The Bureau of Prisons said Epstein had apparently killed himself but that didn't squelch conspiracy theories about his death.
Epstein,who was charged with sexually abusing numerous underage girls over several years,had been placed on suicide watch last month after he was found on his cell floor on July 23 with bruising on his neck.
Multiple people familiar with operations at the jail said Epstein was taken off the watch after about a week and put back in a high-security housing unit where he was less closely monitored,but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.
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Attorney General William Barr said officials uncovered"serious irregularities"at the jail. The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are both investigating Epstein's death.
Jail guards on duty the night of Epstein's death are suspected of falsifying log entries to show they were checking on inmates every 30 minutes as required,according to several people familiar with the matter.
A guard in Epstein's unit was working a fifth straight day of overtime and another guard was working mandatory overtime,the people said.