A previously unseen 2020 email has reignited speculation over the death of Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting that the Justice Department may have investigated his death as a “murder” even after it was officially ruled a suicide.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City on August 10, 2019. Six days later, Chief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson declared the death a suicide, despite lingering questions and unusual circumstances surrounding his demise.
The newly surfaced email, obtained from the Justice Department’s release of 3.5 million documents related to Epstein, comes from a redacted “AUSA in EDNY” — an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York. In it, the attorney references an “investigation into the murder of Jeffrey Epstein” nearly a year after his death.
“I’m an AUSA in EDNY and am working on an investigation into the death of an inmate at the Brooklyn MDC,” the email reads. “The [Office of the Chief Medical Examiner] told me that it signed a confidentiality agreement in connection with the investigation into the murder of Jeffrey Epstein. We were hoping to extend a similar agreement and I wanted to see if you could share the agreement (or a boilerplate version of it). I’m happy to speak over the phone if that’s easier.”
The revelation has caused a frenzy among journalists and researchers. The Compass Report wrote: “Interesting. So a year after the official ruling of suicide, the EDNY is still investigating a ‘murder’ and forcing people into NDAs. That’s quite a disconnect from the public narrative.”
Italian journalist Alias Vaughn posted on X, “We all knew Epstein was murdered back when it happened… and now an email from an Assistant US Attorney confirms that the investigation was into a murder, not suicide.” Vaughn’s post drew attention from more than 60,000 followers.
One commenter replied: “Why would anyone need to sign a confidentiality agreement for an investigation if there is nothing to cover up, assuming,,,,,it was suicide. I wonder if medical examiner for Ivana had to sign one as well?”
Linda Valentino asked: “Why was the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner required to sign an NDA?”
The email appears to directly contradict the DOJ’s memo asserting Epstein’s death was a suicide — a determination that had already sparked public outrage and created tension for the Trump White House.
While the newly unearthed email does not provide proof of foul play, it underscores persistent questions surrounding Epstein’s death and raises fresh scrutiny of how the Justice Department handled investigations at the time.
