Ohio News

Former U.S. Representative Pat Tiberi has been named to the Board of Trustees at Ohio Dominican University.

“Pat brings a wealth of experience to the Board of Trustees, particularly in the area of business and economic development,” said Matt Yuskewich, Ohio Dominican’s Board Chair. “Through his many years of dedicated public service, Pat has demonstrated exceptional leadership and business acumen that has allowed Central Ohio communities to grow and neighborhoods to thrive, and he created an environment in which new and existing businesses can flourish.”

Tiberi served 17 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Currently, Tiberi is the president and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable.

“It is a tremendous privilege to be selected to serve on the Board of Trustees of Ohio Dominican University,” Tiberi said. “My parents instilled in me a deep appreciation of the importance of education, and to now be provided an opportunity to have a role in impacting the education of others is a humbling honor. For more than 100 years, Ohio Dominican has remained an educational asset for our Central Ohio community, and today it continues to improve the lives of Central Ohioans by collaborating with businesses and thought leaders to improve our workforce development programs in Ohio. I am grateful for the confidence that ODU’s distinguished and accomplished Board of Trustees has placed in me.”

CINCINNATI (AP) — The family of a 16-year-old student who died trapped in a vehicle after a failed response to his two heartrending 911 calls sued the city of Cincinnati on Monday.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed in Hamilton County charges the city, two 911 center employees, two police officers and a former city official with actions the suit alleges led to Kyle Plush's death in 2018. Plush's parents have said the object of the lawsuit is to find out what went wrong and make sure it doesn't happen again.

The lawsuit states that "defendants acted recklessly and with deliberate indifference in failing to protect Kyle Plush, causing him to suffer greatly before his death." It seeks a jury trial and compensatory damages of more than $25,000 against the defendants. Punitive damages to be determined at trial are being sought against defendants other than the city.

A statement from the Gerhardstein & Branch law firm, which is representing the family, says the lawsuit details a "deteriorating" Cincinnati 911 program in the months leading up to the teen's death. The goal of the legal action is to uncover the 911 problems "that led to Kyle's death," according to the statement. Al Gerhardstein is a veteran civil rights attorney.

Messages seeking comment were left with the city Monday.

The teen's death led to multiple investigations and to improvements in the city's 911 system technology, staffing, training and police procedures. But the youth's parents have expresseddissatisfaction.

Ron Plush repeatedly took part in city council meetings last year, pushing for reforms and accountability for his son's death. Using the voice-activated feature on his cellphone, the teen had Siri dial 911, warning: "I'm going to die here." He called again minutes later, this time describing his vehicle as a gold Honda Odyssey.

Two police officers drove around at the boy's high school looking for him but left without getting out of their cruiser.

He eventually suffocated from having his chest compressed after he was apparently pinned by a foldaway rear seat when he reached for tennis gear while parked near his school. Kyle's father found his body nearly six hours after his first 911 call.

Police have blamed communication breakdowns and said procedures have been changed in the aftermath.

There were also questions raised about the safety of the 2004 Odyssey the student died in. Honda in 2017 recalled some 900,000 later-model Odysseys because of concerns about second-row seats tipping forward if not latched properly, but spokesman Chris Martin said earlier this year that there were no seat-related recalls of the 2004 model. He said this has been the only instance of its type involving that model, and there isn't any pattern of similar incidents from which to draw any conclusions.

The Plush family has memorialized Kyle with a foundation in his name that pushes for reforms, education and supporting emergency communications employees.

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio - The Fayette County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help to find a missing 19-year-old woman.

The sheriff's office said Cheronda Bellar was last seen on the morning of July 22 at the McDonald's on South Elm Street in Washington Court House.

She is described as 5-feet, 5-inches tall, weighs approximately 120 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.

If anyone has any information about Bellar's whereabouts, they are asked to call the Fayette County Sheriff's Office at 740-335-6170.

People can also e-mail jon.fausnaugh@fayette-co-oh.com.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - One resident is critically injured and a firefighter is hospitalized after a fire in east Columbus on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the fire department.

The fire started around 2:30 p.m. at a home on Genoa Place.

Battalion Chief Steve Martin said a resident of the home was taken to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in critical condition to be treated for burns.

Martin said a firefighter was taken to Grant Medical Center to be treated for a back injury sustained while fighting the fire. Martin described the firefighter's condition as stable.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A woman is dead after she was hit by a vehicle on I-71 northbound near 5th Avenue in Columbus.

Columbus police said the crash happened around 12:45 a.m. on July 30.

A driver lost control of her vehicle and crashed into the inside concrete wall, police said.

The vehicle was disabled in the left lane and several other drivers stopped to assist.

Police said that is when another driver struck one or more of the vehicles that stopped, which resulted in other vehicles and people being hit.

Six people were taken to area hospitals to be treated for their injuries.

One of the people who was struck was 50-year-old Sherren Lancaster. She was taken to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in critical condition.

Police said she was pronounced dead on August 11.

Columbus police said the investigation is continuing. A decision on charges has not been announced.

The non-conference schedule for the Ohio State men’s basketball team features eight games in Columbus.

The schedule was released by head coach Chris Holtmann who is entering his third season.

“As I’ve said, this is an exciting non-conference schedule and certainly the most challenging we’ve been a part of,” Holtmann said. “We have a variety of outstanding teams and programs we will be competing against here in Columbus, on the road and in our neutral-site games. When you combine it with two December Big Ten opponents as part of our 20-game schedule, in a league that I believe will be the deepest in the country again, the schedule provides some outstanding early games for our fans. We look forward to growing as a team through the demands of this schedule.”

The Buckeyes will open the season at Value City Arena against the University of Cincinnati. This is the first time these two schools will meet in Columbus since 1921.

The schedule also includes a home game against Villanova, a road game against North Carolina and natural court games against Kentucky and West Virginia.

Ohio State will return to St. John Arena for one game this season on November 25 to face Kent State.

Big Ten Conference regular-season play will start in early December and will be announced at a later date.

2019-20 Ohio State Non-Conference Schedule

October

30-Wed. Cedarville (Exh.)

November

6-Wed. Cincinnati

10-Sun. UMass Lowell

13-Wed. Villanova (2019 Gavitt Games)

18-Mon. Stetson (2019 Ohio State Classic)

22-Fri. Purdue Fort Wayne (2019 Ohio State Classic)

25-Mon. Kent State (2019 Ohio State Classic – St. John Arena)

29-Fri. Morgan State

December

4-Wed. at North Carolina (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)

17-Tues. Southeast Missouri State

21-Sat. vs. Kentucky (CBSSports Classic, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)

29-Sun. vs. West Virginia (Cleveland Classic, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Monday rolled out some of the broadest changes in decades to enforcement of the landmark Endangered Species Act, allowing the government to put an economic cost on saving a species and other changes critics contend could speed extinction for some struggling plants and animals.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and other administration officials contend the changes improve efficiency of oversight, while protecting rare species.

"The best way to uphold the Endangered Species Act is to do everything we can to ensure it remains effective in achieving its ultimate goal — recovery of our rarest species," he said in a statement. "An effectively administered Act ensures more resources can go where they will do the most good: on-the-ground conservation."

Democratic lawmakers, several state attorneys generals and conservation groups said the overhaul would hamper protections for endangered and threatened species.

The Endangered Species Act is credited with helping save the bald eagle, California condor and scores of other animals and plants from extinction since President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1973. The Endangered Species Act currently protects more than 1,600 species in the United States and its territories.

The changes included allowing economic cost to taken into account as the federal government weighs protecting a struggling species, although Congress has stipulated that economic costs not be a factor in deciding whether to protect an animal. That prohibition was meant to ensure that the logging industry, for example, would not be able to push to block protections for a forest-dwelling animal on economic grounds.

Gary Frazer, an assistant director at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told reporters that the government would adhere to that by disclosing the costs to the public, without being a factor for the officials considering the protections.

But Brett Hartl, a government affairs director for the Center for Biological Diversity conservation group, contended any such price tag would be inflated, and "an invitation for political interference" in the federal government's decision whether to save a species.

"You have to be really naive and cynical and disingenuous to pretend" otherwise, Hartl said. "That's the reason that Congress way back...prohibited the Service from doing that," Hartl said. "It's a science question: Is a species going extinct, yes or no?"

Other changes include ending blanket protections for species newly listed as threatened and a revision that conservation groups say could block officials from considering the impact on wildlife from climate change, a major and growing threat to many species.

"Nothing in here in my view is a radical change for how we have been consulting and listing species for the last decade or so," Frazer said. Instead, he said, it brings "more transparency and certainty to the public about the way we'll carry out our job."

While the nearly half-century old act has been overwhelmingly successful in saving animals and plants that are listed as endangered, battles over some of the listings have been years-long and legend, pitting northern spotted owls, snail darters and other creatures and their protectors in court and political fights with industries , local opponents and others. Republican lawmakers have pushed for years to change the Endangered Species Act itself, in Congress.

Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican who leads the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said Monday's changes in enforcement to the act were "a good start," but said he would continue working to change the act itself.

Democrats blasted the changes, and conservationists promised a court fight.

The regulations" take a wrecking ball to one of our oldest and most effective environmental laws, the Endangered Species Act," Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, said in a statement. "As we have seen time and time again, no environmental protection - no matter how effective or popular - is safe from this administration."

At least 10 attorneys general joined conservation groups in protesting an early draft of the changes, saying they put more wildlife at greater risk of extinction.

"This effort to gut protections for endangered and threatened species has the same two features of most Trump administration actions: it's a gift to industry, and it's illegal. We'll see the Trump administration in court about it," Drew Caputo, a vice president of litigation for the conservation advocacy group Earthjustice.

A United Nations report warned in May that more than 1 million plants and animals globally face extinction, some within decades, owning to human development, climate change and other threats. The report called the rate of species loss a record.

In Washington state, Ray Entz, wildlife director for the Kalispel tribe, spoke of losing the struggle to save the last wild mountain caribou in the lower 48 states, despite the creature's three decades on the Endangered Species List. With logging and other human activities and predators driving down the numbers of the south Selkirk caribou, Canadian officials captured and penned the last surviving members of the species over the winter and pinned them up for their protection.

"There were some tears shed," Entz said, of the moment when tribal officials realized the animal had dwindled in the wild past the point of saving. "It was a tough pill to swallow."

Despite the disappearance of the protected caribou species from the contiguous United States, Entz said, "We don't want to see a weakening of the law."

"There's times where hope is something you don't even want to talk about," he said. But, "having the Endangered Species Act gives us the opportunity to participate in that recovery."

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Three of five kids killed in a fire at a home child care center in Pennsylvania were the children of a volunteer firefighter who was responding to another call, an official said Monday.

Luther Jones' two daughters and a son were trapped in a blaze in the lakeside city of Erie while he was responding to another call for what turned out to be a malfunctioning alarm, said Lawrence Park Township Volunteer Fire Chief Joe Crotty.

The children haven't been formally identified, but the Erie Fire Department says the dead range in age from 8 months to 7 years. The owner was hospitalized after the fire Sunday. Erie fire officials say the children were staying overnight at a house that had been turned into a day care center.

The fire, reported at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday, was funneling out of every first-floor window when firefighters arrived, Erie Chief Fire Inspector John Widomski told the Erie Times-News. He said the blaze appeared to have started in the living room area on the first floor.

The department's two fire inspectors and three Erie police detectives trained in fire investigations are working to determine the cause.

Valerie Lockett-Slupski, standing across the street from the fire-damaged house, told the newspaper she was the grandmother of four of the children — two boys and two girls — and that they were staying at the home because their parents were working overnight.

"So, we are all at a loss, trying to figure out how this happened," Lockett-Slupski said.

Erie police detectives told the newspaper that the owner was listed in stable condition after being flown to UPMC Mercy. Chief Guy Santone of the Erie Fire Department said a neighbor was also injured.

The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership lists the Harris Family Daycare as "a 24 hour, 7 days a week childcare service including holidays."

DAYTON, Ohio -- Authorities are announcing federal charges related to the investigation into the Aug. 4 mass shooting in Dayton.

Nine people were killed in the attack that injured more than 30 people in the city's historic Oregon District. Investigators say Connor Betts, 24, opened fire with an AR-15 style gun outside the district's businesses. He was killed by police within less than 30 seconds.

The government is unsealing charges Monday against a friend of Betts, Ethan Kollie.

Kollie is charged with possession of a firearm by an unlawful user/addict of a controlled substance and making a false statement regarding firearms.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Todd A. Wickerham will hold a briefing at 1:40 p.m. to detail the charges.

We will carry the press conference live in the video player below, on the 10TV Facebook page and on the 10TV mobile app.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced Monday that it is moving ahead with one of its most aggressive steps to restrict legal immigration, denying green cards to many immigrants who use Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance.

Federal law already requires those seeking green cards and legal status to prove they will not be a burden to the U.S. — a "public charge" —but the new rules detail a broader range of programs that could disqualify them.

Much of President Donald Trump's effort to crack down on illegal immigration has been in the spotlight, but this rule change targets people who entered the United States legally and are seeking permanent status. It's part of a push to move the U.S. to a system that focuses on immigrants' skills instead of emphasizing the reunification of families.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers will now weigh public assistance along with other factors such as education, household income and health to determine whether to grant legal status.

The rules will take effect in mid-October. They don't apply to U.S. citizens, even if the U.S. citizen is related to an immigrant who is subject to them.

The acting director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ken Cuccinelli, said the rule change fits with the Republican president's message.

"We want to see people coming to this country who are self-sufficient," Cuccinelli said. "That's a core principle of the American dream. It's deeply embedded in our history, and particularly our history related to legal immigration."

Immigrants make up a small percentage of those who get public benefits. In fact, many are ineligible for public benefits because of their immigration status.

But advocates worry the rules will scare immigrants into not asking for help. And they are concerned the rules give too broad an authority to decide whether someone is likely to need public assistance at any time, giving immigration officials the ability to deny legal status to more people.

On average, 544,000 people apply annually for green cards, with about 382,000 falling into categories that would be subject to this review, according to the government.

Guidelines in use since 1999 referred to a public charge as someone primarily dependent on cash assistance, income maintenance or government support for long-term institutionalization.

Under the new rules, the Department of Homeland Security has redefined a public charge as someone who is "more likely than not" to receive public benefits for more than 12 months within a 36-month period. If someone has two benefits, that is counted as two months. And the definition has been broadened to include Medicaid, housing assistance and food assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Following publication of the proposed rules last fall, Homeland Security received 266,000 public comments, more than triple the average number for a rule change at the agency, and it made a series of amendments to the final rules as a result.

For example, women who are pregnant and on Medicaid or who need public assistance will not be subject to the new rules during the pregnancy and for 60 days after the birth of the baby.

The Medicare Part D low-income subsidy won't be considered a public benefit. And public benefits received by children up until age 21 won't be considered. Nor will emergency medical assistance, school lunch programs, foster care or adoption, student loans and mortgages, food pantries, homeless shelters or disaster relief.

Cuccinelli said the comments resulted in changes that "we think it made a better, stronger rule."

Green card hopefuls will be required to submit three years of federal tax returns in addition to a history of employment. And if immigrants have private health insurance that will weigh heavily in their favor.

Active U.S. military members are exempt. So are refugees or asylum seekers, and the rules would not be applied retroactively, officials said. But the Trump administration also has moved to drastically reduce asylum in the U.S.

The administration recently tried to effectively end the protections at the U.S.-Mexico border before the effort was blocked by a court. It has sent more than 30,000 asylum seekers mostly from Central America back to Mexico wait out their immigration cases.

According to an Associated Press analysis of census data, low-income immigrants who are not citizens use Medicaid, food aid, cash assistance and Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, at a lower rate than comparable low-income native-born adults.

In general, immigrants are a small portion of those receiving public benefits. For example, non-citizen immigrants make up only 6.5 percent of all those participating in Medicaid. More than 87 percent of participants are native-born. The same goes for food assistance: Immigrants make up only 8.8 percent of recipients, and more than 85 percent of participants are native-born.

The new public assistance threshold, taken together with higher requirements for education, work skills and health, will make it more difficult for immigrants to qualify for green cards, advocates say.

"Without a single change in the law by Congress, the Trump public charge rules mean many more U.S. citizens are being and will be denied the opportunity to live together in the U.S. with their spouses, children and parents," said Ur Jaddou, a former Citizenship and Immigration Services chief counsel who's now director of the DHS Watch run by an immigrant advocacy group. "These are not just small changes. They are big changes with enormous consequences for U.S. citizens."

The new rules come at a time of increased criticism over Trump's hardline policies and his rhetoric.

On Aug. 3, 22 people were killed and dozens were injured in a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, a border city that has become the face of the migration crisis. The shooting suspect told authorities he targeted Mexicans in the attack.

Critics contend Trump's words have contributed to a combustible climate that has spawned death and violence, but Trump disagrees.

LIMA, Ohio (AP) — Searchers in Ohio looking for a missing 8-year-old boy with autism have found his body in a pond.

Authorities near Lima in northwestern Ohio say the body of Matthew Converse was discovered Sunday afternoon. He had been missing since just after midnight on Sunday.

Hundreds of people had joined in the search after authorities put out a plea for help.

Police had said the 8-year-old was drawn to water, trains and parks.

His body was found in a pond near his home in Allen County.

Newtown Township – The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash that left one man dead Monday.

Crews were called just before 6 am to Marion Road near Chatham Road after three vehicles collided.

According to OSHP, a male driving northbound on Marion Road rear-ended a van, then struck another vehicle traveling south. His vehicle traveled off the roadway between fifty and sixty yards before crashing into a tree and catching fire.

Troopers say the man was removed from the vehicle and transported by first responders to Licking Memorial Hospital where he later died.

There were no other injuries reported on scene, according to OSHP.

This crash remains under investigation

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HIGH POINT, N.C. (10TV) — An Amber Alert has been issued in North Carolina for a missing 1-year-old who was last seen inside a stolen car late Sunday night.

Highway Point Police say Legend Masir Goodwine was inside a Gold Acura TL in a parking lot at 1100 S. Main St. in High Point, North Carolina which is roughly 90 miles from Raleigh. The car has a North Carolina license plate number FES-4626.

WFMY reports the vehicle was last seen heading southbound on Main Street at 11 p.m.

Police released the description of the suspect in the comments of its original Facebook post: a black male wearing a blue shirt, gray hat and blue jeans.

Police say the child is about 2 feet, 20 pounds and was last seen wearing an orange tank top and wrapped in a Ninja Turtles blanket.

If you see the vehicle or have any additional information, call 911 or the Highway Point Police Department 336-883-3224.

NEW YORK (AP) — The details of how Jeffrey Epstein died in his Manhattan jail cell over the weekend have yet to be released, but medical officials have performed an autopsy on the high-profile inmate accused of sexually abusing underage girls.

Epstein's abrupt death Saturday cut short a criminal prosecution that could have pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of a high-flying financier with connections to celebrities and presidents, though prosecutors have vowed to continue investigating.

Epstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial.

The manner in which he died remains a mystery, but guards on Epstein's unit were working extreme overtime shifts to make up for staffing shortages the morning of his apparent suicide, a person familiar with the jail's operations told The Associated Press.

The person said that the Metropolitan Correctional Center's Special Housing Unit was staffed with one guard working a fifth-straight day of overtime and another who was working mandatory overtime. The person wasn't authorized to discuss jail operations publicly and spoke Sunday on the condition of anonymity.

Epstein had been placed on suicide watch after he was found a little over two weeks ago with bruising on his neck, according to the person familiar with the matter. But he was taken off the watch at the end of July and therefore wasn't on it at the time of his death, the person said.

Epstein's removal from suicide watch would have been approved by both the warden of the jail and the facility's chief psychologist, said Jack Donson, a former prison official who worked for the Bureau of Prisons for more than two decades.

Last week, more than 2,000 pages of documents were released, related to a since-settled lawsuit against Epstein's ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's accusers. The records contain graphic allegations against Epstein, as well as the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.

Epstein's July 6 arrest drew national attention, particularly focusing on a deal that allowed him to plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and avoid more serious federal charges.

His lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn't had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.

The federal investigation into the allegations remains ongoing, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said. He noted in a statement Saturday that the indictment against Epstein includes a conspiracy charge, suggesting others could face charges in the case.

U.S. authorities have said Epstein also had a residence in Paris and used a fake Austrian passport to travel to France in the 1980s. The French government called for prosecutors to open an investigation into Epstein's links to France, with the secretaries of state for women's rights and protecting children releasing a statement Monday.

The statement said it was "fundamental" to launch an investigation in France so that his death "doesn't deprive the victims of the justice they deserve" and to protect other girls from "this kind of predator."

The Paris prosecutor's office did not immediately comment.

GALLIA COUNTY -- Officials say jail prisoner Richard Clements Jr. and two other inmates escaped custody from the Gallia County Jail.

According to Sheriff Matt Champlin, around 5:32 p.m. Sunday three inmates used force to escape the custody of the corrections staff at the Gallia County Jail.

All three inmates fled custody. Two of the three were captured and taken back into custody. Clements remains at large at this time.

Clement was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and orange jail-issued pants. He is 6'2 and weighs about 214 pounds.

Anyone who has any information regarding Clements and his whereabouts is asked to call the Gallia County Sheriff’s Office immediately at 740-446-1221.

Sheriff Champlin says the escape appears to be premeditated and remains under investigation.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The WBNS family has grown by one. Meteorologist Ashlee Baracy gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Saturday afternoon.

Carter Lee weighed eight pounds and was 21-inches long.

Ashlee, her husband Jeff, and little Carter are all doing well.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former Ohio State diving club coach will be sentenced on charges related to allegations of having sex with a diver who was a teenager at the time.

The diver, Estee Pryor, shared her allegations publicly and is expected to give a statement at former coach William Bohonyi's sentencing Monday in Columbus. She says Bohonyi began pressuring her for sex when she was 16.

Bohonyi pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery in May.

His lawyer, Brad Koffel, previously said Bohonyi had a consensual relationship and the case isn't as bad as it was portrayed.

Ohio State fired Bohonyi in August 2014.

Pryor is among divers suing Indianapolis-based USA Diving, alleging it didn't do enough to stop Bohonyi.

USA Diving has said it didn't knowingly participate in alleged misconduct.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby's lawyers will fight to overturn his sexual assault conviction Monday as the 82-year-old comedian serves a three- to 10-year prison term in Pennsylvania.

Cosby was the first celebrity tried and convicted in the #MeToo era. He insists the sexual encounter with a young woman seeking career advice was consensual.

A jury last year found Cosby drugged and molested her at his suburban Philadelphia estate in 2004.

Defense lawyers contend the trial judge erred in letting five other accusers testify to bolster the prosecution's case.

The three-judge Superior Court panel includes two women jurists. The panel is not expected to rule for several months.

The decision will be closely watched by both sexual assault victims and lawyers for Harvey Weinstein and other high-profile men accused of similar misconduct.

NEW YORK (AP) — Guards on Jeffrey Epstein's unit were working extreme overtime shifts to make up for staffing shortages the morning of his apparent suicide, a person familiar with the jail's operations told The Associated Press.

The person said that the Metropolitan Correctional Center's Special Housing Unit was staffed with one guard working a fifth straight day of overtime and another who was working mandatory overtime. The person wasn't authorized to discuss jail operations publicly and spoke Sunday on the condition of anonymity.

The jail staff failed to follow protocols leading up to Epstein's death , according to a report from The New York Times , deepening the fallout from what led to the highly connected financier's apparent suicide.

Epstein should have been checked on by guards in his cell every 30 minutes, but that didn't happen the night before his apparent suicide, a law enforcement official told the Times.

The Times spoke to the official on the condition of anonymity. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed the information.

A law enforcement source also told the Times he was alone in his cell early Saturday after his cellmate was transferred. An official with knowledge of the investigation told the paper that the Justice Department was told Epstein would have a cellmate and be monitored by a guard every 30 minutes.

The mystery surrounding how he was able to kill himself in jail comes as investigators have been digging into allegations of sexual abuse and conspiracy against Epstein . An additional federal investigation was launched Saturday after the Federal Bureau of Prison said Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell at a high-security jail in Manhattan. He was later pronounced dead from an apparent suicide, the BOP said.

New York City's chief medical examiner released a statement Sunday evening saying an autopsy has been performed on Epstein, but that more information is needed before a cause of death determination is made.

Dr. Barbara Sampson said a city medical examiner performed the autopsy Sunday while a private pathologist observed the examination at the request of Epstein's representatives.

The private pathologist, Dr. Michael Baden, was the city's chief medical examiner in the late 1970s and has been called as an expert witness in high-profile cases including by the defense at O.J. Simpson's 1994 murder trial.

Sampson said having a private pathologist observe an autopsy is a routine practice.

Epstein's abrupt death cuts short a criminal prosecution that could have pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of the high-flying financier with connections to celebrities and presidents , though prosecutors have vowed to continue investigating.

Epstein had been placed on suicide watch after he was found a little over two weeks ago with bruising on his neck, according to a person familiar with the matter who wasn't authorized to discuss it publicly. But he was taken off the watch at the end of July and therefore wasn't on it at the time of his death, the person said.

Attorney General William Barr, calling for an investigation by the FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general's office, said he was "appalled" to learn of Epstein's death while in federal custody.

"Mr. Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered," Barr said in a statement.

Epstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial.

The federal investigation into the allegations remains ongoing, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said. He noted in a statement Saturday that the indictment against Epstein includes a conspiracy charge, suggesting others could face charges in the case.

Epstein's death raises questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of such high-profile inmates. In October, Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger was killed in a federal prison in West Virginia where had just been transferred.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Saturday in a scathing letter to Barr that "heads must roll" after the incident.

"Every single person in the Justice Department — from your Main Justice headquarters staff all the way to the night-shift jailer — knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn't be allowed to die with him," Sasse wrote.

Epstein's removal from suicide watch would have been approved by both the warden of the jail and the facility's chief psychologist, said Jack Donson, a former prison official who worked for the Bureau of Prisons for more than two decades.

On Friday, more than 2,000 pages of documents were released related to a since-settled lawsuit against Epstein's ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's accusers. The records contain graphic allegations against Epstein, as well as the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.

Giuffre, in an interview with The New York Times , said she's grateful Epstein will never harm anyone again, but is angry that there would be no chance to see him answer for his conduct.

"We've worked so hard to get here, and he stole that from us, too," she told the newspaper.

Sigrid McCawley, Giuffre's attorney, said Epstein's suicide less than 24 hours after the documents were unsealed "is no coincidence." McCawley urged authorities to continue their investigation, focusing on Epstein associates who she said "participated and facilitated Epstein's horrifying sex trafficking scheme."

Epstein's arrest drew national attention, particularly focusing on a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and avoid more serious federal charges.

Federal prosecutors in New York reopened the probe after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over that plea bargain.

His lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn't had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.

Before his legal troubles, Epstein led a life of extraordinary luxury that drew powerful people into his orbit. He socialized with princes and presidents, and lived on a 100-acre private Caribbean island and one of the biggest mansions in New York.