A federal corrections officer testified under oath that she was not the mysterious orange figure captured on surveillance video moving toward Jeffrey Epstein’s cell tier the night before his death, contradicting official government explanations and deepening questions about what happened during his final hours at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

Officer Contradicts Government Account

Tova Noel, the former correction officer on duty when Epstein died, testified before the House Oversight Committee on May 18 that she never went near Epstein’s tier that night and was not carrying anything orange. The Department of Justice had previously claimed the orange shape seen at 10:39 p.m. on August 9, 2019, was a corrections officer holding orange linens. Noel categorically rejected this explanation during her testimony.

When questioned about the surveillance footage, Noel stated she could not identify what the orange figure was. She emphasized that she never issued any orange items to anyone in the Special Housing Unit, including Epstein. The testimony transcript was released Thursday, revealing new inconsistencies in the official narrative surrounding the financier’s death.

Video Analysis Reveals Multiple Irregularities

CBS News conducted forensic analysis of the Department of Justice’s 10-hour and 52-minute prison video, revealing several major irregularities beyond the orange figure. Investigators discovered a missing minute in the publicly released footage, raising questions about what was edited out. The orange shape remains the last recorded movement near Epstein’s cell before he was discovered dead the following morning.

According to newly released video logs, the orange flash could possibly be an inmate escorted to that tier. However, no official explanation has been provided for who this person was or why they were there. The discrepancy between DOJ claims and officer testimony has intensified congressional scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.

Questions Persist About Prison Death

Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender with connections to powerful figures, was found dead in his Manhattan cell on August 10, 2019. The 66-year-old was discovered one week after an alleged suicide attempt in July. The medical examiner ruled his death a suicide by hanging, stating he secured a bedsheet to his bunk bed and wrapped it around his neck.

The House Oversight Committee continues investigating the security failures that allowed Epstein to die while under federal custody. Corrections officers were supposed to check on him every 30 minutes but allegedly failed to do so. The unanswered questions about the orange figure, combined with other video irregularities, suggest a more complex sequence of events than authorities initially disclosed to the public.