Newly released Department of Justice records show investigators reviewing Metropolitan Correctional Center surveillance from the night Jeffrey Epstein died observed an orange-colored shape moving up the L Tier stairs toward the locked, isolated tier containing his cell at about 10:39 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2019. An MCC video observation log 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) recorded it as an officer carrying orange “linen or bedding,” calling the person “an unidentified [corrections officer]” in its final report. The OIG summary said: “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.”
Officials and senior figures later publicly asserted that no one entered Epstein’s housing tier the night he died. Some commentators characterized the footage as showing Epstein alone in the area. CBS News’ earlier in-depth review, consulting independent video analysts, reported that the movement looked more like an inmate or someone in an orange uniform than a corrections officer.
The staircase to Epstein’s tier was recorded by the only camera known to be running that night, but its angle partially obscured the approach to the tier. Government investigators relied heavily on that footage when reconstructing the timeline; the camera view made it impossible to rule out someone climbing the stairs and entering the tier without being clearly visible. CBS’ analysis also identified contradictions between visible activity in the tape and official statements.
The DOJ disclosure is part of a larger release of millions of documents related to Epstein and offers more detail about the hours between the last on-camera sighting that evening and the discovery of his body the next morning. Records and interviews portray a largely quiet night in the Special Housing Unit (SHU). Several inmates told investigators they were using drugs in their cells, including marijuana and K2, which witnesses said was common on the tier.
Two corrections employees named in interviews were Tova Noel and Ghitto Bonhomme. Documents show Bonhomme was interviewed twice; Noel said Bonhomme had worked multiple consecutive shifts and had fallen asleep 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 — a count that 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 from 10 p.m. to midnight and had no recollection of anyone walking up the stairs toward Epstein’s tier around 10:30 p.m., noting that a jail employee entering a tier alone would violate 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 told investigators 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, the officer 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 required 30-minute wellness checks of Epstein; investigators said the officers may have fallen asleep. The two were later charged with falsifying records that certified counts had been completed; federal prosecutors subsequently dropped those charges in exchange for cooperation agreements and interviews.
In a transcript of an interview with Thomas 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 a 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 stood at the cell entrance, told investigators she saw Thomas lower Epstein to the floor but did not see a noose around his neck. The OIG reported that 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 later was 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 after that review, 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 rendered a precise time of death impossible.
Bonhomme declined to comment when contacted. Noel’s attorney said she would not make statements or attempt to clarify aspects of the situation. Previous attempts to reach Michael Thomas have been unsuccessful.
The newly released logs, reports and video frames add detail about activity near Epstein’s tier late on Aug. 9, 2019, and underscore lingering questions about whether the official accounts fully account for what the surveillance footage captured.