This archive report was first published on 11 August 2019.
On August 10, 2019, Attorney General William Barr announced an investigation into the death of financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.
Epstein, 66, had been jailed since early July, when he pleaded not guilty to charges by New York federal prosecutors after an indictment accused him of sex trafficking dozens of underage girls, some as young as 14 years old.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell on August 10, 2019, at 6:30 a.m. ET. The bureau's release called it 'an apparent suicide,' and said the FBI is investigating.
Attorney General Barr said he was 'appalled' to learn of Epstein's death while in federal custody awaiting trial.
'I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody. Mr. Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered,' Barr said in a statement.
Epstein's death has sparked outrage and raised questions about the handling of his case. The Southern District of New York's investigation into Epstein's alleged conduct is ongoing, according to Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney overseeing that office.
Former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein weighed in on the situation, saying that 'pedophiles facing federal criminal charges are at high risk for suicide.'
Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee, was highly critical of the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prisons in a letter addressed to Barr, demanding answers to questions surrounding Epstein's death.
