“Epstein was either killed or encouraged to kill himself. In the case of a likely assassination, it would have been very easy to make it look like a suicide in such a controlled environment. Switch off the cameras and get to work…” -Former Special Ops/CIA Operator

Earlier this year, Jeffrey Epstein, a powerful, well connected financier and convicted sex offender was found dead in his cell in New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center. News of the sex trafficker’s death immediately prompted a landslide of new (and old) conspiracy theories, many of which took on a clear political slant as theorists on the Right inferred his death was ordered by the Clintons, and theorists on the Left levying similar theories regarding Trump. Because both Bill Clinton and Donald Trump both had long standing ties with Epstein and have both been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, many believed both political parties had a vested interest in silencing Epstein before the gritty details of his story could be made public.

Those theories were exacerbated when the autopsy revealed that the hyoid bone in Epstein’s neck was broken — an injury that is more commonly found homicides than suicides. In some cases, a broken hyoid bone suggests forceful strangulation, but not exclusively. Broken hyoids are also commonly found in hanging deaths, particularly among the elderly. Epstein, who died at 66 years old and didn’t lead a particularly hardy life in the years prior to his death, could certainly have broken the bone himself as he attempted a hanging. As a result, the broken bone was not considered strong enough evidence to suggest homicide in the eyes of New York City officials — and they concluded that Epstein died as as result of suicide.

However, a forensic pathologist and former New York City medical examiner hired by Jeffrey Epstein’s brother to look into the case is now challenging the conclusions made by the city’s current medical examiner. According to Dr. Michael Baden, who was given the opportunity to observe the autopsy as it was conducted by city officials, the evidence doesn’t support the official ruling on Epstein’s death.

According to Baden’s statements on Fox & Friends this week, Epstein’s body showed signs of a number of injuries that “are extremely unusual in suicidal hangings and could occur much more commonly in homicidal strangulation.” He went on to say, “I think that the evidence points to homicide rather than suicide.”

Dr. Baden’s conclusions are sure to reignite debate regarding the unusual way Jeffrey Epstein died. Even if his death was a suicide, it still begs some hard questions about why the man was taken off of suicide watch in the days prior to his death, why he was left alone for extended periods of time, and how such a high-profile inmate could be allowed to die while in police custody. These developments represent a symphony of failures within the New York justice system, but where some see failure, others contend that it was either murder, or at the very least, intentional malfeasance.

These theories are further bolstered by Epstein’s apparent ability to avoid any real repercussions for his crimes prior to his death. Epstein’s sex crimes were hardly a DC secret; In fact, former SOFREP Editor in Chief Jack Murphy was writing about Epstein’s blackmail and pedophilia already back in 2015. The man was indicted for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old in 2005. The 53-page federal indictment on sex crimes charges should have been enough to put Epstein away for life back then… but somehow he managed to swing a “non-prosecution agreement” (NPA) with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami — then led by now-former Trump Labor Secretary, Alexander Acosta. Instead of doing life in prison, Epstein served 13 months in a county jail that allowed him “work release” for 12 hours of each day throughout his term.

These new claims made by Dr. Michael Baden aren’t enough to confirm any of the countless conspiracy theories circling the Epstein case, but it will provide fuel for many of them to keep burning until any new evidence comes to light, if indeed any such evidence exists.