Jeffrey Epstein’s Autopsy Revealed Broken Neck Bones, Raising Questions About Death
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy found multiple broken bones in his neck, injuries that occur more commonly in those who have been strangled, The Washington Post reported.
One broken bone was the hyoid, near the Adam’s apple. It is possible that the hyoid can break if one hangs themselves, forensics experts told the Post, but it is seen more in victims of strangulation.
Epstein, a millionaire financier who was arrested on sex trafficking charges last month, died by apparent suicide on Saturday. He was found hanging in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. Corrections officers reportedly had not checked on Epstein, who had previously been under suicide watch, for “several” hours. Conspiracy theories soon swirled around the internet.
New York City chief medical examiner Barbara Sampson said single factors in autopsy can’t point to a cause of death, which in this case is still labeled as pending.
“In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesized to determine the cause and manner of death,” Sampson told the Post. “Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum.”
Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
