Jail protocols for checking on Jeffrey Epstein were not followed in hours before he died by suicide: Sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

Jail protocols requiring routine checks on the well-being of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein appear to have not been followed in the hours before the millionaire was found hanging in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, sources told ABC News on Sunday.

As an inmate in the Special Housing Unit at MCC, Epstein should have been checked on by a correctional officer every 30 minutes, according to Bureau of Prison protocols. But sources told ABC News that protocol was not followed prior to Epstein’s death by suicide.

In recent weeks, the correctional officers' union has complained of understaffing. Those gripes are now part of the investigation into whether the 30-minute checks were happening, sources said.

The two guards that were at the Special Housing Unit where Epstein was housed, were both on overtime. One officer was working a mandatory overtime shift. The other officer was working his fifth overtime shift of the week, a single source familiar with the matter told ABC News. This was first reported by CNN.

A source familiar with conditions at MCC told ABC News that recently, BOP had to bring in staff to the MCC from other facilities because of understaffing at the prison. The source said the agency even went so far to list the facility as "hard to fill."

PHOTO: An undated handout photo made available by New York State Division of Criminal Justice showing Jeffrey Epstein, issued 25 July 2019. (New York State Division of Criminal Justice/EPA-EFE/REX) More

Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was found unresponsive in his cell around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, the Bureau of Prisons said. He was transported in cardiac arrest at 6:39 a.m. to New York Downtown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to sources.

An autopsy on Epstein was performed today and the cause and manner of death are pending further information, according to the New York City Medical Examiner's Office. A private pathologist, Dr. Michael Baden, observed the autopsy at the request of those representing Epstein.

The 66-year-old financier -- who once socialized with former President Bill Clinton, Great Britain's Prince Andrew, and President Donald Trump -- was placed on suicide watch on July 23 after he was initially found unresponsive and with bruises on his neck in his cell in the Special Housing Unit of the federal lockup in lower Manhattan. He was taken off suicide watch on July 29, officials told ABC News.

His death angered many of Epstein's accusers who said they wanted him to be found accountable for the alleged sex abuse he subjected them too, including some when they were minors.

One of Epstein's accusers, Jennifer Araoz, who claimed that Epstein raped her when she was 15, said through her attorney that she plans to go ahead with a lawsuit against Epstein.

"This week, we intend to pursue justice for our client, Jennifer Araoz, and hold accountable those who enabled Mr. Epstein's criminal activity," Araoz's attorney, Dan Kaiser, said in a statement on Sunday. "Regardless of his untimely death, our case will move forward. Jennifer deserves her day in court."

PHOTO: An exterior view of the Metropolitan Correctional Center jail where financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was found unconscious with injuries in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, July 25, 2019. (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters, FILE) More

U.S. Attorney General William Barr has ordered a full investigation into Epstein's death to determine how such a high-profile inmate could have taken his own life and why he was ever removed from suicide watch in the first place. Barr was said to be "livid," and "determined to get to the bottom of this," according to a source familiar with the case.

Barr said in a statement that he was "appalled" to learn Epstein was found dead in his cell while in federal custody.

"In addition to the FBI's investigation, I consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Epstein's death," Barr said in his statement released on Saturday.

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