Doctor present at Epstein’s post-mortem claims paedophile’s death was ‘most likely caused by strangulation’
Dr Michael Baden has said he is unconvinced by the finding of the New York Medical Examiner’s Office that Epstein died by suicide
A doctor present at Jeffrey Epstein's post-mortem examination has said his cause of death should be reinvestigated.
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Dr Michael Baden said he is unconvinced that the financier took his own life on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019.
“My opinion is that his death was most likely caused by strangulation pressure rather than hanging,” the pathologist, who was hired by Epstein’s estate, said.
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Dr Baden was attending the post-mortem carried out by the New York Medical Examiner’s Office as an observer representing Epstein's family, but did not perform it himself.
He said: “Given all the information now available, further investigation into the cause and manner of death is warranted".
"At the time that the autopsy was done by the medical examiner, we both agreed that, on the basis of the autopsy report and the information available, more information was needed to determine the cause and manner of death," he told The Telegraph.
The United States Department of Justice has released millions of files related to Epstein, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Among the materials is CCTV footage from the night he died. The footage appeared to have a 'missing minute' of video, a gap that has prompted theories that someone could have entered the paedophile's cell undetected.
In another clip from that night, an orange 'flash' can be seen moving towards Epstein's prison cell.
In light of new developments, Dr Baden says that further examination into the cause of Epstein's death is necessary.
A redacted version of Epstein's post-mortem report was released in December as part of the Justice Department’s first release of the so-called Epstein files.
In it, the child sex offender’s 'manner of death' is listed as 'pending,' with the boxes for both suicide and homicide left blank.
Dr Baden has also said that his own professional findings following the autopsy on August 11, 2019, were "inconclusive".
He claims that five days after Epstein’s death certificate was published, New York’s then-chief medical examiner, Dr Barbara Sampson, "superseded" a decision that the cause of death was pending further investigation.
She ruled Epstein’s death was by hanging, and the manner was suicide.
According to Dr Baden, Dr Sampson was not present during the post-mortem examination. But she has publicly dismissed Dr Baden's claims that the cause of death suggested strangulation, saying she stands "firmly" behind her finding.