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Jeffrey Epstein reportedly had multiple fractures in his neck bones, something that is more common in death by strangulation than by hanging.

The breaks include a bone near the Adam's apple, according to the Washington Post. TMZ reported early on Epstein committed suicide by hanging himself ... this according to multiple sources. It appears the fractures are the reason the cause of death has been deferred pending further investigation.

Meanwhile, an American flag is flying at half-staff on Epstein's private island -- Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.