More questions than answers 2 years after Epstein's suicide

Two years later, there are more questions than answers about what happened to Jeffrey Epstein on Aug. 10, 2019, at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.

After a July 6, 2019, arrest for the alleged sex trafficking of minors in Florida he was in custody pending trial.

After attempting to die by suicide at least once before, according to sources briefed on the matter, he was found hanging by a bed sheet in his cell in MCC's special housing unit.

Neither the Bureau of Prisons nor the Department of Justice inspector general has officially outlined the circumstances under which Epstein's death by suicide could happen, and both agencies declined to comment further when reached by ABC News.

It's customary for the BOP to carry out -- within months of an incident -- an after-action review of a major incident that occurred inside a federal prison.

The union that represents BOP corrections officers and staff said they're still waiting on that report.

Tyrone Covington, the local MCC union president, said he's hoping it comes out so the public can see "what took place, and end some of the skepticism out there about the Bureau of Prisons, and what happened to Jeffery Epstein."

Former Attorney General William Barr, just days after the death in 2019, said, "We will get to the bottom of it, and there will be accountability."

In a statement, Senator Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who has been leading the charge to find answers as to how this occurred, told ABC News that Epstein should still be in prison.

"Jeffrey Epstein should still be sitting behind bars today -- but the system failed on every level, and he escaped justice," the senator said. "We owe it to the young women he victimized to continue our push for answers, and ensure that this never happens again."

Sasse peppered BOP Director Michael Carvajal in April with questions about the suicide. The director said at the time that Congress could soon find out what occurred, but did not specify a date.

Carvajal said in April that the investigation is "on hold" due to a criminal case involving two of the officers who were tasked with watching Epstein. He said it would be "inappropriate" to discuss the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death before the officers case was completed and while the inspector general has paused the investigation.

Staff at the correctional center said they're "frustrated" with the lack of information coming from the Justice Department on the status of the facility and that since Epstein's suicide there are have been five wardens who've cycled in and out of the facility, according to a source with knowledge of MCC's operations.

A glimpse of what possibly happened could be gleaned from the November 2019 indictments of two corrections officers.

Tova Noel and Michael Thomas were charged with falsifying government records.

They have since signed deferral of prosecution agreements with the government, meaning they will not be prosecuted further, nor did they admit guilt. According to that agreement, the two will speak with the Department of Justice inspector general, which is conducting the review, as well as complete 100 hours of community service.

The federal indictment includes some details in the moments shortly after Epstein was found dead.

"Epstein was alone in his cell and not responsive with a noose around his neck," according to the indictment. "A supervisor who had just started his shift responded to the alarm almost immediately thereafter. As Noel approached the door to the (Special Housing Unit) to open the door for Supervisor-1, Noel told Supervisor-1, 'Epstein hung himself.' After arriving in the SHU, Supervisor-1 spoke with Thomas and Noel. Noel told Supervisor-1, 'We did not make that 3 a.m. or 5 a.m. rounds.' Thomas stated, 'We messed up,' and 'I messed up, she's not to blame, we didn't do any rounds.'"

A lawyer for Noel declined to comment and a lawyer for Thomas did not respond to ABC News request for comment.

Covington, the union president, has called for Noel and Thomas to be returned to work.

"We simply want the after-action report that the bureau committed to after Epstein's suicide, and those two staff members who fortunately a deferred prosecution agreement was agreed to, to be returned to work," Covington said.

Another high-profile inmate, the mobster Whitey Bulger, died in 2018 while in BOP custody shortly after he was transferred to a penitentiary in West Virginia. Authorities also haven't provided a detailed report on the circumstances surrounding his death.

Concerns were also raised in July 2020 over Epstein associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was arrested on allegations of conspiring to entice minors to travel to different states where they'd allegedly be sexually abused, and whether the BOP could ensure her safety while incarcerated.

She was given paper clothes and monitored 24 hours a day.