Billionaire businessman Jeffrey Epstein’s death has officially been ruled as suicide in his prison cell, said a medical examiner.

Epstein was found unresponsive in his prison at the Manhattan Correctional Center on Saturday, while he was being held on sex trafficking charges.

The well-known financier had been arrested on July 6, accused of conspiracy and sex trafficking underage girls in the early 2000s.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons initially called it an apparent suicide but his death sparked conspiracy theories that he had been murdered..

However, a medical examiner has confirmed Epstein died aged 66 by hanging in his New York cell.

Epstein had been placed on suicide watch last month after he was found on his cell floor on July 23 with bruising on his neck.

But multiple people familiar with operations at the jail say he was taken off the watch after a week and put back in a high-security housing unit.

There he was less closely monitored but was still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.

Since his death, two guards assigned to watch Epstein have been placed on leave, amid speculation about the conditions of the prison.

Attorney General William Barr says officials have uncovered ‘serious irregularities’ at the jail.

The FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general are both investigating Epstein’s death.

Epstein, who was worth $559million, had powerful associates including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.

He had pleaded not guilty to charges and was being held without bail but a judge said he wouldn’t face trial before June 2020.

Epstein faced spending the rest of his life behind bars if convicted of the charges.

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