Epstein Death Statement Had Typo in Date, US Officials Confirm to BBC

Officials Clarify “Typo” in Draft Statement on Epstein’s Death

A draft Department of Justice statement announcing Jeffrey Epstein’s death erroneously listed the date as August 9, 2019—one day before the convicted sex offender was actually found dead in his cell, the DOJ has confirmed to BBC Verify.

The discrepancy came to light after the document surfaced in recently released Justice Department materials, prompting questions about whether officials had prepared the announcement before Epstein’s death. The DOJ has categorically dismissed these suggestions as false.

“Official statements regarding the death of Jeffrey Epstein were edited and circulated over several email chains within the Southern District of New York beginning August 10, 2019,” a DOJ spokesperson told BBC Verify. “While initial drafts of the statement list the previous date, this was merely an unfortunate typo that was later updated to reflect the correct date before being publicized.”

The draft notice in question stated that Epstein “had been found unresponsive in his cell” at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York and was slated for release on “Friday, August 9, 2019.” However, multiple official records—including a declassified FBI report, post-mortem examination, internal prison documents, and photographs—all confirm that Epstein was discovered dead on Saturday, August 10, 2019.

“Any suggestion that the department drafted a statement in advance of Jeffrey Epstein’s death is false,” the DOJ emphasized in its statement.

The clarification comes amid continued public interest in the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death. The financier’s suicide while in federal custody sparked numerous conspiracy theories, partly fueled by his connections to powerful individuals worldwide and the subsequent failures in prison security protocols that allowed him to take his own life while supposedly under observation.

Epstein had been arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges involving dozens of underage girls. His death occurred just weeks after an earlier apparent suicide attempt at the same facility, raising questions about the level of supervision he received.

The Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Epstein was being held, has faced intense scrutiny since his death. Investigations revealed significant lapses in security procedures, including guards who failed to conduct required checks and surveillance cameras that malfunctioned during critical periods.

Two prison guards who were responsible for monitoring Epstein were later charged with falsifying records to cover up their failure to perform regular checks on the night of his death. They eventually entered into a deferred prosecution agreement.

The error in the draft statement represents another unusual detail in a case that continues to generate public skepticism nearly five years after Epstein’s death. The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General conducted a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suicide, identifying numerous institutional failures but concluding that Epstein had indeed died by his own hand.

The recent document release that revealed the incorrectly dated draft is part of ongoing transparency efforts related to the Epstein case. Federal authorities have faced persistent pressure to disclose more information about Epstein’s criminal activities and his associations with prominent figures in business, politics, and society.

While the DOJ maintains the incorrect date was simply a clerical error that was corrected before public release, the incident highlights the extraordinary level of scrutiny that continues to surround every aspect of the Epstein case and its handling by federal authorities.