A doctor who observed Jeffrey Epstein’s autopsy on behalf of his family has renewed doubts about the official ruling on the disgraced financier’s death.
Epstein, who was awaiting trial on sex-tra§fficking charges, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in August 2019.
His death was ruled a suicide; however, conspiracy theories have persisted for years, with some alleging he was killed to prevent him from implicating powerful figures.
An FBI investigation last year concluded that the financier was not murdered during his 36-day stay in custody, seeking to put those claims to rest.
But now Dr. Michael Baden, who attended the post-mortem as an observer, is calling for the case to be re-examined.
Doctor Calls For Re-Evaluation Of Cause Of Death
Dr. Baden told The Telegraph that he is unconvinced by the official findings of the New York Medical Examiner’s Office.
"My opinion is that his death was most likely caused by strangulation pressure rather than hanging," he said. "Given all the information now available, further investigation into the cause and manner of death is warranted.”
Reflecting on the day of the autopsy, he added: “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."
According to the publication, Baden claims that five days after Epstein’s death certificate was issued, while the cause was still pending further investigation, the decision was "superseded" by then-New York chief medical examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson, who ruled the death a suicide.
"I have not seen any evidence of further study, nothing that indicated further investigation into the cause of death," Baden said.
He has previously argued that the “evidence points toward homicide rather than suicide” and alleges that the injuries were more consistent with strangulation.
"That was my opinion at that time, and I still stand by it. The autopsy findings are much more consistent with a crushing injury caused by homicidal strangulation than caused by hanging by suicide," the doctor contends.
Baden also highlighted the presence of numerous fractures in Epstein’s neck, saying such injuries are unusual in suicide cases.
“Even one fracture, we have to investigate the possibility of a homicide. Two definitely warrant a full investigation. Findings in textbooks never see those fractures, and neither have I," he added.
However, Dr. Sampson has disagreed with this assessment, stating that fractures of the hyoid bone and cartilage can be seen in both suicides and homicides.
Conspiracy Theories Resurface Online
Baden’s comments come amid renewed online speculation about Epstein’s death.
Recently, an image circulated on social media that appeared to show the disgraced man alive and walking through Israel. The photo quickly fueled claims that he had faked his death and was living in hiding.
Authorities have since debunked the image. According to AFP, Google’s AI tools confirmed the photo was artificially generated.
Digital analysis identified a SynthID watermark, suggesting much, if not all, of the image was created or altered using Google’s AI technology.
A Gemini diamond watermark seen in the original version further verified that the image was manipulated. The watermark had been cropped out of the version shared online.
Theories about Epstein’s death have also been amplified by public figures.
Lady Victoria Hervey, the former girlfriend of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, publicly questioned the official account following the release of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
“I don't even think Jeffrey Epstein's dead anymore, to be honest," she said, per LBC.
Hervey, who was named 23 times in the Epstein files, referenced an unverified claim from a 4Chan user alleging that Epstein’s body was switched after his death.
"I think, just, I'd seen one of those emails, one of the ones that ended up in the files, and I think that prison guard needs to be interviewed. The one that he said he saw the bodies being switched out," she told the host.