An autopsy performed on accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein showed he had "sustained multiple breaks in his neck bones," the Washington Post reported Wednesday evening.
According to people familiar with the autopsy report, one of the bones that were broken in Epstein's neck is known as the "hyoid bone," which is located near the Adam's apple on a man, the newspaper reported. Such injuries can be associated with hanging suicides - especially in older individuals. However, forensics experts say that type of injury is far more common for victims who have been strangled. News of the autopsy results adds to the deepening mystery surrounding the multi-millionaire's death in a jail that had not seen a suicide in the previous 21 years.
Epstein, 66, was discovered in his cell early Saturday morning after guards reportedly found him hanging in his cell in the special housing unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. He was arrested July 6 on federal charges for operating a sex trafficking ring from 2002 to 2005 in his mansion in New York as well as his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he had allegedly paid girls as young as 14 for sex. Epstein plead not guilty to the charges.
New York City's chief medical examiner Barbara Sampson listed Epstein's death as "pending" after completing the autopsy on Sunday. When asked about the neck injuries by the Post, Sampson said in a statement to the paper that no single factor in an autopsy alone can provide an answer about what happened.
“In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesized to determine the cause and manner of death. Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum," said Sampson.
The New York Times reported that two prison staff members responsible for guarding the unit where Epstein was being housed, had failed to check on him for about three hours. Prisoners being detained in the special housing unit are supposed to be checked on by guards every 30 minutes, CNN reported. This week, Attorney General William Barr reassigned the warden at the prison where Epstein died and two staff members were also placed on administrative leave.
The FBI and Justice Department have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death. On Tuesday, FBI agents were spotted raiding Epstein's private island in the Caribbean.
Photo: Getty Images