Multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died as a result of a suicide by hanging, the New York City Medical Examiner has concluded, according to a person familiar with the findings.

Epstein, 66, was found in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on Saturday morning. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner is releasing the findings Friday. A person familiar with the findings described them on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose them.

A lawyer for Epstein did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment.

Barbara Sampson, the city's chief medical examiner, had said Sunday that Epstein's autopsy was complete but she needed more information before reaching a conclusion. She also noted the autopsy was observed by Michael Baden, a private pathologist retained by Epstein's lawyers.

The medical examiner's findings were released amid ongoing investigations by the FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general into how suspected missteps by Bureau of Prisons personnel may have contributed to Epstein's death.

People familiar with the investigations have said that Epstein was left alone in a cell and guards failed to check on him for several hours leading up to his death, after officials had given explicit instructions for him not to be left alone and for guards to check on him every 30 minutes.

Those precautions were in place partly because of an apparent suicide attempt July 23, though the specifics of that incident have been debated and officials are still examining that incident.

After that incident, when staff at the detention center found light markings on Epstein's neck, officials placed him on suicide watch for about a week before returning him to a part of the facility where he had previously been held.

Less than two weeks later, he was dead, leading to frenzied speculation, including from President Donald Trump, about who might have wanted to harm Epstein, and whether he possessed compromising information about others.

The jet-setting financier once boasted high-powered connections to political figures, including Trump and former President Bill Clinton, leading to suspicion and speculation about his journey through the criminal justice system.

More than a decade ago, Epstein negotiated a plea deal in Florida after facing similar accusations, and the terms of that deal were widely criticized as too lenient.

He was arrested July 6 at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport and was awaiting trial when he died at the MCC, a federal lockup known for holding some of the country's most notorious criminal suspects.

Epstein's death has led to a shake-up at the prison, where the warden was reassigned and the two guards who were supposed to be checking on his cell were placed on leave. Union officials have said the death was inevitable because of the short-staffing and forced overtime that guards are working.

The Justice Department has since sent additional Bureau of Prisons lieutenants from around the country to buttress the MCC workforce, and a suicide reconstruction team is at the facility to better understand how Epstein died, according to a person familiar with the matter.