Overview
- Surveillance footage shows officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas at about 3:15 a.m. writing, pacing, and talking on the phone near the Special Housing Unit station instead of conducting required rounds.
- Epstein’s cell was the first on the tier, located just down a short flight of stairs from the guard post, placing the officers only steps away during the recorded lapse.
- DOJ documents show bright-orange notices at the station stating that Epstein had just come off suicide watch and required 30‑minute checks and a cellmate.
- Investigative records state Noel and Thomas skipped the 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. rounds, later faced accusations of falsifying logs, were fired, and saw criminal charges dropped in 2021.
- Authorities place the likely time of death between about 10:30 p.m. Aug. 9 and 6:30 a.m. Aug. 10, and the House Oversight Committee has called Noel for an interview on March 26.