Feds can't find video of Epstein's first "suicide" attempt

TMZ reports,

The Jeffrey Epstein story just gets more and more suspicious, because now ... surveillance video from his failed suicide attempt has mysteriously vanished.

Prosecutors revealed in court Wednesday they could not locate the footage from outside of Epstein's cell on July 23 -- the day of his first reported suicide attempt at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in NYC. That was 2 weeks before he successfully killed himself ... according to the Medical Examiner's report.

The feds had no explanation for why the footage has gone missing -- they said they simply can't find it.

That could spell trouble for Epstein's cellmate at the time, ex-cop Nick Tartaglione ... who was reportedly accused of attacking Epstein that night. He formally requested the video be preserved 2 days after the suicide attempt ... in order to clear his name.

Now, it doesn't appear there's much evidence to prove one account over the other -- Epstein reportedly said Tartaglione attacked him, but he says he tried to save Epstein.

Of course, this all comes amid the highly-scrutinized eventual suicide -- which is now the subject of a criminal probe. Two prison guards on duty the night Epstein died have been accused of falsifying records -- making it seem like they'd made the required checks on Epstein's cell that night when they really hadn't.

Those guards have pled not guilty.

As for the missing surveillance video -- the judge told prosecutors to look further into what happened to it.