That speculation could intensify again now that Tova Noel, one of the prison guards on duty that night, has been called to testify before the House Oversight Committee. Her testimony was scheduled for Thursday but was postponed due to scheduling conflicts, CNN reports.
Noel, a military veteran who began working in a special unit at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in early July 2019 – the same week Epstein was arrested on federal human trafficking charges – was supposed to check on Epstein every 30 minutes that night, along with colleague Michael Thomas, according to the text.
Security cameras installed near Epstein's cell were not recording that night, according to this media outlet, due to a long-standing problem with the prison's camera system, as stated in a 2023 DOJ report. Noel and Thomas are also accused of sleeping on duty at the time of Epstein's death.
It was also found that Noel had been searching Google for "latest Epstein in prison news" less than an hour before his body was found in his cell at around 6:30 a.m., CNN reports.
The documents contain and, it says, cite an inmate who claimed that prison officials destroyed documents related to Epstein in the days after his death.
In 2019, Noel and Thomas were charged with conspiracy and falsifying records stating that they checked on Epstein every 30 minutes, as required.
Both were fired, CNN reports, but criminal charges were later dropped under a deferred prosecution agreement, which included community service and cooperation with the Justice Department's internal investigation into the circumstances of Epstein's death.
According to a 2023 DOJ inspector general's report, half of the prison's security cameras were not working, CNN reported. This left a significant lack of video footage for the FBI and investigators, further fueling suspicions that Epstein - who had connections with many influential people, including royalty, politicians and celebrities - may have been killed to silence him, the outlet reported.
Details of death
According to records, CNN reports, Epstein was found unconscious in his cell at 6:30 a.m. on August 10, after allegedly committing suicide by hanging. However, less than an hour earlier, Noel had been searching for “the latest on Epstein in prison,” according to a forensic analysis of the prison’s computers.
When questioned by investigators in 2021, Noel repeatedly said she did not remember the search and added that "that would not be true," according to this media outlet.
It was also determined that Epstein had extra clothes and bedding in his cell and that he allegedly used strips of orange fabric.
Noel stated that she last saw him alive "sometime after 10 p.m." and that she did not distribute bedding to the prisoners, because the previous shift did that, it is alleged.
She also said she was unaware that the cameras were not working and had no way to monitor the video surveillance during her shift.
She added that she and other guards considered giving out toilet paper, food or collecting trays to be part of regular rounds, but that strict checks every 30 minutes were not carried out.
"I had never worked in this department and actually visited the prisoners every 30 minutes," she said.
Suspicious cash payments
One document states that on November 22, 2019, JP Morgan Chase submitted a suspicious activity report to the FBI, which related to 12 cash payments Noel made between April 2018 and July 2019. The largest amount was $5,000, CNN reports.
She was not questioned about these payments during her interview with investigators in 2021. It was also revealed that she was leasing a new Range Rover worth more than $60,000.
Allegations of document destruction
On August 19, 2019, less than two weeks after Epstein's death, a prison employee sent an email to the FBI stating that an inmate had told him that members of the investigative team were destroying documents related to Epstein, CNN reports.
According to the email, the media outlet reports, the prisoner was even asked to help destroy papers. The employee stated that he considered such behavior inappropriate for an investigative team.
In a later interview with investigators, he said that he saw the prisoner with three large bags of shredded paper, but that he did not personally witness the act of destruction.
Investigators considered checking the dumpster to see if the papers were still there, but there is no evidence that this was ever done, it said.
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