To the Editor:

Re “At End, Epstein Was Left Alone in His Jail Cell” (front page, Aug. 12):

The death of Jeffrey Epstein is stirring up conspiracy theories on a vast scale. Consider the rich and powerful people, often of dubious character, who surrounded him; his inexplicable path to wealth and social connections; the strange miscarriage of justice in his 2008 nonprosecution agreement in Florida; the odd circumstances of his conveniently timed death; an attorney general tainted by unseemly fealty to President Trump in charge of investigation; and the countless sexually exploited children that touch all aspects of his story.

Any official conclusion is doomed to be unsatisfactory. You needn’t be paranoid, or subscribe to implausible scenarios, to believe that some people will escape justice and that the public will never know the full truth.

James Fredricksen

Providence, R.I.

To the Editor:

Re “Scrutiny Engulfs Center for Lifting Epstein Suicide Watch” (news article, Aug. 11):

Six days after his first suicide attempt, Jeffrey Epstein was “ taken off the suicide watch for reasons that remained unclear on Saturday.” For one of the largest pedophile cases in history involving high-profile politicians and individuals of enormous wealth and power, this “mistake” is an insult to the victims, the public and the justice system of the United States. This is the ultimate in corruption at the highest levels of law enforcement, and if Attorney General William P. Barr is so “appalled to learn ” about Mr. Epstein’s death in federal custody, why didn’t he do his job to make sure this never happened?

There has to be a thorough investigation that confirms that this was in fact a suicide by hanging, and not another nefarious event that has surrounded the Epstein criminal case from the beginning. The investigation must continue against him and his co-conspirators even if he did take the easy way out.