-> Jeffrey Epstein was found hanged in his prison cell at Metropolitan Correctional Center on Saturday morning

-> Source who’d seen Epstein recently told DailyMail.com ‘there was no indication he might try to take own life’

-> Insider further claims pedophile had told prison guards and other inmates he feared someone tried to kill him

-> Epstein, 66, was briefly hospitalized on July 24 after being found semi-conscious on the floor of his jail cell

-> Billionaire was not on suicide watch at the time of his death, sparking outrage from top Washington figures

-> AG Will Barr has ordered both the FBI and the Inspector General to open investigations into death

-> Suicide comes 24 hours after court documents were unsealed implicating powerful men in sex

Chris Spargo – Daily Mail Online Aug 10, 2019

Jeffrey Epstein told prison guards and fellow inmates that he believed someone had tried to kill him in the weeks before his death, a source has revealed to DailyMail.com

The insider, who had seen the disgraced financier on several occasions during his incarceration at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, also claims that the normally reserved Epstein seemed to be in good spirits.

‘There was no indication that he might try to take his own life,’ the source told DailyMail.com

‘From what I saw, he was finally starting to adjust to prison. I think he was comforted by the rigidity of his new life.’

The world was left stunned early Saturday after news that Epstein was found hanging in his prison cell shortly before 7am.

The 66-year-old was rushed to nearby New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan hospital where he was pronounced dead.

On Saturday afternoon, a black bag believed to contain Epstein’s body was pictured being taken out of the hospital.

The body was later switched into a white van belonging to a medical examiner, before it was transported away.

A coroner will now perform an investigation.

In a statement, Metropolitan Correctional Center told DailyMail.com that the FBI is now launching an investigation into Epstein’s death.

The former financier, 66, was awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking and was being held at the high-security complex without bail.

Epstein – who once boasted an array of high-profile friends including Prince Andrew and President Bill Clinton – was arrested on July 6, accused of arranging to have sex with underage girls at his residences in New York City and Florida between 2002 and 2005.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Epstein’s suicide comes just two weeks after he was hospitalized following what may have been an initial attempt to take his own life.

On July 24, Epstein was rushed to hospital under police guard after he was discovered semi-conscious on the floor of his prison cell in the fetal position.

He spent several hours receiving medical attention before he was transported back to the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

It has not been confirmed whether Epstein attempted suicide, or whether he may have been attacked inside his prison cell.

The billionaire had been taken off suicide watch before taking his own life on Saturday morning – sparking outrage from Attorney General William Barr who has now vowed to look into the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.

‘Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,’ Barr said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.

‘In addition to the FBI’s investigation, I have consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of the death’.

According to a prison officer, Epstein was being kept in a special unit with additional security, but he was not being actively surveyed by officials at the facility.

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