Guard Googled Epstein Minutes Before Body Found, Files Reveal

At 5:42 a.m. on August 10, 2019, Tova Noel sat at a Bureau of Prisons computer and typed "latest on Epstein in jail" into Google. She searched again 10 minutes later. Less than an hour after those searches, her colleague found Jeffrey Epstein dead in his cell. The FBI flagged the searches in its forensic examination — but never asked why she was looking him up. And it never questioned her about the $5,000 cash deposit a bank called suspicious.

Newly released Department of Justice files reveal the Google searches were among the only items highlighted in the FBI's 66-page forensic examination of Noel's computer. When questioned in a sworn 2021 DOJ interview, Noel denied the searches. "I don't remember doing that," she said, according to the transcript. "I don't recall looking him up." She also said the FBI's records were not "accurate."

The documents also show Chase Bank filed a suspicious activity report with the FBI in November 2019 flagging multiple cash deposits in Noel's account. The largest deposit was $5,000 on July 30, 2019 — just 10 days before Epstein's death. Available records show seven cash deposits from December 2018 onward totaling $11,880.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer announced Wednesday that the committee will seek a transcribed interview with Noel. "Because of this, because of the media reports, and because of the fact that, honestly, most people on the committee aren't confident 100% that Epstein's death was by suicide, we're going to ask Ms. Noel to come in for a transcribed interview," Comer said.

The recent media reports are "very concerning, especially the suspicious activity report on a $5,000 mysterious deposit that [the guard] had," Comer said. "The reason that stands out to me is because very seldom are suspicious activity reports even reported for sums less than $10,000. So that's a mystery there."

Comer added that the suspicious activity report was "something that, according to the DOJ documents, they never looked into, never asked her about."

Noel and her colleague, Michael Thomas, were working double shifts on the night of Epstein's death. They were required to check on inmates every 30 minutes. Prosecutors alleged Noel slept on the job and shopped for furniture online while Thomas perused motorcycle listings. Both guards falsified records claiming they had conducted the required checks.

Epstein's cell was located approximately 15 feet from the guards' desk. An internal FBI briefing identified Noel as likely the "mysterious orange shape" seen on surveillance video near Epstein's cell at approximately 10:40 p.m. on August 9. The briefing stated that at approximately 10:40 p.m., a correctional officer believed to be Noel carried linen or inmate clothing up to the L-Tier — the last time any officer approached the only entrance to the SHU tier.

This was the first official document to publicly put a name to the figure. The 2023 inspector general report had only described it as unidentified correctional officers. Epstein used strips of orange cloth to hang himself.

An inmate told the FBI he heard officers shouting "Breathe! Breathe!" The inmate claimed to hear one officer say: "Dudes, you killed that dude." A female guard allegedly responded: "If he is dead, we're going to cover it up and he's going to have an alibi — my officers."

The inmate identified the female voice as Noel and reported that inmates later said: "Miss Noel killed Jeffrey."

When asked in her 2021 interview if she had given linen or clothing to inmates, Noel replied: "I never gave out linen, ever."

Noel and Thomas were fired from the Bureau of Prisons and charged with falsifying records. In May 2021, they entered a deferred prosecution agreement requiring 100 hours of community service each. Charges were formally dismissed on December 30, 2021.

When asked directly if she had any part in Epstein's death, Noel replied "no."

The revelations come as Congress continues to release documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November 2025. The act mandated the release of DOJ investigation materials into the convicted sex offender's death and broader criminal enterprise.

Noel is currently being sued in Westchester County Supreme Court for alleged assault at her job as a medical office assistant at Montefiore Einstein Advanced Care. She drove a 2019 Land Rover Range Rover valued at $62,000, according to available records.

Noel has not been contacted by reporters for comment. Her attorneys declined to respond to media inquiries.

The House Oversight Committee's request for testimony raises fresh questions about a death that has sparked conspiracy theories and skepticism for more than six years. Who deposited the cash in Noel's account? Why did she search for Epstein minutes before his body was found? What was she doing near his cell at 10:40 p.m.? And why did the FBI never pursue these leads?