Mysterious Third Person Appears on Epstein Prison Video — Experts Demand Full Transparency

In a twist that is reigniting demands for transparency in the era of President Trump, a CBS News investigation has exposed a previously unreported mystery: a third, unidentified person was caught on video inside the secure wing of the Metropolitan Correctional Center just hours before Jeffrey Epstein was found dead.

The Department of Justice’s own report, which cleared federal officials of wrongdoing, failed to mention the midnight visitor. The newly revealed footage, obtained and analyzed by CBS, shows the unidentified figure slipping into the Special Housing Unit at around 4 a.m. on August 10, 2019—a time when, according to prison logs, only two guards had keys to access the area.

“It raises every red flag,” said Conor McCourt, a retired NYPD sergeant and forensic video specialist consulted by CBS. “How did someone bypass multiple levels of federal security without being noticed, and why was this never addressed in the DOJ’s findings?”

Surveillance footage from that night remains limited and frustratingly grainy. The camera, which was focused on a guard’s desk one floor below Epstein’s cell, only partially captured the movement of this unknown individual. According to the official log, guards Tova Noel and Michael Thomas never unlocked the door for a visitor—a claim now contradicted by CBS’s frame-by-frame analysis.

What’s worse, critical camera angles that could have captured the common area and the cell block were supposedly unavailable or “lost,” according to federal authorities—a point that has drawn skepticism from lawmakers and the public alike.

“The fact that there’s lost footage and inconsistent reports from staff is deeply concerning,” said Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), who renewed calls for a Congressional inquiry in light of the new evidence. “We have an obligation to get to the truth, especially when a high-profile inmate dies in federal custody.”

This isn’t the first time President Trump’s administration has come under fire for its handling of the Epstein case. In 2024, Trump made headlines by suing the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion after it published claims that he had exchanged “suggestive” correspondence with Epstein, a convicted sex trafficker and former friend of several wealthy political donors.

The new footage also appears to show another unexplained figure—a “blurry orange shape”—moving up the stairs toward Epstein’s cell around 10:40 p.m. The DOJ has insisted this was a guard carrying laundry. But McCourt disagrees: “It’s more likely that was an inmate in an orange jumpsuit. We need clarity on who entered Epstein’s cell block that night.”

Meanwhile, protocols at the MCC appear to have been ignored across the board. Epstein, who was supposed to be checked every 30 minutes due to his suicide watch status, was left alone for over eight hours. A sign posted in the Special Housing Unit—ordering regular checks—was reportedly ignored, and Epstein’s body was not discovered until breakfast.

“The basic question is, why did so many systems fail all at once?” said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). “It defies belief, and Americans deserve a real answer—not more cover-ups.”

Despite the new revelations, the Department of Justice has doubled down, claiming that “nothing in [the CBS] analysis changed or modified the OIG’s conclusions or recommendations.” The statement cited “chronic staffing crisis” and poor camera coverage as root causes, but declined to comment on the mysterious third person.

Yet for Epstein’s survivors, critics of the prison system, and millions of Americans skeptical of the Trump administration’s commitment to transparency, the story is far from over.

“This is not a partisan issue,” added Senator Warnock. “It’s about whether the most powerful people can hide the truth from the public. And if we allow that, no one is safe.”

As the questions pile up, one fact remains: the final hours of Jeffrey Epstein’s life, and the role of those inside the prison that night, remain shrouded in secrecy—a secrecy that neither the Department of Justice nor the White House seems eager to confront.