Jeffrey Epstein: FBI deputy director's verdict on cause of death after case review, ‘I'm not asking you to believe me…'

Hindustan Times

19-05-2025

FBI deputy director has given his verdict on Jeffrey Epstein's cause of death, saying the sex predator died by suicide in 2019. Dan Bongino said there is no evidence to suggest that Epstein may have died in any other way.
Bongino said in an X post that he was asked about certain details about the Epstein case during a recent interview. 'I have reviewed the case,' he wrote. 'Jeffrey Epstein killed himself. There's no evidence in the case file indicating otherwise. I'm not asking you to believe me, or not. I'm telling you what exists, and what doesn't. If new evidence surfaces I'm happy to reevaluate.'
Epstein's death fuelled various conspiracy theories, with many claiming he may have been murdered. During a Senate hearing this month, FBI director Kash Patel stressed that he believed Epstein's death was nothing more than a suicide, as reported by the New York Post.'Listen, they have a right to their opinion,' Patel told Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures about sceptics' beliefs. 'As someone who has worked as a public defender, as a prosecutor, who's been in that prison system, who's been in the Metropolitan Detention Center, who's been in segregated housing, you know a suicide when you see one, and that's what that was.'
During a joint interview with Maria Bartiromo, Bongino agreed with Patel. 'He killed himself,' Bongino said. 'I have seen the whole file. He killed himself.'
Epstein was found dead just over a month after he was arrested, with bedsheets around his neck. He was found dead in his jail cell on August 10, 2019.
Epstein's death was initially ruled a suicide, but his family later hired forensic pathologist Michael Baden, who said that a homicide was far more likely than a suicide, based on evidence. Baden pointed out how there were specific fractures in Epstein's thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone, noting that these were more likely the result of strangulation. However, over the years, many experts have expressed their doubt on this assessment.
Dr. Barbara Sampson, New York City's chief medical examiner from 2013 to 2021, who did the original autopsy on Epstein, said at the time, 'I stand firmly behind our determination of the cause and manner of death for Mr. Epstein. The cause is hanging, the manner is suicide.'
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).