DOJ's new Epstein files reveals he attempted to end his life 3 weeks before his death

WASHINGTON, DC: On Tuesday, December 23, at 7.28 am ET, the Justice Department released a new tranche of documents revealing previously unseen materials related to convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Among them are a report and photographs documenting an incident in which he allegedly tried to kill himself just weeks before his death in federal custody.

This newly released material is the third batch of roughly 30,000 documents from the Epstein investigation.

It is part of a broader disclosure that the DOJ began publishing on December 19, following a bipartisan bill passed by Congress requiring the release of these files within 30 days.

Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 jailhouse incident report

In the newly released files, a July 10, 2019 report from the Metropolitan Correctional Center describes Epstein being found in his cell in the 'fetal position' early in the morning, wearing just a t-shirt and boxers, with an improvised orange-colored noose around his neck. 

“As inmate Epstein was being placed on the stretcher by responding staff, he would open his eyes and observe staff. When staff made eye contact with him, he would hurriedly shut his eyes,” the officer wrote.

He was then handcuffed and placed on a stretcher, after which he was dressed in a safety smock and placed under close observation.

According to the report, Epstein told staff that his cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, had harassed him and tried to kill him, though Epstein later appeared uncertain about what had happened.

A follow-up interview on July 31, 2019 captured Epstein claiming he had gone without sleep for approximately 20 days, saying he was 'extremely tired' on the night he was found on the floor.

The report includes a series of photographs showing Epstein in a blue safety smock with his hair disheveled.

Medical Findings following Jeffrey Epstein’s jailhouse incident

One image shows him holding out his hands, which appear red and swollen, while another captures his bare feet against a grimy prison floor.

The final image shows Epstein lying on his back with his eyes closed, positioned on what appears to be a stretcher or a medical examination table.

A medical report prepared after the incident noted the presence of 'a circular line of erythema at the base of his neck, reaching two-thirds of the neck’s circumference and measuring two inches wide, while sparing the back of the neck.'

It continued, “No inflammation, no deformities, no hematomas, no lacerations, no tenderness."

The report also noted normal physical function, stating, “Patient moving his neck without any restriction. Denies having any pain or discomfort. Denies any respiratory problem.”

Epstein died on August 10, 2019, less than three weeks after the July incident documented in this report.

The release of these records comes amid ongoing public interest and scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding his incarceration and death in federal custody.