By Ariana Baio

Copyright independent

Photographs of the jail cell where convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in 2019 depict a chaotic scene but fail to answer lingering questions about Epstein’s death, which has long been subject to conspiracies.

The photos, obtained by CBS and 60 Minutes in 2020, were taken in the hours after staff at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City discovered Epstein but before FBI agents arrived to process the scene.

When tied with a 2023 Justice Department report on the jail’s oversight that led to Epstein’s death, the photos raise questions over whether the immediate responders to Epstein’s death may have failed to preserve the scene properly for federal investigators.

Forensic experts and former law enforcement officials say the photographs are missing key crime scene imaging tactics, such as the typical sequence of photos and evidence markers.

In several images, Epstein’s cell bunk bed is seen in a chaotic state with mattresses and bright orange linens strewn across the lower bed and floor. But the photos do not lend any insight into where Epstein was found or exactly how he died.

“In those photographs, it was obvious that things were moved around,” Herman Weisberg, a former New York Police Department detective, told CBS News. “It definitely appeared to me that the scene was, for lack of a better term, staged a bit.”

Wide-shot photos of Epstein’s bunk show his personal items, such as toilet paper, medications and books, lined up on the top bunk bed. Epstein’s CPAP machine mask is not seen in the wider shot images, but later on, other photographs show the mask on the floor. Yet, the CPAP machine does not appear in later photos either.

Officials in the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General concluded Epstein died by suicide while being held in jail on federal child sex trafficking charges. The office said “numerous failures” by the federal jail’s staff led to Epstein’s death, such as allowing him to be in a cell alone, not consistently checking on him, failing to fix a broken surveillance camera system, and more.

The final report indicated Epstein hanged himself, and while the photos show an “excessive” amount of linens, they do not point to which one was used.

One photograph shows a bed linen tied in the shape of a noose, but it appears the photo was somewhat staged because it’s placed next to a defibrillator and is on a floor completely different from Epstein’s cell. Yet a DOJ report that depicts a photo of a linen tied in a noose also says “the noose depicted is not the ligature Epstein used to kill himself.”

“The FBI literally has all of the best tools. I mean, spared no expense. They have every tool you can imagine. And they used none of it as far as we can tell,” Nick Barreiro, a forensic analyst, told CBS.

“Some really shoddy work here, if you can even call it that. I mean there’s an absence of work here,” Barreiro added.

The DOJ’s Office of Inspector General said there was no criminality involved in Epstein’s death. Those findings have been definitively stated by former Attorney General William Barr as well as President Donald Trump’s administration.

The photos also do not suggest any foul play contributed to the disgraced financier’s death.

But online, conspiracies about Epstein’s death have circulated, with many believing those associated with Epstein developed an elaborate plot to kill him to prevent him from implicating them in his crimes.

Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, has said he does not believe his brother died by suicide.

“This was never properly investigated as a proper homicide. It was never investigated,” Mark Epstein told CBS News recently.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, who was found guilty of child sex trafficking in 2021, has also said she believes Epstein was killed.

Those rumors have only been fueled by the Trump administration’s recent refusal to release the so-called Epstein Files – which include all of the documents related to the government’s investigation into Epstein. Some people have speculated that there is information in the files about Epstein’s relationship with high-profile, wealthy individuals that could bring insight into his death.

Public interest in the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death has also been piqued by the release of jail surveillance footage that shows the area near Epstein’s cell block hours before his death. The footage also contains a missing segment, which has been attributed to a long-standing issue with the technology.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. In the UK, people having mental health crises can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or jo@samaritans.org