Epstein’s Possible Suicide Note Hidden for Nearly Seven Years, DOJ Claims It Has Never Seen It

Nearly seven years after Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York jail cell, a possible suicide note he allegedly left behind remains hidden from public scrutiny—and even from the Department of Justice itself. According to a report by The New York Times, Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, discovered the note tucked inside a graphic novel weeks before Epstein’s August 2019 death. The note has since been sealed by a federal judge and stored in a courthouse vault.

Tartaglione, a convicted murderer serving four life sentences, told The New York Times that Epstein wrote the note on yellow notepad paper shortly after an apparent suicide attempt in late July 2019. The note reportedly said investigators had “found nothing” after months of scrutiny and ended with a bleak farewell: “What do you want me to do, bust out crying? Time to say goodbye.”

Despite the note’s existence, the Justice Department says it has never seen it. A DOJ spokeswoman told The New York Times that the department’s exhaustive efforts to collect and release Epstein-related documents—over 3.5 million pages posted online—did not include this note. It also was not referenced in official investigations into Epstein’s death, including a 2023 report by the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General.

The note became entangled in legal disputes between Tartaglione’s lawyers, prompting a federal judge in White Plains, New York, to order it sealed on grounds of attorney-client privilege. The judge also appointed an outside lawyer to investigate the matter and later disqualified one of Tartaglione’s attorneys in a sealed order.

This revelation comes amid persistent public skepticism about Epstein’s death. Polls show that roughly half of Americans suspect foul play rather than suicide. The note’s continued secrecy, despite the DOJ’s extensive document releases under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, only deepens suspicions of a cover-up.

The Epstein case has long been a symbol of the failure to hold powerful elites accountable for trafficking and abuse. The concealment of potentially crucial evidence like this note underscores ongoing institutional opacity and raises urgent questions about what else remains hidden behind closed doors.

We will keep tracking these developments and demand transparency. The truth about Epstein’s death matters—not just for justice for survivors, but for exposing the corrupt systems that allowed this predator to evade full accountability.