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Jeffrey Epstein's team is not satisfied he died as a result of a suicide by hanging -- in no small part because 3 fractures in his neck almost never point to suicide -- and they are not ruling out the possibility someone strangled him and then put a sheet around his neck to make it look like death by hanging.

Sources connected to Epstein tell TMZ, his team is frustrated officials at the Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Center and the medical examiner haven't given them nearly all the information required to form a conclusion on cause of death. The medical examiner says it was a suicide by hanging, but Epstein's team says the ME is jumping the gun.

The suspicions on Epstein's team center on the 3 fractures around Epstein's neck -- the hyoid bone in the Adam's apple area, along with 2 fractures on either side of the thyroid cartilage. It is extremely rare hanging can result in 3 such fractures. The fractures are way more consistent with strangulation.

We're told Epstein's team is also very suspicious 2 guards responsible for monitoring him fell asleep at the same time. One guard, maybe, but 2 raises questions.