A mysterious orange figure was spotted near Jeffrey Epstein’s cell on the night he died, fuelling fresh controversy over how he died.The figure was discovered in a video footage which has prompted leading forensic experts to question the US government’s official account. According to CBS News, the blurry figure captured in the surveillance may not be what officials initially claimed.The clip shows the shadowy orange shape ascending the stairs toward Epstein’s cell block at the Metropolitan Correctional Center at around 10:40 pm, the night before the infamous child sex offender was found hanged in his cell.While federal investigators had previously concluded that the pixelated object was simply a corrections officer “carrying linen or inmate clothing,” several forensic specialists told CBS they believe it may have been an inmate wearing a jumpsuit.“Based on the limited video, it’s more likely a person in an [orange] uniform,” retired NYPD sergeant and forensic video expert Conor McCourt told CBS.Epstein, 66, was discovered dead in his cell on 10 August 2019. An official autopsy and a joint Department of Justice (DOJ)–FBI probe concluded that he died by suicide. However, experts consulted by CBS News have pointed to several flaws in the DOJ’s investigation.Although the FBI has claimed that surveillance cameras would have shown anyone entering or leaving the area where Epstein was held, CBS’s analysis of the footage indicates otherwise. The stairway leading up to his cell is largely outside the camera’s frame, and the entrance to the cell itself isn’t visible at all.“To say that there’s no way that someone could get to that, the stairs up to his room, without being seen is false,” video forensic expert Jim Safford told CBS.The footage in question also appears not to be raw, with CBS noting signs of a screen recording, including a cursor and menu on screen. The video also jumps forward by a full minute just before midnight, and there is an abrupt change in aspect ratio.Responding to the renewed scrutiny, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) stood by its earlier findings.“Our comprehensive assessment of the circumstances over the weeks, days, and hours before Epstein’s death included the effects of the longstanding, chronic staffing crisis in the [Bureau of Prisons] and the BOP’s failure to provide and maintain quality camera coverage within its facilities,” it said in a statement to CBS, cited by the New York Post.“As CBS notes, nothing in its analysis changed or modified the OIG’s conclusions or recommendations.”Public interest in Epstein’s death surged again this month after the DOJ reiterated there was no evidence he had been murdered, despite years of speculation and conspiracy theories.The DOJ and FBI also said their investigation turned up no “client list” implicating others in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.US President Donald Trump, addressing the renewed attention, called on Americans to stop wasting “time and energy” on the disgraced financier.Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s long-time associate, was questioned over two days last week by US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Her legal team is reportedly pushing for a pardon or a commuted sentence from the president. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein’s crimes.
