NEW YORK (AP) – A former law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that Jeffrey Epstein has died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in New York.
The medical examiner’s office in Manhattan confirmed the financier’s death.
The former law enforcement official said Epstein was found dead Saturday morning at the Manhattan Correctional Center. The official had been briefed on the matter but spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss it publicly.
Epstein’s arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago. U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned last month after coming under fire for overseeing that deal when he was U.S. attorney in Miami.
A Florida lawmaker and lawyers for some of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers say they will continue to seek justice despite the financier’s death by suicide.
State Sen. Lauren Book has pushed for an investigation into the lenient treatment Epstein received while serving a sentence on prostitution solicitation charges in Florida.
She said Saturday that she would push to bring to justice those who helped Epstein even though his accusers will not get their day in court.
Sigrid McCawley is a lawyer for an Epstein accuser. She said “the reckoning of accountability begun by the voices of brave and truthful victims should not end” with Epstein’s death.
Another attorney, Spencer Kuvin, said it’s clear Epstein “saw that he was going to be held accountable.” He said the accusers will continue to seek justice “against those that stood by.”
Federal authorities say the FBI is investigating the “apparent suicide” of the financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons said Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center about 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
Officials said staff tried to revive him and Epstein was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Epstein’s arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago.
Some of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers and their lawyers are angry that the financier’s suicide will prevent him from facing them in court.
A former law enforcement official says that Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in New York. The official had been briefed on the matter but spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss it publicly.
Jennifer Araoz (uh-ROZ’) says in a statement Saturday she and other accusers will be scarred for the rest of their lives, while he won’t confront the consequences of the “trauma he caused so many people.”
Brad Edwards is a lawyer for nearly two dozen other accusers. Edwards calls Epstein’s suicide a “selfish act” that was “not the ending anyone was looking for.”
Epstein had pleaded not guilty.
A former warden says that Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide in jail represents a “shocking failure” of the system.
Cameron Lindsay, who ran three federal lockups, says Epstein should have been under constant supervision.
A former law enforcement official says that the financier was found dead Saturday morning at the Manhattan Correctional Center. The official had been briefed on the matter but spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss it publicly. He said Epstein died by suicide.
A little over two weeks ago, Epstein was found on the floor of his jail cell with bruises on his neck, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. At the time, it was not clear whether the injuries were self-inflicted or from an assault.
