No, Jeffrey Epstein is not alive, he died by suicide while awaiting trial | Fact check

Isabel C. Morales, USA TODAY
·3 min read
149

The claim: Jeffrey Epstein is alive

[En Español: No, Jeffrey Epstein no está vivo, murió por suicidio, esperaba su juicio]

A Jan. 24 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) states that disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is alive.

“EPSTEIN is ALIVE – and no one on the list has paid for their guilt,” reads the post's text in Spanish.

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Our rating: False

The claim is nonsense. The post provides no evidence Epstein is alive. Multiple officials, including Epstein's lawyers, a state medical examiner and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, confirmed his death on Aug. 10, 2019.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019

Epstein was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019 when he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead, according to the Justice Department's 2023 report.

Epstein's death was confirmed by multiple officials, including New York City's chief medical examiner, Attorney General William Barr, Epstein's lawyers and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist and former New York medical examiner who was hired by Epstein's brother, observed the autopsy done by city officials.

While Epstein's autopsy report hasn't been released, CBS News obtained medical examiner's office photos taken of Epstein during the autopsy and of his cell.

Epstein's death immediately sparked anger and suspicion, as he had previously been on suicide watch following an apparent suicide attempt. While the suicide ruling resulted in disputes from some experts who said it could have been a homicide, no one close to the case questioned whether Epstein was indeed dead.

Still, that hasn't stopped baseless conspiracy theories asserting he is alive from spreading. In 2020, USA TODAY debunked a post that falsely claimed Epstein was alive and hiding in New Mexico.

Fact check: What's true and false about Jeffrey Epstein and the individuals on his list

USA TODAY reached out to the users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

PolitiFact also debunked a similar claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Epstein died by suicide while in federal custody in 2019 | Fact check