Richard Drew/AP, New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP
- An autopsy report found that criminal financier Jeffrey Epstein had multiple broken bones in his neck, two sources familiar with the report told The Washington Post.
- One of the broken bones in Epstein's neck was the hyoid bone, according to The Post. This type of fracture can be associated with both suicidal hanging and homicidal strangulation, but is more commonly related to the latter, Jonathan Arden, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, told The Post.
- The details from the autopsy follow reports of prison guards watching Epstein falling asleep for three hours during their shift and failing to do routine checks, as well as Epstein being housed alone in his cell against protocol.
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An autopsy report found that criminal financier Jeffrey Epstein had multiple broken bones in his neck, two sources familiar with the report told The Washington Post.
The convicted sex offender was being held the Special Housing Unit of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, where he was found hanging in his cell Saturday morning. After attempts to revive him, he was pronounced dead at a New York hospital.
His death was called an "apparent suicide" by Attorney General William Barr, whose office has launched an investigation into the circumstances around the death of this high-profile prisoner.
The office of Barbara Sampson, New York City's chief medical examiner, conducted an autopsy of Epstein's body Sunday, but has yet to announce the cause of his death.
"The ME's determination is pending further information at this time," Sampson said in a statement on Sunda. "At the request of those representing the decedent, and with the awareness of the federal prosecutor, I allowed a private pathologist (Dr. Michael Baden) to observe the autopsy examination. This is routine practice."
One of the broken bones in Epstein's neck was the hyoid bone, according to The Post. This type of fracture can be associated with both suicidal hanging and homicidal strangulation, but is more commonly related to the latter, Jonathan Arden, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, told The Post.
"If, hypothetically, the hyoid bone is broken, that would generally raise questions about strangulation, but it is not definitive and does not exclude suicidal hanging," Arden, who was not involved in the Epstein autopsy, said to The Post.
Arden told The Post that a further investigation would be needed to look into specific details about the apparent hanging.
Moreover, the age of the deceased must be taken into consideration, The Post notes. The hyoid (which is located below the tonsils and above the Adam's apple) can ossify from three bones into a u-shape during middle age.
The details from the autopsy follow reports of prison guards watching Epstein falling asleep for three hours during their shift and failing to do routine checks, as well as Epstein being housed alone in his cell against protocol. Little information since Epstein's apparent suicide have been released, fueling speculation and conspiracy as to the circumstances leading up to the criminal financier's death, including President Donald Trump.
Epstein was being held before trial. In July he was charged with one count of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, related to the abuse of alleged victims as young as 14. He had pleaded not guilty. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to two state counts of soliciting prostitution and was sentence to 18 months in jail, of which he only served 13.