A social media post detailing the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein made well before the official announcement did not come ...
A social media post detailing the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein made well before the official announcement did not come from within the New York City Fire Department, officials said Tuesday.
BuzzFeed News first reported that a message was posted on 4chan, an anonymous message board that is popular with far-right trolls, at 8:16 a.m. That's about 38 minutes before an ABC News reporter broke the news of Epstein's death.
"Dont ask me how I know, but Epstein died an hour ago," the post read, along with a picture of Pepe the frog, a meme that has been co-opted by the alt-right. "Screencap this.”
The original poster added further information about the procedures allegedly used to attempt to revive Epstein, 66, after he was found, according to BuzzFeed.
"The FDNY reviewed the alleged information and determined it did not come from the Department," Deputy Press Secretary Myles Miller told USA TODAY. BuzzFeed initially reported the department was opening an investigation, but Miller described the article as "inaccurate" and noted that "at no time was there an investigation."
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Epstein was found "unresponsive in his cell shortly after 6:30 a.m. Saturday and was rushed to a hospital." Authorities have released few details on his death, but the Manhattan Correctional Center referred to it as an apparent suicide.
Barbara Sampson, the city's chief medical examiner, said an autopsy on Epstein was performed and that a ruling on the cause of death was pending.
CBS News reported that shouting and shrieking was heard from Epstein's cell at the MCC on the morning he died. Guards attempted to revive Epstein while saying "breathe, Epstein, breathe," the news outlet reported – but cited no sources.
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