Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell overnight Saturday, according to multiple reports.
The multimillionaire financier, who was awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking underage girls, died from apparent suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. He was 66.
Epstein was last month found semiconscious in his cell, with marks on his neck. Prison officials treated it as a possible attempted suicide, a law enforcement official told The New York Times at the time.
He was arrested July 6 on charges of sex trafficking underage girls and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He pleaded not guilty but was denied bail after prosecutors labeled him an “extraordinary flight risk.”
Epstein was in 2008 sentenced to 13 months and ordered to register as a sex offender following his conviction in Florida on an underage prostitution charge.
A trove of court documents involving one of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, was unsealed Friday, containing rafts of allegations against him, his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell and other powerful men.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.