Medical examiner determines the cause of Jeffrey Epstein's death: reports

Jeffrey Epstein killed himself by hanging, the New York City medical examiner concluded on Friday according to the New York Times and the Associated Press.

The news came after some reports had suggested broken bones in Epstein's neck might not have been consistent with a suicide.

The sex offender and wealthy financier, who was connected to many powerful and famous figures including Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, was found dead in his cell last Saturday morning.

The New York Times reported:

Guards on their morning rounds found Mr. Epstein at about 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, prison officials said. He appeared to have tied a bedsheet to the top of a set of bunk beds, then knelt toward the floor with enough force that he broke several bones in his neck, officials said.

Though he has previously been a suicide watch, multiple reports indicate that this precaution had been suspended prior to his death. Epstein's death triggered myriad conspiracy theories because many believe he may have information that could implicate powerful people in his alleged sex trafficking ring.

Federal prosecutors had recently revived decade-old sex trafficking charges against Epstein, who multiple women have said abused them sexually as teenagers. The circumstances around a non-prosecution agreement Epstein reached with federal prosecutors in 2008 on similar charges remain murky and subject of an ongoing review.