Nearly seven years after the death of financier Jeffrey Epstein inside a federal jail cell, new scrutiny is emerging as lawmakers seek answers from one of the prison guards who was on duty the night he died.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer announced that the panel intends to request an interview with Tova Noel, a former guard at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan, where Epstein was found dead on August 10, 2019. According to reporting highlighted by the New York Post, Noel had searched online for updates about Epstein shortly before his death.

Federal records reportedly show that Noel googled “latest on Epstein in jail” twice early that morning, at 5:42 a.m. and again at 5:52 a.m. Less than an hour later, another correctional officer discovered Epstein unresponsive in his cell at about 6:30 a.m.

Epstein’s death was officially ruled a suicide by hanging, but the circumstances surrounding it have remained controversial and widely debated.

Comer emphasized that Noel has not been formally accused of wrongdoing, but said the committee believes her testimony could help clarify unanswered questions about the events leading up to Epstein’s death.

“We have a lot of questions,” Comer said during a television interview, explaining that the panel hopes Noel will participate in a transcribed interview.

The guard’s actions have drawn attention before. Noel and fellow officer Michael Thomas were previously accused of falsifying records claiming they had checked on Epstein regularly during the night. Prosecutors alleged those checks did not actually occur.

Although both guards were initially charged in connection with the falsified records, the charges were later dropped as part of a legal agreement, and both employees were dismissed from their positions.

Newly reviewed documents have also raised questions about Noel’s financial activity around the time of Epstein’s death. According to reports, Chase Bank flagged a series of cash deposits into Noel’s account, including multiple transactions beginning in 2018 and a deposit of $5,000 in July 2019. Investigators reportedly noted the activity in a suspicious activity report sent to the FBI.

Comer said the deposits are among the issues the committee wants to examine more closely.

In addition, internal documents suggest investigators believed Noel may have been the unidentified figure seen in surveillance footage near Epstein’s cell on the night of his death, though the footage was reportedly blurry.

During a sworn statement in 2021, Noel denied searching for Epstein online and said she did not recall making the internet searches attributed to her.

Despite the official ruling that Epstein died by suicide, some members of Congress say they remain unconvinced and want to review the evidence again.

The Oversight Committee’s planned interview could become the latest effort to revisit one of the most controversial prison deaths in recent U.S. history.