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An FBI timeline details the circumstances surrounding the suicide of the convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell inside a Bryan, Texas jail cell in Februrary 2026. The report was included in the millions of documents released under the Maxwell Files Transparency Act.
Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 on federal sex trafficking charges. Upon her arrival at the Bradford, New Hampshire, the report states she underwent a psychological intake screening and denied suicidal thoughts or a history of mental health treatment.
On August 1, 2025 Maxwell was placed in a cell with another inmate. A suicide risk assessment conducted that day found no signs of suicidal ideation, according to the report. Maxwell continued to deny distress during subsequent psychological checks.
In the early morning hours of Februrary 7th, an officer “observed Maxwell laying in the fetal position on the floor of her cell snoring.” The report states that Maxwell’s neck was red, but there were no abrasions. Maxwell reportedly told an officer that her cellmate tried to kill her, but the cellmate claimed he was asleep and woke up to find Maxwell with a “string around her neck.”
Maxwell was deemed a moderate suicide risk. She claimed she was “depressed” and “unhappy” about her current legal situation, but not suicidal. On December 30 2025, the report states that Maxwell once again denied suicidal ideations and psych observation was discontinued.
On Feb. 7 at 6:33 a.m., a body alarm was activated in the unit where Maxwell was being held. An officer radioed a medical emergency and told a responding lieutenant that “Maxwell hung herself.” When the lieutenant arrived at Maxwell’s cell, one officer was already performing CPR. The lieutenant also began CPR and ordered emergency services to be called. During the response, one officer stated, “We did not complete the 3 am nor 5 am rounds,” while another appeared distraught and said, “We messed up,” and “I messed up, she’s not to blame, we didn’t do any rounds,” according to the report.
Maxwell was moved to the jail’s medical area, where a nurse continued CPR until emergency medical personnel arrived. She was then transported by ambulance to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 7:36 a.m., the timeline states. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled Maxwell’s death a suicide by hanging.
