Have any Epstein-related deaths been ruled as homicides?

1. The official ruling: suicide by hanging

The New York City Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Barbara Sampson, conducted the autopsy and announced the cause of death as hanging and the manner as suicide; that determination has been repeatedly defended publicly by the medical examiner’s office ^{[1] [5] [2]}.

2. The prominent counterclaim: a pathologist says “likely homicide”

Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner retained by Epstein’s brother, said the autopsy findings — notably fractures to the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage — were “more indicative of homicidal strangulation” and that “the evidence points to homicide rather than suicide” ^{[3] [4] [6]}.

3. The medical debate: the same evidence, different interpretations

Dr. Sampson and her office countered Baden’s interpretation by noting that fractures of the hyoid and related cartilage can occur in both suicide hangings and homicides, and that such fractures are more likely in older individuals — pointing to a legitimate forensic basis for disagreement ^{[3] [5] [2]}. Reporting and documentaries (e.g., 60 Minutes) have presented both views and emphasised that the neck fractures are central to the dispute ^[7].

4. Investigations and institutional findings beyond the autopsy

Federal oversight reports and DOJ materials discussed procedural lapses at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) — missing rounds, camera problems and guard misconduct — that fueled skepticism, but reviews noted investigators “did not uncover evidence that contradicted the FBI’s determination regarding the absence of criminality” related to how Epstein died ^[8]. Other later federal memos and reporting have reiterated that official reviews found no proof of homicide ^{[9] [8]}.

5. Why the controversy persists: forensic nuance meets high public interest

The disagreement is both technical and political. Forensic pathologists can reach different conclusions from the same physical findings, especially when a fractured hyoid is involved — an injury occurring in some hangings and some strangulations — and age is a complicating factor ^{[3] [2]}. That scientific ambiguity collided with Epstein’s high-profile ties and documented procedural failures at MCC, producing widespread public doubt and conspiracy theories ^{[10] [8]}.

6. What the record actually shows about “rulings” of homicide

Available reporting and official documents in these sources show no authoritative agency has overruled the city medical examiner’s ruling or formally reclassified Epstein’s death as a homicide; the official manner of death remains suicide by hanging even as outside experts have argued otherwise ^{[1] [3] [5]}. Claims that Epstein’s death “had been a homicide” appear in some documents or statements reflecting individual opinions or contested readings, but are explicitly disputed by the medical examiner and other officials ^{[8] [3]}.

7. Alternative viewpoints and their provenance

Supporters of the homicide hypothesis point chiefly to Michael Baden’s observations and to procedural anomalies at MCC to argue for foul play ^{[4] [6] [8]}. Authorities defending the suicide finding cite the full autopsy, context about hyoid fractures in older people, and investigative reviews that found no evidence of criminality in how he died ^{[5] [2] [8]}.

8. Limitations, uncertainties and what’s not in the provided record

The sources document disagreement but do not show any final, binding forensic reversal to “homicide” by an official agency; nor do they supply the raw autopsy files, full forensic reports, or any later, court-supervised reclassification in the official records provided here ^{[1] [3] [8]}. Available sources do not mention a new consensus that Epstein’s death was a homicide beyond the positions of individual experts (not found in current reporting).

Conclusion — what readers should take away

The publicly documented position from the city medical examiner and federal reviewers remains that Epstein died by suicide ^{[1] [8]}. A credible forensic expert retained by Epstein’s family has publicly argued the injuries are more consistent with homicide, and that dispute remains central to why many question the official finding ^{[3] [4]}. Given the forensic nuances and the institutional failures around Epstein’s incarceration, debate continues — but a formal, authoritative reclassification to homicide is not supported in the cited reporting ^{[1] [8]}.