Amid renewed controversy over the newly released documents from sex offender Jeffrey Epstein‘s files, a new set of emails have reignited discussions on his death.
The latest tranche comprises nearly three million pages of documents, at least 180,000 images, and around 2,000 videos, including internal communications, memos, and emails exchanged among investigators following Epstein’s death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in August 2019.
What did the emails show?
Emails exchanged among investigators referenced Epstein’s final written note, with one official stating that it “does not appear to be a suicide note”, The Associated Press reported.
However, the documents offered no explanation for this assessment and did not challenge the official finding that Epstein’s death was a suicide.
Recently released records, cited by the Associated Press, also include December 2019 emails among investigators discussing the lack of surveillance footage from the New York jail, where Epstein had earlier survived an apparent suicide attempt that same year.
What else did the newly released records indicate?
According to the Associated Press, the records also detailed a trick that jail staffers used to fool the media gathered outside while Epstein’s body was removed: they used boxes and sheets to create what appeared to be a body and loaded it into a white van labelled as belonging to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The reporters followed the van when it left the jail, not knowing that Epstein’s actual body was loaded into a black vehicle, which departed “unnoticed,” according to the interview notes.
Although as per official investigation, Epstein’s death was ruled a suicide. In 2019, New York City’s chief medical examiner ruled after an autopsy that Epstein took his own life by hanging.
What else was revealed in the files?
The newest tranche of Epstein files included references to several high-profile individuals. Among those named were entrepreneur Elon Musk, whose name appeared in communications about potential visits to Epstein’s private island.
The files also included mentions of filmmaker and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s mother, Mira Nair. Newly surfaced material also revealed interactions involving former Prince Andrew, including an email suggesting he invited Epstein to Buckingham Palace in 2010.
In some entries, former WWE star Ashley Massaro was named in connection with alleged work for Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.