Jeffrey Epstein's Death Shows Signs of 'Struggle,' Not Suicide, Forensic Pathologist Says After Full Autopsy Review

A forensic pathologist who has looked at the entire autopsy file of Jeffrey Epstein stated that the financier's injuries suggest the case was one of a "struggle" rather than a suicide by hanging.

This conclusion goes against the official determination, which has remained in place since 2019.

Dr. Michael Freeman, a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and former chair of forensic and legal medicine at the Royal College of Physicians, obtained the entire file from Epstein's brother, Mark.

He stated that he is the first pathologist with forensic training to have examined all the evidence since the decision was made that Epstein had committed suicide.

In a statement to Metro before giving a lecture at University College London next month, he described that decision as problematic and said that Epstein's death was unlike any case of suicidal hanging that had been recorded.

Dr. Freeman accepted the guard's version of the matter that Epstein had been found in a near-seated position with an orange strip of fabric around his neck and questioned whether this situation could explain all of the injuries on the body, arriving at the conclusion that it could not.

In addition to the ligature marks, Epstein had injuries to his left shoulder and the back of his neck; he also had facial wounds which Dr. Freeman states were not caused by the resuscitation, something that Dr. Freeman says started hours after Epstein had already died. Most notably, Dr. Freeman draws attention to what look like fingernail marks above the ligature line, consistent with Epstein attempting to pull the ligature away from his neck. According to him, the overall situation is "consistent with potentially a struggle."

He also pointed out a gap in the record: no photographs were taken of Epstein when he was suspended or immediately after he was taken down.

Epstein was discovered to be unresponsive at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on August 10, 2019, while he was waiting for his trial.

The chief medical examiner of New York City concluded that the death was a suicide, a determination that was later confirmed by a 2023 review by the Justice Department and the FBI. When questioned on Dr. Freeman's criticisms, the medical examiner's office said that it still supports its original ruling.

After his lecture, Dr. Freeman intends to make the entire file available, including sections that have never been made public. He says he is holding back his most important findings for inclusion in the talk. Although he anticipates criticism, he wants people to check the evidence for themselves, since medical examiners seldom welcome a second examination and sound science must be reproducible. He adds that he has no interest in conspiracy theories and sees Epstein's notoriety as more a distraction than an attraction.

According to Mark, the independent group took several months to compare the files with the autopsies of cases that had been confirmed as suicides or homicides, and he emphasized that the work is not being carried out for him and that he is not providing any funding for it.