After Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019, the official ruling from the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office was that he died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell. However, that conclusion came under intense scrutiny when Dr. Michael Baden, a well-known forensic pathologist hired by Epstein’s brother, publicly suggested that the injuries were more consistent with homicide. In response, Barbara Sampson, then–Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, forcefully defended the office’s findings and rejected Baden’s assertions. She stated unequivocally that the autopsy results, combined with the investigation, supported suicide by hanging, not foul play.


Sampson’s rebuttal was meant to put to rest the growing wave of speculation, but it also underscored the divide between official conclusions and the swirl of doubt fueled by Epstein’s powerful connections and the suspicious circumstances of his death. By directly countering Baden, she stood by the credibility of her office’s work, stressing that outside opinions could not outweigh the evidence they had gathered. Still, the public’s mistrust lingered, and her statements became part of the broader controversy over whether Epstein’s death was truly a suicide or part of a larger cover-up.


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