A protest group called "Hot Mess" hold up signs of Jeffrey Epstein in front of the Federal courthouse on July 8, 2019 in New York City.

Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein had broken bones in his neck, an autopsy found, raising further questions about the accused child sex trafficker's death last weekend while he was held in a Manhattan jail.

Epstein's demise on Saturday in the federal lockup was originally suspected of being the result of suicide by hanging.

But it remains under investigation by the FBI and the Office of the Inspector General of the Justice Department. And the New York City medical examiner's office has yet to rule on the cause and manner of the death of the former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton after performing his autopsy.

The Washington Post on Thursday reported that Epstein's hyoid bone was broken in his neck, according to two people familiar with the autopsy.

NBC News confirmed that with a source later Thursday.

NBC News medical expert Dr. John Torres said that a broken hyoid "can happen in both strangulation and hanging, but occurs in more often in strangulations."

Torres noted that studies have found that a broken hyoid occurs in about 1 out of every 3 strangulations, and in 25% of hangings.

New York City's chief medical examiner, Dr. Barbara Sampson, in a statement to CNBC, said, "In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesized to determine the cause and manner of death."

"Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum," said Sampson, who noted that the determination of what led to Epstein's death is pending further study.