Chief of doctors group doubts Epstein autopsy

Jeffrey Epstein (mugshot)

Too many questions remain about the circumstances of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's death in a New York City prison for Americans to have confidence he hanged himself, as the New York City medical examiner concluded.

"There is a motive for a lot of people to really want him dead," Dr. Jane Orient told WND in an interview Tuesday. "With probably enough money to contrive to bring that about."

Epstein was linked to prominent personalities, including Prince Andrew and former President Bill Clinton, who repeatedly traveled on Epstein's private jet, dubbed the "Lolita Express."

Epstein was convicted for sex crimes in 2008 and registered as a sex offender. He was arrested again in July on federal charges for sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York. His death came two days after he updated his will.

Orient, the executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and president of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness, told WND it isn't always possible to determine from an autopsy whether or not a death was a suicide or a homicide.

What's known about Epstein's death is that he was found on his knees in his cell with a prison bedsheet tied around his neck.

Bones in his neck were broken. But there have been no photographs or video of the crime scene, no testimony of witnesses or images of Epstein being moved to a hospital or arriving there and being treated.

She said the facts about death by hanging are well known, since it was used as a form of execution for years. It takes about 1,000 foot-pounds of force to break neck bones and end life.

How does that happen, she wondered, in a cell with an eight- or nine-foot ceiling, with a bunk bed about seven feet high and a six-foot-tall man.

"I do not know how this autopsy shows it to be a suicide," she said. "I sure would like to see photographs.

"There are so many questions, you can't have confidence" about the death.

Also, were the sheets tested? Would they hold a body?

"I am not convinced by the story," she said.

She headlined her commentary "The Strange Death of Jeffrey Epstein: Creating or Quelling a Conspiracy Theory."

She noted that the "much-awaited testimony" from Epstein now will not happen. That possibly could have included well-known names and their involvement in sex assaults on young girls.

She explained: "According to publicly released information, 'some bones' in Jeffrey Epstein's neck were fractured, including the hyoid. The other bones of the neck are the cervical vertebrae – not so easily broken."

She noted that for a 200-pound man, a death by hanging needs a drop of about five feet.

"There is no trap door in the cell ... nor is there a movable ladder to stand on," she explained.

"The autopsy raised these questions but does not answer them," said Orient.

"If one wanted to squelch conspiracy theories, … the autopsy should have been videotaped, with livestreaming to several pathologists to guard against alteration or loss of evidence," she said.

Orient edits AAPS News and Doctors for Disaster Preparedness Newsletter while running her solo practice of general internal medicine in Tucson.

She's also a clinical lecturer in medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

She's had more than 100 of her papers published in scientific and popular literature, and her commentaries have appeared in hundreds of publications.

She's not the only prominent personality questioning the autopsy results. Deadline reports Fox News host Jeanine Pirro also wondered about the results, since there "are no cameras, no cellmates, guard are sleeping."

"Did that medical examiner have a total picture," she asked.