An image shared on Facebook claims recent autopsy reports suggest that financier Jeffrey Epstein most likely died from COVID-19, not suicide.

Verdict: False

No such autopsy reports could be found. The new coronavirus first emerged months after Epstein’s death.

Fact Check:

Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead in his jail cell at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center from what officials deemed a suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, according to The New York Times. The circumstances surrounding his death remain the subject of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.

One image shared on Facebook claims new autopsy reports suggest he actually died from COVID-19, the respiratory virus caused by the coronavirus currently sweeping the globe. The image shows a picture of Epstein with a breaking news chyron underneath that reads, “NYT: Autopsy reports suggest Epstein most likely died from COVID-19.”

But the Daily Caller News Foundation found no such report from The New York Times or any other media outlet. No evidence could be found to suggest the allegedly new autopsy report exist. (RELATED: Does This Photo Show Adam Schiff Posing With Jeffrey Epstein?)

There is also no evidence that COVID-19 was in circulation in the U.S. in August 2019, further undermining the claim. China first reported cases of the new virus to the World Health Organization in late December, months after Epstein’s death, according to Business Insider.

The New York City medical examiner’s office conducted an autopsy shortly after Epstein’s death and concluded he hanged himself, according to The New York Times. While the autopsy results were later disputed by a pathologist hired by Epstein’s brother, there is no indication that Epstein died from COVID-19.

Fake breaking news chyrons can easily be created using websites like breakyourownnews.com.

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