Michael Baden, a pathologist who was hired by Jeffrey Epstein's family to observe his official autopsy findings, has sparked a controversy by alleging that the death could have been a homicide.
In an interview with the UK's The Telegraph, the veteran doctor alleged that the late financier's dead body bore marks more consistent with death by strangulation than suicide. Epstein died in his jail cell at a Manhattan prison on August 10, 2019, while he was awaiting trial. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
However, Baden, who was present during the autopsy of Epstein, is among many who questions the official ruling that Epstein's death was a suicide. In the interview with The Telegraph, Baden said he observed many injury patterns, such as multiple neck fractures, that are not observed in self-inflicted hanging.
Who Is Dr. Michael Baden?
Michael Baden is an American forensic pathologist who is known for his role in high-profile investigations, which included the the OJ Simpson case, the JFK assassination, the Michael Brown shooting case, and, of course, the death of Jeffrey Epstein. He has performed more than 20,000 autopsies, his website states. Baden hosts HBO's Autopsy series and has taught at institutions like Albert Einstein Medical School and John Jay College.
What Michael Baden Says About Epstein's Death
{{/usCountry}}What Michael Baden Says About Epstein's Death
{{/usCountry}}In the interview with The Telegraph, Michael Baden claimed that Epstein had separate fractures in the neck: one in the hyoid bone and two in the thyroid cartilage. Baden claims that those three fractures are not seen in death-by-hanging suicide cases, and he has never witnessed one in his long career.
He claimed that the injuries were more consistent with cases of homicidal strangulation rather than suicide by hanging. He noted that certain evidence on Epstein's dead body could have been tampered with due to bad handling of the body, raising further suspicion.
The official autopsy of Jeffrey Epstein was performed by Dr. Barbara Sampson, then Chief Medical Examiner of the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Her office concluded the cause of death was suicide by hanging.