ToplineA note possibly written by Jeffrey Epstein before he was found dead in his jail cell has been locked in a New York courthouse for nearly seven years, the New York Times reported Thursday afternoon, a possible indicator that investigators have lacked a potential piece of evidence into the financier’s death.The New York Times reported a possible suicide note by Jeffrey Epstein has been sealed in a New York court for nearly seven years. (Photo by Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)Patrick McMullan via Getty ImagesKey FactsNicholas Tartaglione, a former cellmate of Epstein, said he found a note purportedly written by Epstein after the financier was found unresponsive, but alive, with cloth around his neck in July 2019.Tartaglione recalled the note saying it was “time to say goodbye” and that investigators had “found nothing” on Epstein, continuing, “What do you want me to do, bust out crying?” according to the Times report.The note was sealed by a federal judge as part of Tartaglione’s criminal case, and the Times said it petitioned the court on Thursday to unseal it.The Justice Department, which has released millions of pages of documents related to Epstein in recent months, said the agency had not seen the note, and the Times noted it also has not seen the note.What Else Do We Know About The Note?According to the Times report, Tartaglione said he found the note in July 2019, which was tucked into a graphic novel in a cell he shared with Epstein. He said he discovered the note after Epstein was found in his cell with “bruising around the neck,” an incident investigators had probed as either a suicide attempt or a possible attack. After that episode, Epstein was placed on suicide watch and moved to another part of the jail. Epstein told investigators Tartaglione had attacked him—but then later told officials he “never had any issues” with his cellmate—and Tartaglione has denied assaulting Epstein. Tartaglione gave the note to his lawyers, the Times reported, because he felt it could be helpful if Epstein kept accusing Tartaglione of attacking him. The Times said it could not find the text of the note in the Epstein files released by the Justice Department, but it is referred to in a two-page document that details what happened to the note after Tartaglione found it. The document says Tartaglione told his lawyer about the note on July 27, 2019, four days after Epstein was found with marks on his neck. Over the following days, Tartaglione’s lawyers tried multiple times to authenticate the note but could not. The note was later authenticated by early January 2020, the timeline says, though it’s unclear how or by who. It’s also unclear who wrote the timeline document and why, the Times reported. TangentEarlier this week, the Government Accountability Office, an independent agency under the legislative branch, said it would review the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files after a bipartisan group of senators raised concerns the DOJ violated a law that mandated the department to release the files. Sarah Kaczmarek, managing director of the GAO’s Office of Public Affairs, confirmed to Forbes on Tuesday the probe will investigate the department's “reviewing, redacting, and releasing” of the files. The lawmakers reportedly alleged in a letter to the office the DOJ had violated the law by redacting the names of powerful people who appear in the files, accusing the the DOJ of failing to protect victims. Further ReadingNew Epstein Files Investigation Launched As DOJ’s Redactions Face Backlash (Forbes)