement to Fox News in October, Sampson said:
Our investigation concluded that the cause of Mr. Epstein’s death was… suicide. We stand by that determination. 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.
Epstein had been on suicide watch while in prison, though he was taken off it shortly before his death. Two prison guards who were tasked with monitoring Epstein have been charged with falsifying documents regarding their checks on the night he died.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.