Newly released Department of Justice documents show investigators reviewing surveillance footage from the night of Jeffrey Epstein’s death observed an orange-colored shape moving up the L Tier stairs toward the isolated, locked tier where his cell was located at about 10:39 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2019. An observation log of Metropolitan Correctional Center video noted, “A flash of orange looks to be going up the L Tier stairs — could possibly be an inmate escorted up to that Tier.”
An FBI memorandum described the fuzzy image as “possibly an inmate,” while the DOJ Office of Inspector General (OIG) logged it as an officer carrying orange “linen or bedding,” calling it “an unidentified [corrections officer]” in its final report. The OIG report stated: “At approximately 10:39 p.m., an unidentified CO appeared to walk up the L Tier stairway, and then reappeared within view of the camera at 10:41 p.m.”
Official accounts and later statements by senior officials, including then-Attorney General Bill Barr and others, asserted that no one entered Epstein’s housing tier the night of his death. Some public remarks by former deputy FBI director Dan Bongino described the video as showing Epstein as the only person in the area. CBS News’ own in-depth analysis of the jail footage, consulting independent video analysts, previously reported that the movement resembled an inmate or someone wearing an orange prison uniform more than a corrections officer.
The staircase leading to Epstein’s cell tier was recorded by the only camera known to have been running that night, but the camera’s angle partially obscured the approach to the tier. Government investigators relied heavily on that footage in reconstructing the timeline; the angle made it impossible to rule out someone climbing the stairs and entering the tier without being clearly visible. CBS News’ video analysis found additional contradictions between what the video showed and official statements.
The recent DOJ disclosure — part of a release totaling millions of documents related to Epstein — provides additional detail about the hours between the evening he was last seen on camera and the discovery of his body the next morning. Records and interviews describe a largely quiet night inside the Special Housing Unit (SHU). Several inmates told investigators they were using drugs inside cells, including marijuana and K2, which witnesses said was common on the tier.
Two corrections employees interviewed were Tova Noel and Ghitto Bonhomme. Documents show Bonhomme was interviewed twice; Noel’s account said Bonhomme worked multiple consecutive shifts and slept while on duty between about 10 p.m. and midnight. Investigators questioned Noel about an unexplained change in the recorded number of inmates in the SHU, which appeared to drop from 73 to 72 sometime between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.; she said she was “probably” mistaken and had no memory of a count change.
Neither officer was specifically asked about the orange figure in the video observation log. Bonhomme told investigators he did not remember the period between 10 p.m. and midnight and had no recollection of anyone walking up the stairs toward Epstein’s tier around 10:30 p.m., adding that a jail employee entering a tier alone would have violated policy. An internal presentation included in the release described a corrections officer, believed by investigators to be Noel, carrying linen or inmate clothing up to the tier. Noel said distributing linen was not part of her duties: “I never gave out linen. Ever. Because that’s done on the shift prior.”
Bonhomme ended his shift at midnight and was replaced by Michael Thomas, who discovered Epstein’s body hours later. Thomas and Noel failed to complete inmate counts at 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. and missed mandatory 30-minute wellness checks of Epstein; investigators speculated the officers may have fallen asleep. The two were later charged with falsifying records certifying counts had been completed; federal prosecutors later dropped those charges in exchange for cooperation agreements including interviews.
In a transcript of Thomas’ interview, conducted two years after the death, he said he discovered Epstein shortly after 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 10 and “ripped” Epstein down from a hanging position. When asked about the noose, Thomas said, “I don’t recall taking the noose off. I really don’t,” and “I don’t recall taking the thing from around his neck.” Noel, who remained standing at the cell entrance, told investigators she saw Thomas lower Epstein to the floor but did not see a noose around his neck. The noose allegedly used has never been definitively identified; the OIG reported a noose collected at the scene was later determined not to be the ligature used in Epstein’s death.
Thomas described Epstein as shirtless when found. Evidence records indicate a shirt believed to have been cut from Epstein’s body was later returned from the hospital in a bag of personal belongings.
The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reviewed the jail surveillance footage six days after Epstein’s death and concluded the video was too blurry to identify individuals; hours later the office publicly ruled the death a suicide and did not provide an estimate of how long Epstein may have been dead before discovery. Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, retained by Epstein’s brother, has said Epstein likely had been dead for several hours before being found but that moving the body made determining time of death impossible.
Bonhomme declined to comment when contacted. Noel’s attorney said she will not make statements or attempt to clarify aspects of the situation. Previous attempts to reach Michael Thomas have been unsuccessful. The newly released logs and videos add detail and raise further questions about activity near Epstein’s tier late on Aug. 9, 2019, and whether official accounts fully accounted for what the surveillance footage captured.