Jeffrey Epstein Autopsy Photographs

The publicly released imagery of Jeffrey Epstein falls into two batches gathered by the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and shown by 60 Minutes in January 2020. One batch documents the autopsy itself, recording external and internal injuries.

The other documents the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) cell immediately after his death. No official photograph of the body in situ exists, and the only camera near the cell missed a "gap" later shown to have been edited in the raw video released in 2025.

Together, these photos provide the only direct visual evidence now available to the public about Epstein's physical state and the condition of his cell.¹²

Provenance and Access

CBS News obtained digital copies straight from the medical-examiner case file and broadcast them on 60 Minutes. Still frames and water-marked images accompany two online companion pieces.³⁴

Additional stills circulated via Fox News, WPBF-TV and The Independent, all citing the same underlying file set.⁵⁶⁷

The Department of Justice has not posted the photographs in its inspector-general report, but it confirmed their authenticity in subsequent statements.⁸

Autopsy Photo Set

Body region / item	What the picture shows	Forensic takeaway
Neck (external)	Linear pressure mark high on the throat, with petechiae around eyes	Mark sits mid-neck rather than beneath the jaw, presence of burst capillaries suggests possible strangulation rather than low-drop hanging⁹
Hyoid bone (internal)	U-shaped bone removed, broken in three places	Multiple fractures are statistically rare in low-drop suicides and more often linked to throttling, according to pathologist Michael Baden¹⁰
Wrists / forearm	Abrasions on left forearm, contusions on both wrists	Indicative of recent restraint or struggle, not explained in jail records¹¹
Shoulder musculature	Deep hemorrhage in left trapezius	Requires significant force unrelated to simple forward-lean hanging¹²
Face & lip	Cut on lower lip, facial petechiae	Supports asphyxial mechanism, lip injury consistent with impact or resuscitation¹³

Cell-Scene Photo Set

Area / object	Visual details	Evidentiary note	First public outlet
Lower bunk & floor	Tangled orange sheets piled on mattress and floor	Shows multiple sheets present despite prior suicide-watch removal protocols	60 Minutes
Noose (sheet strip)	Hemmed ends, intact weave, tied slip-knot	Hemmed ends contradict reports it was cut to free the body, matches neither height nor neck mark	60 Minutes¹⁴
Electrical cords / CPAP tubing	Power cords on windowsill and bunk	Raises question why cords were ignored if sheet used	WPBF-TV report¹⁵
Yellow legal pad note	Complaints of "giant bugs... locked in shower"	Supports narrative of deteriorating mental state but also shows pen access	The Independent citing CBS¹⁶

What Is Missing

Pathologists note that investigators never photographed the body hanging in place; that omission prevents definitive reconstruction of body position, ligature angle and drop distance.¹⁷¹⁸

Surveillance video released in 2025 includes a three-minute edit immediately before the well-publicized one-minute DVR reset, compounding evidentiary gaps.¹⁹

How to View Them Today

60 Minutes keeps the full gallery embedded in its January 5 2020 web feature; high-resolution originals remain under medical-examiner custody and are not downloadable. Fox News and several local outlets host screen-grabs.

The DOJ OIG report references, but does not reproduce the same images.²⁰²¹

These images, though limited, are the only publicly available visual records of Epstein's injuries and cell layout. Any new photos would have to come from court discovery or a future FOIA release.