‘Missing minute’ of Jeffrey Epstein death tape explained as it has now ‘been found’

The mystery surrounding the 'missing minute' of surveillance footage of Jeffrey Epstein's final hours took another interesting turn this week.

Although the absence of 60 seconds of the video was initially attributed to a CCTV camera glitch, it seems that might not be the case.

Reports claim that this missing chunk has now been 'found' - leaving US Attorney General Pam Bondi with egg on her face, once again.

Why was a minute of footage 'missing' from the Epstein tape?

Bondi, 59, previously pinned the blame on the video recording system at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Centre when previously quizzed about the missing minute.

The attorney, lobbyist, and politician claimed that the technology in the prison is 'from 1999' and therefore outdated, while explaining that the system 'resets every night' at the same time.

Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell in August 2019 (Florida Department of Law Enforcement via Getty Images)

"Every night should have the same minute missing," Bondi told reporters. "So we're looking for that video to release that as well, showing that a minute is missing every night."

Conspiracy theorists had a field day after discovering the 60 second discrepancy in the nearly 11 hours of surveillance video which was released to the public by the US Justice Department (DOJ).

Bondi's cumbersome attempt at explaining it away did little to quell the speculation - and now, it has been alleged that the missing minute might not have been missing at all.

Has the missing minute been found?

According to the Daily Mail, a 'source familiar with the investigation' told the publication that both the DOJ and FBI are in possession of the 'raw footage' of Epstein's last hours, which includes the elusive 60 seconds.

Epstein, who was accused of sex trafficking young girls, was found hanged in his cell while in custody on 10 August, 2019 - although not everyone believes this version of events.

Clips recorded by the surveillance camera which captured his final movements were published as proof that nobody murdered him, as conspiracy theories have suggested.

The FBI and DOJ explained that any third party who allegedly interfered in Epstein's death would have been seen going to the door and entering the cell.

However, this claim has now also been called into disrepute after a bombshell investigation by CBS News found that the recording does not provide as clear a view to the entrance of the cell as we've been led to believe.

What other inconsistencies in the clip have been pointed out?

The US outlet claims that a staircase leading up to it is 'almost entirely out of view from the camera', 'meaning there's no way to tell from the video if [Epstein] went to his cell or exited the SHU [Special Housing Unit]'.

Alleging that the entrance to Epstein's cell 'remains mostly obscured' throughout the 11 hours of footage, CBS News said it is therefore 'impossible to determine if someone may have entered the SHU' out of view of the camera.

Video forensics expert Jim Stafford said: "To say that there's no way that someone could get to that - the stair up to his room - without being seen is false."

An orange shape which appears at approximately 10.40pm in the clip and is seen heading in the direction of Epstein's cell - and US officials initially said this was likely a corrections officer.

Video forensics experts have shared their thoughts on some of the interesting details in the footage - such as the 'orange figure' seen in one segment (CBS News)

But according to tech boffins who reviewed the footage, it is much more likely to be someone dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit.

Retired NYPD sergeant and forensic video buff Conor McCourt also told CBS News: "Based on the limited video, it's more likely it's a person in an [orange] uniform."

Even more interestingly is the strange presence of a cursor in the footage, despite US authorities insisting that the public had been given the 'raw footage' from the Metropolitan Detention Centre's cameras.

Again, experts believe that this suggests the video might actually have been tampered with, telling the publication it suggests the footage we've seen could be a screen recording, rather than the original tape.

A cursor also bizarrely appears on screen at one point in the surveillance video (CBS News)

Stafford and McCourt both agreed that this was unlikely to be the 'raw footage' the public was promised, but could in fact be 'two separate video segments that were stitched together'.

The metadata suggests that the file for this video was likely 'screen capture, not an actual export' of the raw video, Stafford said.

Once again, we've been left with more questions than answers about the complex Epstein case.