Mysterious Cash Deposits Raise New Questions
Investigators reviewing Noel’s financial records also uncovered a string of cash deposits that drew further attention. The documents show multiple deposits beginning in April 2018. The largest — $5,000 — was made on July 30, 2019. That was about 10 days before Epstein’s death.
Overall, seven deposits totaling $11,880 were recorded during the period covered by the available records. Noel had just begun working in the Special Housing Unit. She started in the unit on July 7, 2019, and Epstein was already being held there at the time.
Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage from inside the facility, trying to reconstruct the timeline of events. An internal FBI briefing suggested Noel may have been the figure seen on video near Epstein’s tier at around 10:40 p.m. that night.
According to the briefing, a correctional officer believed to be Noel appeared to be carrying linen or inmate clothing toward the tier. Investigators noted this appeared to be the last time any officer approached the entrance to the area before the incident.
Blurry Figure on Surveillance Video Sparks Debate
Epstein was later found dead in his cell at 5:42 a.m. on August 10, 2019. Authorities ruled the death a suicide. In her sworn statement, Noel told investigators she last saw Epstein alive sometime after 10 p.m. She also insisted she never distributed linens or clothing to inmates, explaining that an earlier shift typically handled such tasks.
Further scrutiny of surveillance footage from the Special Housing Unit has raised additional questions about what happened that night. According to the inspector general’s report, a blurry orange shape can be seen moving up the stairs leading to Epstein’s tier shortly before 10:40 p.m.
But video forensic experts who later reviewed the footage at the request of CBS News raised doubts about that conclusion. They suggested the shape could instead be a person wearing an orange prison jumpsuit.
The video evidence also contains a puzzling detail investigators have described as a “missing minute.” The time counter on the footage runs normally until shortly before midnight. Suddenly, the counter jumps forward by one minute.
When the video resumes at 12 a.m., the image appears slightly different, with a subtle shift in the aspect ratio. Experts who reviewed the footage said the anomaly could indicate the video had been edited or reprocessed rather than presented in its original raw form.
During that missing minute, a staff member identified as a materials handler would have been finishing a shift that ran from 4 p.m. to midnight. The individual is believed to have left the unit around that time. Investigators said there is no evidence linking that action to Epstein’s death.
