House Oversight Committee Questions Guard Who Says She Was Last Person to See Jeffrey Epstein Alive

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a closed‑door interview with Tova Noel, one of two guards on duty at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York on August 9, 2019, the night before convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found dead. Noel testified that she believed she was the last person to see Epstein alive and described "exceptions" made for him, including allowing use of a sleep‑apnea device with a long cord and extra bed linens.

Lawmakers noted that Noel had deposited about $12,000 in cash between April 2018 and July 2019, including a $5,000 deposit ten days before Epstein’s death. Only a handful of committee members attended the interview; Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury blamed the Republican‑led committee’s chaotic scheduling, while Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said the case showed a failure of the system to protect survivors. The committee chair, Rep. James Comer, was absent for family reasons. A transcript of the interview is expected to be released soon.