In announcing a Justice Department Inspector General investigation into his death, Attorney General William Barr says the apparent suicide of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein "raises serious questions."
"I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody," Barr said in a statement. "Mr. Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered.
"In addition to the FBI's investigation, I have consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Epstein's death," Barr added.
Epstein, 66, hung himself overnight in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, a federal jail in Manhattan. He was being held on federal sex trafficking charges and was facing up to 45 years in prison.
His arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago.
The high-profile inmate had recently been placed on suicide watch as a result of an earlier injury while in prison last month, though The New York Times reported a federal prison official said Epstein had been taken off suicide watch a few days ago.
Barr, according to ABC7, is "livid" and "determined to get to the bottom" of Epstein's death.
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