Fresh scrutiny is being directed at the federal government’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s death following a CBS News investigation into surveillance footage from the night he died—footage that critics say raises more questions than it answers.
The newly examined 11-hour video, released earlier this year by the FBI, offers only a limited view of the corridor outside Epstein’s cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Crucially, the cell entrance and staircase leading to Epstein’s tier remain mostly obscured—despite prior claims by federal officials, including then-Attorney General William Barr, that no one entered the area in the hours before Epstein’s death.
Video forensic analysts told CBS News the footage appears inconsistent with standard digital recordings and may have been manipulated. Among the anomalies flagged:
- A one-minute gap shortly before midnight
- Fluctuating aspect ratios suggesting the video might be a screen capture rather than raw DVR footage
- Unidentified activity, including a mysterious orange figure on the stairs and an unknown person seen after midnight
These irregularities call into question the reliability of the surveillance video—once considered a key piece of evidence in the FBI’s decision to close its investigation into Epstein’s death, which was officially ruled a suicide.
The footage also seems to conflict with accounts provided by prison staff and referenced in the Inspector General’s report. Statements claiming the area was fully secure now appear uncertain in light of what’s visible—and not visible—on the tape.
Critics have long challenged the Justice Department’s findings. Jaco Booyens, a Texas-based anti-human trafficking advocate and founder of Jaco Booyens Ministries, has been among the most vocal. “There must be justice for the victims of trafficking. We cannot and will not stay silent,” Booyens posted on X. “Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were convicted traffickers. That means they sold human beings, including minors, to buyers for ***”
Adding to concerns are serious lapses in jail protocol. At the time of his death, Epstein was not assigned a cellmate and was left unsupervised, despite previously being placed on suicide watch. Guards Tova Noel and Michael Thomas reportedly failed to carry out their required half-hour checks.
Although the Department of Justice continues to stand by its conclusion that Epstein died by suicide, the inconsistencies in the video, combined with unanswered procedural failures, continue to stoke public suspicion surrounding one of the most controversial deaths in modern American custody.
