Guards Watching Jeffrey Epstein Reportedly Did Not Follow Check-In Procedure Ahead of His Death

New reports claim that the guards assigned to Jeffrey Epstein's prison cell did not follow the proper protocol on the night of his death. Epstein was found dead in his cell on Saturday morning from an apparent suicide, meaning that he would not face justice for his alleged crimes. Now, a source has told The Daily Mail that guards may have let it happen with their negligence.

Epstein was one of the most high profile prisoners at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. This meant that two guards were supposed to make separate checks on him every 30 minutes, according to prison protocol. The source claims that that rule was not followed overnight in the hours leading up to Epstein's passing.

In addition, Epstein was on suicide watch from the time he entered the facility, thanks to the national attention on his alleged crimes. The source said that this should have meant an additional check on him by another guard every 15 minutes. The source said that Epstein was removed from suicide watch on Friday night for unknown reasons.

Veterans of the prison system, including former wardens are reportedly baffled by this turn. Epstein was facing many heinous allegations, some of which would have made him a target even among prisoners. With his life and reputation at stake, suicide watch would have been a natural choice for him.

A different source told the outlet that Epstein had been worried about murder attempts in the weeks before his death. He had reportedly told guards and other inmates that he believed someone had tried to kill him in prison recently.

This source added that Epstein had been uncharacteristically cheery before his death. They said that he was normally a reserved prisoner, but on Friday night he seemed to be in good spirits.

"There was no indication that he might try to take his own life," they said. "From what I saw, he was finally starting to adjust to prison. I think he was comforted by the rigidity of his new life."

Epstein had been hospitalized once before during his stay in prison. On July 24, he was found in the fetal position in his cell, semi-conscious. He was rushed to the hospital, where he spent several hours receiving medical care. He then returned to prison as soon as he was able.

Few details are available on that incident, and it is not clear whether this was another suicide attempt or possibly an attack.

There should be — and almost certainly is — video of Epstein’s suicide at MCC. One hopes it is complete, conclusive, and secured.

— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) August 10, 2019

Other sources have confirmed that Epstein was no longer on suicide watch, including U.S. attorney Preet Bharara on Twitter. While there is no credible evidence of foul play at this time, there will be a full investigation into Epstein's death by the FBI and the Inspector General.